S238 pricing

[SilentTrojan 1]

After contemplating getting a boat the past few summers, decided to finally make it happen. I wasn’t originally looking at Supreme but fell in love with 2020 S238 here in Austin TX. It helps that it’s in my price range too. The dealer has been nice but I’m concerned I’m overpaying and just want to make sure as first time buyer that I’m not being mislead. When I first walked in, the guy threw out a 89k number when pointing at it. I didn’t take that as a final best price but as a starting point. My only comparisons are auto and home sales where the first number thrown out is almost never the final. Anyways we were at least in the same ball park and I ended up putting a refundable deposit down to hold it. I took the build out sheets home, and the 89 number is about 15% below MSRP. Again I’m new to boating but from research I was expecting closer to 20%. I’ve asked them if they can meet me somewhere in the middle and they aren’t budging at this point. They’ve told me the price is already a great deal and the 20% doesn’t apply to them. That “fancier” boats like Malibu (they new I had checked out them) inflate their MSRP to make you feel better. What do you guys think? I want the boat, they know I want the boat at this point, it’s a boat season now, and we’re not that far apart (maybe 5k). We’re setup for a demo next week.

Thanks for any feedback!

[Aquaholic1 3]

You can buy a left over 19’ 232 for that!

[SilentTrojan 1]

They did have a 19 ZS232 that he also threw out the 89k number. I was interested but my wife vetoed color scheme.
 

I’ve seen others out of state but trying to work with local dealer.

[Aquaholic1 3]

I bought my 238 at 29k under msrp. Was at 103k and took it home for 74k otd.... that doesn’t sound like much of a deal to me on yours. You can find a year old model for 30% under which is avg. as you build a relationship with the dealer they will take care if you better. If they don’t, I’d find a new dealer. From the sounds of it, I don’t think they’re the best option 

[SilentTrojan 1]

I keep hearing not to buy out of state because the local dealer will hassle you when it comes time for service or warranty work.

With that said, I see new 2019s out there in the low to mid 70s. But I love the color scheme on the one here. Ugg!

[ryan516 0]

I'm guessing they have priced right. The boat market right now seems to be strong, so they know it will sell. No sense dropping the price when they think someone else will be in next week to buy at the asking price. 

I just bought mine in the midst of the pandemic because I'm ready to get out, and judging by the amount of boats out there, I'm not alone. I think it'll be tough right now to negotiate too much lower. Maybe try to get them to toss in some free or heavily discounted gear if they have a store. 

[mmidler 0]

I bought mine towards the tail end of summer and paid about the same as what you quoted in 2018. Mine has all the upgrades (upgraded tower speakers, gatorstep everywhere, and they threw in some more lead. I have a great relationship with my dealer and they took care of everything that came up warranty-wise I think if you feel they'll take care of you when warranty issues come up (It will at some point) then its a good deal. Like the other comment here, the market is a bit different now with all thats going on.

[BigRich 0]

hmmm

Edited May 26, 2020 by BigRich

[SilentTrojan 1]

Thanks for the feedback. Makes me feel a little better. I reached out to a few other locations (not local) and got 85k (price I was thinking was fair) at both but with shipping I'm getting close to the 89k. I'm just going for it and hope that when I need them for service or future sales that they'll take care of me. I do get a discount at their shop for a few months so I'll take advantage of that as much as possible. Taking her out for maiden voyage tomorrow.

[Troy. R 198]

For What it's worth, I just put a deposit on a '19 ZS232. It is out of state (I'm in AZ, it's in FL). The price is $83,885. I didn't even try negotiating at that price. I almost ordered a new one yesterday from the local dealer with some different options (biggest difference was the special order had the 409 engine, the one I'm getting has the 450). I negotiated as low as I could get the dealer to go and they were at $102K.

I really liked the people at the local dealer and would love to give them my business, but at that price difference it's a no-brainer.

[Troy. R 198]

I should have also mentioned that they had a '19 S238 for $73,885, but it apparently sold yesterday. I am not sure what options it had.

[Guppydriver 2]

On 6/17/2020 at 1:44 PM, Troy. R said:

For What it's worth, I just put a deposit on a '19 ZS232. It is out of state (I'm in AZ, it's in FL). The price is $83,885. I didn't even try negotiating at that price. I almost ordered a new one yesterday from the local dealer with some different options (biggest difference was the special order had the 409 engine, the one I'm getting has the 450). I negotiated as low as I could get the dealer to go and they were at $102K.

I really liked the people at the local dealer and would love to give them my business, but at that price difference it's a no-brainer.

That is one heck of a deal for a Zeus. I saw a leftover 2020 in California on only inboards, and they quoted me 102.....no thanks.

[Guppydriver 2]

I want to add to this thread as opposed to starting anything new. Keep in mind that the market is vastly different today (9-13-20) than it was in May when this thread was started. The market exploded, Not much "left over" to buy and from what I hear, the traditional winter rebate from Centurion/ Supreme has been suspended. My dealer told me that if I order today, the soonest I could have my boat would be March. 

 

Anyway...this was their initial offer on a2021 S238. The build sheet was from one they had in stock (not the one I would order), but it gives you an idea. They made a point to mention that there is not the same amount of margin as premium models..so it's kind of a no haggle price. I could never take a first offer from a dealer, but just wondering how much leverage you guys/gals think I may have. 

The build sheet is from a typically loaded model with no glaring omissions. Some points of note..

