Making an offer on a boat

It depends on a lot of factors. How in demand and if the model is back ordered. How long the dealer has been sitting on it if it's not. How willing the dealer is to wheel and deal..... I wouldn't think 5% would be too much to ask for, and 10% is not uncommon on some off brands. You could start at 10% and whittle yourself down to somewhere in the middle......

First look behind you. Is there a line? If you are not in a hurry take your time.

Is $1.2M MSRP or Dealer List?

I see Formula (smaller express cruisers) has promoted 20% off their factory price for the last several months. This is off of the boat, motors, and all upgrade electronics and hydraulics and so forth as well.

Not sure Viking is selling boats like Formula right now or not. I do know that the 20% off has the factory in Indiana ramped up a bit though.

Have you considered another pre-owned?

I am sure you know that there is a nice one with Zeus drives on the market for just under a Mil that might be worth taking a look at or to use as a comp to get the price down on the new one!!

http://www.**************/core/listing/boatMergedDetails.jsp?boat_id=2574020&checked_boats=2574020&ybw=&units=Feet&currency=USD&access=Public&listing_id=13104&url=&imc=pg-fs

I would prefer Zues over IPS in that application for several reasons. Having the exhaust exit the transom instead of underwater on a fishing boat would be a main one.

Bumping this thread after finding it via search. Without much luck on larger stuff, we're looking at smaller, new boats. For context a Viking, similar sized boat to OP. Since this is 7 years old and the market is quite different, any insight on what to expect off MSRP?

Same as before. Whatever you can negotiate. What does the dealer have in to it and what is he willing to let it go for. One of my car buying tricks is to pressure him to "take something off to get me in the mood"..... I then triple that and take it off the original price..... Not saying that's gonna work for you but you gotta be creative. In the RV industry 30% is routine, and often they let last years model (new) go for less than that. They may even take a small haircut, but they do a lot more volume than a million plus dollar boat dealer so they quickly move on. Space on the lot. Speaking of the lot, in the car and RV business dealers finance their inventory, call it the "floor plan". Unless the boat dealer is doing VERY well and working with a chunk of their own cash (I would be surprised at that) they are paying a monthly nut. Usually the interest rates are a sliding scale..... just for illustration purposes: First month 2%, next two months 3% etc etc. Something that's been sitting a long time is gonna cost them, every month. If the salesman says "There's quite a bit of interest", there usually isn't. See if you can get a peek at the HIN, it will tell you when it was made, and that could be an indication of how long the dealer has had it.

Bottom line...... there should be two little voices in your head: "Oh my, isn't that pretty. Honey we would look GOOD in this." And the other.... "Nope, too much. I can squeeze a lot more out of this deal. Nope, go home.... these people won't deal". To the dude(tte) "Why don't you give me your business card....." "You want my email? Why will it be on sale next week? Why not now?" They are sales people. Even the nice ones serve only one master. If you don't operate the same way, you lose.

Happy hunting.

All good advice..
I only bought a brand new boat once and got a hell of a deal, here is how:
I walked in to the dealer, met the sales manager, sat down and explained I was looking for a used boat, nothing fancy, just to get me on the water and to the Keys and the Bahamas.
He asked if I would consider a new boat??
Nah, not really, don’t think it is in the budget, looking for a used boat in good condition.
He sharpened his pencil, asked what I needed for equipment, electronics, etc,
and cooked up a final number that got my attention including the plotter, radio, autopilot, bells and whistles etc I could not live without.
End of story I got the boat at a really good price and sold it 18 months later for more than I paid for it.
(Unheard of in the boating business and I am still in shock 3 years later. )

What !!? You must make one hell of a drink ! If ever we shall meet, please make me one or two.

Nah, only Coors Light these days..
True story, got the numbers to prove it.
Will not buy a new boat again however: Had it surveyed the day before delivery: Surveyor made a long list of stuff wrong with the boat, some from sloppy build, some from design problems. Took me a year under warranty to get most of it sorted, frustrating and time consuming.

My thoughts......Question; what was the boat show price at the Miami Show? If you don't know find out the show price (if there is any) at the Palm Beach Boat Show in March. Then negotiate from the show price as much as you can. In the end it's a game of chicken. But if your let them know you are ready to deal for the right deal, then you'll be in a position of strength. Do not let your emotions get the best of you. In the end, I hope you get what you want. Best of luck!! We only live once!

Appreciate the replies. I'm sure some of you have scored great deals on new boats, but I suspect that is a more rare event given the current market. Of course I'm sure the price drops if it sits through summer and into next year but I'm hoping to be in something by then.

Gratitude - this is more what I was after. I don't know the boat show price or if there was one. I've gone through this song and dance with center consoles and there tends to be discounts and extras thrown in for boats shows. I was hoping someone was kicking tires on a Viking or something comparable and could chime in with some feedback, but I suspect it varies quite a bit between manufacturers due to demand. Right now it's about a 6-7% discount. I've seen 10-20% off MSRP for center consoles and 0% with a waitlist for others.

Zen - When I purchased my boat at the FLIBS in October 2019 they were offering 6.67% of the the price they sell for (MSRP and actual non-boat show price are different). I negotiated another 3.33% off to get a total of 10% off the non-boat show sell price. I purchased 50' Galeon Flybridge

Wow, I would be sick and very upset ! Sounds like you got stuck with finishing / supervising the build of the boat ! I've learned here on YF ; new or used you have got to do your homework and get the vessel surveyed and be there with the surveyor.
Then take all the finding and rethink your purchase before you pull the trigger. But don't rethink to hard or you will never own a boat. Just CYA the best you can.
And I'll have three of your Coors water light, they are ok with me if we meet.

I have an owner that got close to 20% off MSRP on a new, popular/main stream brand of MY between 65-70' at the Miami Boat Show last year. He negotiated a hard deal and they took it.

10% seems to be pretty common. Not sure what Viking you are looking at but if looking for an express as described above, might want to take a look at Cabo/Hatteras or the new Mag Bay.

Timing is always everything in any deal selling or buying.

This is true, but then I've seen several buyers get so wrapped up in getting the best price, that they get dillusional and lose every single boat they're looking at because their offer is too low and someone else comes in and buys it.