Boat Show Buying Tips!

Not only from our dealership, but most of our competition puts their best deals forward at boat show time. Manufacturer rebates, dealer incentives, better selection, and eagerness of dealers to get off to a good start makes boat show time a true "buyers market." To be best prepared, we recommend the following steps (or some variation there-of) to be confident when making your buying decision!

1)    Start early. The internet is a powerful tool and there are so many great pieces of information to be found online. Plus, it's fun to build up to the anticipation of the big event! The more that you think about your new boat, being on the water, options that you may want to add, ect- the better and more confident you'll become at decision time.

2)    Seek out other boat owner's opinions. Chances are if you are into boating you've got friends that are into boating too. Plus, take a look at online owner's forums to get non-biased opinions on certain brands of boats. Try to figure out what options are must-haves or important to you so that when you make your buying decision you know what types of add-ons you need to take into consideration.

3)    Narrow your manufacturer & model search before the show. Of course, you want to do your due diligence and see everything at the show before making your decision; however, if you do some brand and model research ahead of time, you can make things way easier and make things less stressful when inside. Several manufacturers are on very thin ice and have had bankruptcy issues the past 3 years- some are currently owned by holding companies. Make sure to purchase from a reputable brand that can back their warranty for years to come. See what manufacture's have earned customer service awards here.

4)    Check out the dealers that you will consider, too. Through these hard economic times there are only a select few in Northeastern Ohio that has maintained industry certifications, service certifications, and a full staff of employees to meet the needs of their customers. This may be hard to gauge on an equal playing field like a boat show, but with a little bit of research ahead of time, you can separate the weak from the strong. You want to make sure that your dealer can stand behind their products and give you an elite level of service. Does the dealer have a good stock level of product? Is the dealership an industry certified 5 Star Dealer (see list for marine industry certified dealers here) meaning that they've had high customer satisfaction scores?

5)    Time to take a look at the boat! Sometimes people are intimidated to inspect the ins and outs of the boat at the boat show. Go right ahead- we don't mind! We're proud to have you look at our boats. You should feel welcome to spend some time acquainting yourself with the boat you're about to buy. Open the compartment doors, sit in all of the seats. Does the boat feel comfortable to you? Does it seem like a good value?

6)   There are no dumb questions! Actually, we love answering any and all  questions because we love getting new boaters excited about being on the water! Especially if you've gone through steps 1-4, you should have come up with several questions to ask. A reputable dealer will want you to be just as confident about your purchase as you walk out the door as you were when you walked in.