NY Boat Show

[NYStockboy]

Does anyone know which boats will be at the Donzi booth at the NY Boat Show?

Thank You,
Ken

[Shanghied Again]

A 39, 38ZR, 33ZX, 28ZX and a 22 Classic. I am pretyy sure there should be a few fishing boats

[NYStockboy]

Thanks for the information.
Ken

[NYStockboy]

Iwent to the NY Boatshow yesterday and today. The Donzi booth is right as you walk in at the main entrance to the show. An absolutely beautiful black 22 Classic with the standard 496 Mag is right out in front of the booth.I sat down with sales people from the dealership on Long Island that I have been dealing with who were manning the booth. We put pencil to paper to negotiate a definitive deal for an ordered 03. They came well off retail but are still somewhat substantially higher than prices I negotiated on the phone with dealers out of state for an ordered boat. I recognize that I would have to have the boat shipped from out of state dealers, but still, the local dealer is decently higher even when factoring in the shipping costs. How important is it to purchase the boat from a local dealer who I would be bringing the boat to for potential warranty work? Would I get good service from the local dealer if I had purchased the boat from an out of state dealer? When buying a car, it really doesn't matter. What about with a boat?
Thanks,
Ken

[Magic Float]

Ken,if at all possible,buy local. Boats and cars are extremely different. Car dealers operate their service shops as a high volume profit center and love warranty work for the extra profit.Boat dealers are low volume and have enough problems making their own customers happy. You might not get the service you deserve if you buy out of state,no reflection on the dealer but he is normally a small businessman that makes his living taking care of his own customers.It is often too much to ask for him to take care of your boat under warranty when he knows that some out of state dealer made the profit upfront on the sale.Try to buy local,go elsewhere only if you can't make it work. Just my 2 cents as a dealer

[Walt. H.]

Ken,(NY.stock boy) Even auto dealers take care of "there" customers first, Now for a personal question. Don't have to answer. But ask yourself. Are you really looking to buy or are you just tire kicking? You inquire & inquire & inquire & inquire, good opportunities have come and gone. Please BUY SOMETHING ALREADY!!!!!!!!Just my observation, am I wrong?

[Scott Pearson]

I wouldnt worry about the whole dealer thing...Donzi changes dealers like I change my underwear. One year you have a new dealer and the next its someone else. I have seen it to many times in NJ. I dont know about other parts of the nation...but thats just what I have observed here.

(NJ)Scott

[RICPAZ]

It took me 12 months to finally buy my Donzi! Now it looks like it may take just as long to sell it! : (

I'm going to the NY show this Sat. I would've went to the show last Sat. but I was at the Giants-Eagles game instead ! ! Go Giants!
I'll let you know how the show was next week.

Damn! Someone buy my 22ZX already so I can get a bigger one!! I'm getting the itch bad!

-Rich

[RICPAZ]

Oh, yeah. Since I bought my Donzi in '99 I have seen two Donzi dealers come and go here in CT, one of which was the one I bought mine from! Now there's none left in Connecticut. Now, the closest one is in Port Jefferson on Long Island. It may not matter if you buy local 'cause it seems Donzi has a hard time holding on to their dealers.
-Rich

[Woodsy]

StockBoy

I agree with Scott... Donzi changes dealerships like most strippers change thier panties. The other reality is, that any dealership that sells Mercruiser, has to warranty Mercruiser. Most of the issues with your new Donzi will more than likely be mechanical ones. We also know from numerous members experiences on this board and OSO, that getting Donzi to warranty anything is like pulling teeth. It seems to always be somebody/something elses fault. If I were buying a new Donzi, before I took delivery I would hire a surveyor to go over the entire boat, and find all of the imperfections. Once those were fixed, I would then take delivery.

You should also talk to your local dealer, explain you have better price quotes from other dealerships, and see if he can match the price. If he says no he loses the sale and you buy elsewhere saving money. If he agrees to the price, then you both win, he gets a sale & a new customer, you get to save some $$$.

Also, I know you have been looking for awhile. If it were me, I would not be looking for a new '03 22 Classic. Try to find a leftover, you will save about $10K over a new one, and thats $10K less in depreciation you will take the hit on....

RicPaZ... not to burst your bubble, but your boat isn't selling because its priced too high. My friend Peter was in the market for a 22 ZX and bought one very similar to yours down in KY for $27K. It did have a few more hours on it, 140, and a lower hp motor 454/330HP, and it was always used in freshwater. But a 502 doesn't add $11K to the price tag, especially in a saltwater boat. I showed him yours and a few others, and he settled on the one from KY. I think if you lowered your price to about $30K - 32K you would be in the ball park of what the boats really worth.

Woodsy Von Donzi :D :D

[loanaranger]

NYStockBoy,

At first I was going to say you were crazy for not buying local, but a lot of the guys bring up a good point about Donzi changing dealers. They do seem to change dealers often, but I can say from my past selling experience, that if you didn't buy from us there was always somebody in front of you when it came to service issues. So I guess if the dealer is going to stick around I would certainly try to buy at your local dealer.

