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MSRP?

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wchasioux

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Does anyone have any advice on how much off MSRP would be a fair deal for ordering a new 2013? Is 15% a fair number for these boats?
 
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I think it all depends WHEN and WHERE you buy. Dealer closer to Benny factory probably can offer steeper discount than a dealer in south Florida due to shipping costs. Spring is also probably the most expensive time to buy. Where are you located?

You can probably save a bunch if you can find a 12 leftover ......
 
I was able to get just a tad over 29% off MSRP. Another dealer was very close to the same %, but I wasn't comfortable with him. It was late summer too, with boating season coming to an end, not just beginning like now. This question has been asked before. The link is below. Another poster got a better deal than I did, but it's hard to know, so many factors like local market, local competition, time of year, how bad a dealer needs to sell a boat, etc. If you get a discount in the 20%s, and feel like you got all you could, then just feel good about it, and get 'er done. Negotiating is not fun for most people, and even more don't do it often. The dealer does it every day, so most of us are at a disadvantage. My best advice is to let them know you ready to buy, but are shopping around (make sure he knows you know some things about the other brands too), and walk away at LEAST once (which is the only way to know if you got the lowest price you could get). Oh yeah, and don't have your wife and kids with you yelling "This is it! Let's get it today!" That don't help too much.

http://club.benningt.../page__hl__msrp
 
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Bought my Benny in the fall, boat and trailer, ended up being just a tad under 22% off.
 
It also depends on the dealer too. My local dealer offered me 1/2% on a 2011 SSL needless to say I looked elsewhere. I called a friend that was sales manager at a dealer that was a couple of hundred miles away and bought a 2012 2275 CGW for 23% off. My local dealer also told me last summer that their sales were so good that they were not discounting at all.

Shopping is good as my wife says.

Royo
 
My 22 sslx turned out to be 27% off msrp. Really happy with our dealer in MI. We have a very large Bennington dealer about 3 miles from us who only offered about 21% off.
 
Thanks for all the input. It seems that the consensus is we should be somewhere in the 20's% off MSRP. We are ordering our boat rather than buying a 2012. None of the 2012's that our dealer has in stock are what we want. I find I like to pick all my own options, but OMG the MSRP adds up fast when adding options.
 
wchasioux said:
Thanks for all the input. It seems that the consensus is we should be somewhere in the 20's% off MSRP. We are ordering our boat rather than buying a 2012. None of the 2012's that our dealer has in stock are what we want. I find I like to pick all my own options, but OMG the MSRP adds up fast when adding options.
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Isn't that the truth. I think we haver every option with the exception of ESP, (we went with the performance package) that can be put on the 25 RBR, and it does add of quickly, but my dealer was willing to work with us and presented what in my opinion was a fair price.
 
Hi All, I am new to the group and in the market for a new pontoon. After the Grand rapids Mi show we have decided on the model Bennington for us- a 2574 GCW. I sense being near springtime that price haggling will be more difficult but of course need to jump in and give it a try. First question that lakeliving from Howell can maybe help me with is what dealer to best work with in Michigan. Second item, I am kinda leaning towards a 115 Optimax Pro XS but have not heard of anyone running one of these on a toon, any thoughts? Thanks!
 
You can look at DealerCost.com to get some relativity, however it's on a prior model boat. There are so many different programs that one dealer may not be buying the same boat as the next dealer for the same price. My dealer told me his Bennington factory programs, but I really cannot discuss it here. And if the engine is purchased through Bennington, they were bought at fleet prices and your local dealer cannot purchase the same engine direct from the manufacturer for near the price from Bennington. (Bennington is now the largest purchaser of Yamaha engines.)

Let me just say that with the internet and telephone, it's so easy to figure out which dealers are willing to compete for your business with fair prices. You just have to be willing to shop at more than one dealer for your deal. Remember that if you have to go 100 miles like I did to find the boat I wanted, any warranty claim will require 400 miles driving.

This is not the car business. Boat dealers cannot sell @ $100 over cost. Just try to make your best deal, and don't worry about the "discount from MSRP."
 
Very well said Bamaman.

I think every market is a bit different too, depending on how many dealers in proximity, etc. I had 3 dealers within 60 miles, 2 of which were within 10. I shopped all three and made sure they knew I was doing so and was willing to buy from them. They surely knew what programs each other has and what each was going to be able to reasonably do. After a couple of friendly rounds of bids via email, I reached the target I was comfortable with and went in person to close it. Then you factor in free storage, services, trailer storage, etc that are "extras" they can offer at a lower capital cost to them than the boat itself. As it turns out, I went with the dealer I felt would service me the best, which was also an important factor to me. As far as MSRP "off", I suspect it also depends on the base boat and engine cost vs options which probably have higher margins.

And, it is VERY different from buying a new car these days, where "dealer cost" is only a starting point and widely misunderstood.
 
I found that I got my best price at our local boat show. There seems to be more incentives available at that time. I also think you should factor in service after the sale. I would pay a little more to buy from a dealer that I trusted more. It would be a shame to have your boat sitting at the dealer waiting for a repair and miss some of the summer.
 
I ordered a 2013 at the local (Detroit) boat show this week. I got over 28% off MSRP. I visited (and got quotes) from other dealers before going to the boat show, so I had a good idea what was out there. My preference was to purchase from the dealer at the boat show and from the salesman at that dealer, but did my homework prior to going to the boat show and negatiating my final deal. I also shopped other manufacturers (Manitou, Crest, and Harris) prior to and at the boat show, so I had a good idea of their prices also. My preference was the Bennington and the dealer at the show I ordered from, and I ordered exacly what I wanted (model, colors, engine, toon configuration, etc.), so I'm pretty happy. Can't wait 'till the water gets soft again!
 
Contacted every Bennington dealer in MI and went with Halls out of Muskegon. The only place I could find a 2012 GCW with every option we wanted at a good price I will add. Our first stop was Spicers and they were 8k higher than what we paid for the same options trailer tax and reg. We looked at ordering one but wanted to be sure everything was right there in front of us before we signed on the line. Cant wait for spring....
 
Time to resurrect this thread!  Lets hear about some of these deals and dealers being had today.  I'm finally ready to make a move.
 
Seems to me that close to 30% is rare, 26-28 is very good, 22-25 is good, less than 20 probably means you only have one dealer in area or are located in a more remote region. However, I would be willing to give up 1-2% for excellent service such as water testing to make sure engine height and prop are maximized, quick warranty work, etc...
 
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Just bought a 2013 and it came out to 38% off the MSRP price from the build order.

Now I did drive 240 miles one way.
 
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