2004 avalanche questions

[Snowden 0]

I am looking at buying a 2004 Centurion avalanche from a friend.  It has 1110hrs.  Interior is pretty rough with some rips and paint is faded.  It also has very stiff steering.  Asking price is 23,500.  I think that's a bit high based on other similar boats.  I'm curious what other things I should check before buying and what a fair price would be for poor condition?

[Bigcatpt 408]

The Avalanche is a great boat.  Unmatched wave for those early 2000's.  You would expect the interior to be rough for that age boat.  You are looking $3k-$6K for a new interior.  Is the paint really faded or is there just oxidation on the gel coat?  If it is just oxidation you can get that bad boy back to a mirror shine with quite a bit of elbow grease and the right buffing kit.  Are there scratches and dings and gouges?  If it is just oxidation that is not an issue.  A new steering cable is a couple hundred bucks and can be a do it yourself project.  How does it run?  How is the engine and transmission?  With almost 1200 hours it has been well used and loved.  Hopefully if you are buying it from a friend you would know if it has any mechanical issues.  Bottom line you could replace the steering cable for a couple hundred bucks and be on the water enjoying the heck out of a great boat for around $20K.   You can replace interior vinyl and buff out the oxidation as time and money permits. I sold my 2003 Avy pre-covid to my brother for $25K with about 800 hrs.  I could have got more out of it locally had I not sold it to him.  It needed some vinyl work but was otherwise in really mint condition.  He has since replaced the vinyl and could easily get $30+ for it now in todays market.  So I would say that at $23,500 the boat has already been marked down for the overall used condition of the boat.  Especially considering boats of that age are selling for at least $5k over what they were pre covid.  

 

[Snowden 0]

Thanks so much I really appreciate it.  I think its just oxidation, saw very few scratches and no dings, it will prob buff out..  There were small cracks in the fiberglass around some snaps by the passenger front window.  Ill look further into engine and trans maintenance.  In the past it seemed to run good and I think has been well maintained mechanically.  I only looked at it today, needs to be de winterized and fired up next.

[Troy. R 198]

I concur with Bigcat. I sold an ‘07 Avy at the end of 2016 for $37,500. It was in great condition with about 300hrs, custom ballast, etc. I’ve seen the same boat in worse condition with less options listed for $40k recently. With the cost of new wakeboats going up and up, the resale market for wakeboats has done the same. I actually made $ on my Avy after about 7yrs of ownership. That said, you could make an offer at $20-$21k or something like that citing the issues you described above. Worst thing that can happen is he says no.

The high engine hrs are expected for a boat of that age, but would be the most worrisome part of the deal to me. It might be worth the peace of mind to take to a shop for a compression test/overall checkout.

[jtryon 24]

I'm on the other side and would look for a better deal.  First, he's not giving you a "friend deal" at that price--you're almost doing him a favor   High hours, so I'd want to know he was meticulous with oil, trans fluid, v-drive fluid and impeller changes.  I'm guessing he wasn't if the interior was left to die along the way.  The steering could just require a new cable which isn't a huge deal if you're doing it yourself.  Gelcoat fading is going to take some man-hours with a buffer, but that's really expensive if you are having someone else do it.

If it's also a walk-through in the rear and not a C4 I wouldn't even consider it.

[Snowden 0]

Thanks for the feedback.  I don't know a lot about boats or if this is a walkthrough vs C4. What's the advantage/disadvantage between a walkthrough and a C4?  Ill do some research.

[Troy. R 198]

C4 has the wraparound seating.

The walkthrough has a walkthrough on the starboard side and no seating on that side behind the driver.

The advantage is, obviously more seating, but also more room to put ballast. If everyone in your crew surfs on the port side (regular) then the ballast part isn’t an issue. It does become an issue if you or people in your crew ride goofy.

My initial thought on the price was that it was a tad high as jtryon suggested. However, in a quick search of boattrader, the cheapest Avy on their site is an ‘03 C4 with 770hrs and rough looking interior. Like I said, offer $20-$21k and see what happens...

[DaveB 5]

I have a 05 Avy, that I have wet sanded and re buffed the entire boat and it came back like new, I also replaced the upholstery which wasn't that bad but I did it anyway. It is basically now a new boat but with old technology. 

[DaveB 5]

Still looking for a new one though

[jtryon 24]

On 2/14/2021 at 7:17 PM, DaveB said:

I have a 05 Avy, that I have wet sanded and re buffed the entire boat and it came back like new, I also replaced the upholstery which wasn't that bad but I did it anyway. It is basically now a new boat but with old technology. 

any before/after pics?  can you detail the method you used, i.e. 800, 1200, 1800 or whatever, followed by which buffing product(s) and equipment?

[DaveB 5]

I started with 400 and worked my way up to 2000. Then polished with 3m finess it and buffed with Star brite marine polish.