Just take your quote from the other dealers throughout the country to the show. Let the dealer know you will put down a non-refundable deposit at the show for an order, at the number the other dealer quoted you. If they don't get to that number just leave and buy elsewhere.

Good Luck!

Barry

[fasttrucker]

Dealers have protected territorys.If you buy from another dealer...sometimes they might tell you flat out ...We wont service that boat. :( Just my experance...thats why i bought used and saved $25,000. wink

[Shanghied Again]

The Z care is through Donzi, any dealer can work on your boat. I bought my 22ZX at Cape Island at the time Lightning Jacks worked on it, The dealer is going to send a bill to Donzi or MerCruiser and get paid for the work they are doing, They would be nuts to turn away work. We work on outside new Donzis at Typhoon. How about the Toy Store they sell all over the country?

[Shanghied Again]

Rich, E- Mail me on your 22Zx, someone at the show was looking for a good used 22. And if you are looking for a 28ZX I will be at the show Saturday and Sunday. Ask for me.

[NYStockboy]

Walt, you've got to be kidding. I only registered for the site on 9/25/02, slightly over 4 months ago. Although I knew I wanted a Classic, I first went through an educational process with the help of members of this forum, of deciding which boat was better for Long Island bay waters, the 22 ZX or Classic. I was also considering an 18 Classic until I was dissuaded. I also have the time to consider since the money to pay cash for the boat will come to me on June 1st, part of my deferred comp from the brokerage house where I have worked for the last 12 years. So, all in all, I have operated in a fairly time efficient way, learning a lot where there was and is a hell of a lot to learn. I take this purchase seriously, I recognize that from a safety as well as satisfaction standpoint, the right decsion needs to be made. Also, lack of familiarity with dealers and warranty work and how much one can expect a dealer to come off retail from a pricing standpoint. Walt, I wonder how quickly you would learn about, then committ to a large purchase of this nature. Hey, maybe I will buy a Baja.

[Greg Maier]

Hey Stockboy, don't buy a Baja ! (Sorry HyperBaja) I think you are going about your purchase the right way. Why jump into purchasing a boat when you don't have all the information, especially when you have unlimited Donzi knowledge here on this board. There is a lot to learn. I'm learning every time I use/work on my Donzi. Usually my learning experiences cost me $$$. Why don't you wait until the Spring time, go to AOTHIII, ride in different types of Donzi's and then decide.

[Barry Phillips]

Hey NY Stockboy don't sweat it. Only took me about 30 years to buy my 18 and I have never regreted it. I have had a love affair with the Classic Donzis scince I first saw a late 60s 18 2+3. I was 16 and knew I had have one some day, but it took the passing of both of my parents in the same month to convince me that life is to short, so when you get the cash, go for it, a Classic that is. No slam on any of the other boats on this site, the ZXs and Daytonas included, but nothing defines the word style like a Classic Donzi.

SO-SLO

[Walt. H.]

Ken, It was not my intention to get you p/o. It was to motivate. You just missed your best window of opportunity, price wise. That was between labor day and Thanksgiving. Especially for privately owned. They beat / avoid the cost and inconvenience of winter lay-up, maintence, insurance premiums and get there own opportunity to take advantage to buy the same way, before the snow flys. Ken, Boats and motorcycles prices are reduced in the fall, If they don't sell before winter storage time. They'll ask more in the spring because theres more customers looking. You will have competition working against you. Look in the want ad digest type listings. Hardly any boats or motorcycles now, Plenty of snowmobiles though. Come spring how many snowmobiles are then listed. OK- Nuff said. It's your money and I certainly understand the desire to get the best deal, (the most bang for the buck) . Boats, Cars, Houses, wives, or girlfriends, You'll always see a better one the day after you sign on the dotted line,regardless how long you wait."Thats Life". Caution is good, Passion is Better, and bad timing will cost you money! (your in the stock market you know that's true Take a deep breath and "Go for the GUSTO"!! Hey, There's your "Donzi's name. :) enjoy, Walt.........

[MR MAGOO]

Don`t knock the Baja too bad! I have owned many performance boats including 5 Donzi`s and have bought 3 brand new Baja`s from 21' to 28' with twin 454`s. I have had great results with my Baja Boats and the first two we MADE money on them when they were sold!!!! When we finally sold our 280 Baja after 12 yrs of fantastic service, it sold for 15k less than we paid for it NEW!!! Also, Baja has a great rep for taking care of any warranty work that might be needed along the way. None of the Baja`s that we owned had needed to used thier warranty. Buy in the fall when dealers are panicking with large inventories and sell in the spring. I currently own a 38 Top Gun Cigarette and I`m sure we are going to take a beating on this one!