Does Not have the horseshoe bow bag...they say it surfs better without it??- Has the Champ Audio System, not the 4 speaker. No docking or underwater lights. No heater..Also the Gator step is very plain, not the 2 color with graphics. Standard racks...not bombshell. I'll build mine with some of these, but for the sake of this post, I just want to focus on this particular build.

MSRP $119,020

PRICE $85,209 ($33,811 discount)

Freight $2950 (Utah)

Dealer Prep $1250

Doc Fee $495

TOTAL $89,904

Plus TTL- this is a non negotiable fixed percent/state fee, so irrelevant to the conversation.

Just wondering how much room you guys think I have to wiggle in this sellers market.

[Troy. R 198]

Boat prices are kinda regional. For example, when talking to the salesman at the dealer where I got mine, he said they are the first Supreme dealer in FL (they also sell Nautiques) and that buyers were a little unsure of the brand. He said he had many customers opt for a 5yr old Nautique over a new Supreme for this reason. Thus, late in the 2020 model year they still had a few ‘19s they had to clear off of their lot.

To contrast that, here in AZ people know exactly what Supremes are and they sell very quickly. When I was at the local dealer they had just bought a 2020 ZS232 from a dealer in CA because they needed to have one on the lot to show and didn’t want to wait for the build from the factory.

Because of the supply/demand difference, they’re more expensive here in AZ...

[Guppydriver 2]

1 hour ago, Troy. R said:

Boat prices are kinda regional. For example, when talking to the salesman at the dealer where I got mine, he said they are the first Supreme dealer in FL (they also sell Nautiques) and that buyers were a little unsure of the brand. He said he had many customers opt for a 5yr old Nautique over a new Supreme for this reason. Thus, late in the 2020 model year they still had a few ‘19s they had to clear off of their lot.

To contrast that, here in AZ people know exactly what Supremes are and they sell very quickly. When I was at the local dealer they had just bought a 2020 ZS232 from a dealer in CA because they needed to have one on the lot to show and didn’t want to wait for the build from the factory.

Because of the supply/demand difference, they’re more expensive here in AZ...

As far as what sells regionally...

I'll tell ya....in Utah this year....what sells is anything that floats. I'm not sure this economy is sustainable considering all that is going on, so boat demand could drop, but I know if I want a new boat for 2021, I'll need to order relatively soon.  

You think I have a few bucks more to shave off that one I mentioned Troy, or is that about whee I should be ?

[Troy. R 198]

It’s worth a try to negotiate, but the may not budge. The market in AZ is about the same as what you’re seeing in Utah. So, the dealer really has the negotiating leverage, which is why they wouldn’t go under $100k on a ZS232 when I was looking locally.

[Guppydriver 2]

21 minutes ago, Troy. R said:

It’s worth a try to negotiate, but the may not budge. The market in AZ is about the same as what you’re seeing in Utah. So, the dealer really has the negotiating leverage, which is why they wouldn’t go under $100k on a ZS232 when I was looking locally.

Yeah...That's what I'm afraid of. I'll see what I can do. Maybe I will be tell them that price is fine, but I want the heater and bombshells plus 500 pounds of lead and a maybe a board included. Hell, the worst they can say is no, it's just business. I don't want to throw next summer over  few grand which amounts to 20 bucks a month.

They are quoting me 105 on a ZS, so the S238 is really the only viable option to keep me in the five digit world. If I have a "eff you Dave Ramsey" moment and decide to increase me budget, I'll probably jump to the Vi or the MB.

I appreciate your comments Troy...

 

While I got you..

 

Why is this forum so quiet compared to the team talk and the Bu' forums? Even the MB forum has more activity than this one and they sell 300 boats a year. Do you think I should post my threads and the Centurion section instead?

[Troy. R 198]

This entire forum (Centurion and Supreme) used to be very active years back.
I joined in 2010 when I bought my first boat (Centurion Avalanche). It was a great resource and very active. I sold my Avy at the end of 2016, and came back when I started looking for a new boat and found the activity to be very low/slow as compared to the past. I've been told that there is much more activity on the FB page, but I don't do FB.
 

[Guppydriver 2]

24 minutes ago, Troy. R said:

This entire forum (Centurion and Supreme) used to be very active years back.
I joined in 2010 when I bought my first boat (Centurion Avalanche). It was a great resource and very active. I sold my Avy at the end of 2016, and came back when I started looking for a new boat and found the activity to be very low/slow as compared to the past. I've been told that there is much more activity on the FB page, but I don't do FB.
 

So I'm not the only one left in the world without Facebook...lol 

Good to know .  

[Troy. R 198]

35 minutes ago, Guppydriver said:

So I'm not the only one left in the world without Facebook...lol 

Good to know .  

Haha!
I took a hard-line stance year ago to never create an account and I can't back down now!

Best of luck to you on your purchase. For what it's worth, in the given market I think the $85,209 you were quoted before TTL etc. is a pretty decent price. Not a steal, but I'm not sure you'll get a deal that is significantly better. Also consider, if you buy elsewhere, your dealer will not be as "nice" when it comes to warranty. You'll also be on your own in terms of paying taxes and getting it registered. This was a little bit of a headache for me, but worth it given the deal I got. I say that just to say there is extra value in buying local beyond the OTD cost of the boat (even though I didn't buy local).

From my experience on the S238 cost, when I was looking locally they were at about $90k for boat, dealer prep, freight, and doc.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Troy. R