Dealer destination fees...

MattPicarazzi

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Hi all

Im new to the board and considering ordering a Bennington from a local marina here in CT. My question to anyone who has ordered a boat would be how much were your destination fees? The sales manager here is telling me I would be paying upwards of $3500 to "put the boat together" as he put it. I dont know I just thought that sounded steep. Also, he did not offer anything off of MSRP yet which was a little disappointing but that can always still be negotiated. As I have read it is better to buy local than out of state. Any help would be appreciated and thanks for all the input Ive gotten from everyone just searching around the board.

Matt
 
That seems very high, but I’d have to check my paperwork up at our cottage on what mine were last year when we ordered a 2017. That said, they do have to do a lot of final prep/put together oriented work.

IF you cannot get anything off MSRP, I’d keep looking. Model of boat can impact this a lot, as the higher $ models have a bit more wiggle room built into their MSRP. However, I still strongly urge the pontoon rule of thumb - better get into that 20% off MSRP range, or I’ll find another dealer/seller that will. Shop around, and make sure this dealer knows that you are IF they are not budging on prices.

As fall turns to winter in the north, good deals start to pop up more so dealers can move inventory, and guarantee order slots are filled for the upcoming year. This should help with negotiating leverage. Boat shows in the north often offer up nice opportunities for savings as well.

Good to buy with a local dealer/service provider. However, not if they are not trustworthy, or gauging you for $ right from the outset.
 
Here are the " FREIGHT ESTIMATES " and disclaimers from the Bennington Build Page


FREIGHT ESTIMATES
DISCLAIMER DISTANCE EST. FREIGHT
All prices found on this boat builder and website are based on standard MSRP in US Dollars. Prices DO NOT include destination fees, prep, registration fees, taxes, trailer, dealer installed options, or any other applicable discounts or charges. Prices, materials, standard equipment and options are subject to change without notice. Please contact your nearest dealer to determine exact pricing at time of purchase. DEALER MAKE-READY CHARGES VARY PER DEALER AND INCLUDE: OFF-LOAD HANDLING, RIGGING, PROP, BATTERIES, DELIVERY PREP, ETC.
2,000 miles $2,500
1,500 miles $1,700
1,000 miles $1100
750 miles $800
500 miles $550
250 miles $300
* Based on full load to single dealer. * Excludes split load drop fees. * Excludes fuel surcharges.
 
Well if google maps is correct, Elkhart Indiana to Brookfield Connecticut is less than 800 miles. So the dealer definitely took a shot at me already.
 
Like Jack said, ask just what this extra money is getting you.

I expect the reply to be something like:
Freight
Fuel surcharges
Prop
Batteries
Fuel/oils
Shop supplies
Rigging
Clean-up
Doc fees
Pack
Grow boating fees

That number seems high, but totally unfair to comment until knowing everything.
As said expect a nice discount off MSRP for an R and very little if any for an S
 
I wouldn’t say that about an s-series Bill. We got 32% off MSRP on our 2017 S series order last year. I think it depends on a lot of factors, and even within a model, what version of that model your talking about - higher end or base end of model, options, etc...

Even with an s-series I’d be pushing, negotiating, or talking to other dealers seeing what can shake loose. Like I said, we timed things up, and stretched things in negotiations, in to an eventual 32% off MSRP last December on a 2017 24’ SSBXP order. You just never know...
 
OK, a little moderator input here so that this discussion can continue in a positive way.

Please remember that discounts, preparation/delivery costs, etc. are all variable and are a business decision based on a specific deal, by a specific dealer, on a specific date in time. Factors that influence these decisions might include market trends (supply and demand), inventory (or lack thereof), number of prior model year boats in inventory, finance status of the dealer's inventory, time of year, boat show offers, incentives from the factory (or motor manufacturer) and a host of other factors which may or may not be apparent to a prospective buyer.

It would not be realistic to expect a deal that Dealer A has offered (or made in the past) can or should be expected to be made by Dealer B.

Let's proceed with caution and agree to understand that dealership pricing decisions are complicated and deal specific. If we can hold to that, this topic can stay here for continued conversation. Deal?
 
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If the dealer can break it down then they’re obviously not trying to hide anything, I think we were in the ball park of $2500 for rigging, plus we paid shipping. Every dealer can/will offer different deals, just feel comfortable with your deal and you’ll be fine. Good luck on your hunt for a Benny! Don’t forget our inputs........ our advice is free.... just not everything we talk you into! :)
 
We didn't focus on that and we only saw it at the end with the final contract. We asked for a total price for everything from the dealers(s) and just worked off that number which made it easier to compare. Some gave us break downs, some did not. In the end we paid $1,500 freight and $800 prep and got 21% off for a SLX. We did have one dealer quote us MSRP and $4k in "fees" and didn't budge which I found really strange.

Some good advice here: http://club.benningtonmarine.com/threads/bargaining-tips.7976/
 
Hanging a modern outboard is not very labor intensive. And all other rigging has been done at the factory. The cleanup and dropping the boat on a trailer is half the job. Of course they must install the bimini top.
My dealer's mechanic just preps pontoon boats and seldom even does outside boat mechanics. I would bet you prepping a pontoon for sale is just a 4 hour job for someone that specializes in those boats.
The dealer has to spring for the prop and a battery. Make sure the battery installed is not some no name, cheap battery like my boat has. My dealer didn't even put ropes on my boat or fill it up with gasoline.
In your case, to find another boat dealer.
 
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Welcome to the forum Matt. Lots of good advice is available here. You can’t go wrong with a Bennington.
 
I have purchased three Bennington pontoons and all I get is a final price off of MSRP. No break down on any of these fees. I personally like that as these fees just add a lot of noise to the conversation. Obviously he covers all of the items in his final price and all I care about about is him giving me a final total price that I think is reasonable and within my budget.
 
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My motor and boat were broken out in relation to the total purchase price. All I cared about was the final number and the t's and c's like prop, warranty etc.
 
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