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Trailer it myself or pay for delivery?

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Scott1

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Ok, I have a little dilemma here.  I purchased my Bennington in Indiana, I live in Maine.  I can fly down and get my boat and trailer it with a free rental vehicle, flight would be free also.  It is a 20 hour drive, so I would stay in hotel one night.

Should I drive it home myself, or should I pay a shipping company $2200 to do it?  One upside I see to doing it myself besides saving some money is being able to go over the boat with the dealer.

Any opinions?

Thanks

Edit:  I fixed it so the vehicle was a rental, not the trailer! :)   sorry for confusion
 
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~$100/hour... I'd drive it myself!  Going over the boat with the dealer is well worth it to validate everything is 100%.
 
Driving to IN. is the way to go to save money. A second thought, The freight is $2k a trailer to buy and own would set you back about $3300. See if you can't make a deal for a proper fitting trailer. Rent one that is NOT right for the boat can leave you some BIG expenses if the boat is damaged on the way back to Maine. It's about 1K miles. An ill fit trailer could really bang up the pontoons. If you buy the trailer, it'll be yours for as long as you need it. And your boat will thank you to.
 
Maynard G. Krebs said:
So it's your boat on a rental trailer? Is that a one-way rental or do they expect it back?
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Sorry, I meant the vehicle is a rental and it is free because of my points I have, trailer is mine.
 
For me it all depends on how you value your time. If you can afford to pay the $2200 and you don't like driving pulling a boat. I'd pay.

If you love traveling and would like to spend alone time with others or alone I'd drive. Either way it comes down to what you want, you can justify anything you want by putting emphasis on what you would like to do. For me being away from my family for a night would not be worth it. Others might need to get away from their family and this would be a perfect reason to do it.
 
I don't mind paying but I am just concerned about not receiving the boat in person from the dealer.
 
Go after your boat.  And see if the dealer has a local lake for you to take a ride on. 

Run it a couple of hours so you can test the engine at full throttle for performance.  Nothing worse than getting a boat that's not set up properly--engine height or propeller.
 
I'd pick it up. Road trip!
 
What is the story behind buying a boat 20 hours away from where you will use it?
 
You can sea trial it right there at the dealer's on Lake Wawasee, which to me would be worth it. If you do trailer it home, I"d suggest having it re-shrinked to protect it from road crud. Otherwise you're going to be towing it without a cover, unless you invested in a specially made trailering cover.
 
It's a lot of money, but I assume (to Bill's question) that you got one hell of a deal. So I'd fly out there, test it on a lake as Bahaman said then pay someone to trailer it back. That way you get it all - the trial run with the dealer and someone experienced to drive it the 20+ hours. 
 
Warranty .if you need service 
 
I agree 100% with Bamaman and Tom. Just a general question, (sorry to get off topic,) but what happens when you buy a boat 20 hours away from the dealer, get it delivered and have warranty issues? How do you even properly take delivery? Do you do a Skype call with a laptop/tablet so the dealer can go over everything with you? What about a test/trial ride or shakedown cruise? I am not being facetious, I really am curious as to the answers.


Cheers, Steve
 
We have two people on here now with delivery issues on boats they paid for before they looked them over.

Make down pmt. Go and inspect and drive the boat. Load it, secure it pay for it and be on your way. Last thing you need as some dealer stupidity that would require a trip the seller.
 
This is the story.  I am working overseas and wanted a Pontoon boat for this summer.  I looked at the dealers in Maine that sold Bennington and Harris.  I could not find one close to the set up that I wanted.  I called and spoke about ordering a Harris, the most they would give me off was like 2k.  I googled brands that I thought were good and what I wanted to get an idea of pricing differences.  Then I found the almost exact setup in Indiana that I wanted for more than 30% off and they would throw in a nice trailer for quite cheap.

Knowing this information I looked closer in the New England States and could not find close to this deal, not saying there wasn't one somewhere, I just could not find it.

As far as warranty is concerned, you do not have to take your boat to the dealer you purchased it from to get warranty work done.  Anything goes wrong with engine, I have a certified Merc dealer within 2 miles of me that will get me in no problem.  Any other warranty issues I just take it to a Bennington dealer at the end of season (if possible) and wait in line.  Not a big deal to me.

I don't care what anyone tries to tell me, being first in line for an extra 25k is not worth it.  If I have as much luck with this as my ski boat, It will never have to go in for warranty anyway.

Thanks guys.
 
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I do agree with you guys though, taking delivery in person at the dealership is my number 1 choice.  My problem is I am working overseas and when I fly home I may not have much time off because I have been asked to go on another job before I fly back overseas again.  I will do my best to make it to the dealership to take the delivery. 

Island Nomad has a great idea also though, just fly out and go over everything and let someone else drive it.  My only issue is the two places I have spoken with would tow the trailer, if that is the case I would tow it myself.  There are other places that will put it on a flat bed or something with the trailer, that would be my first choice, but have not found one to get back to me on email.  I am in a place where phone service is just not possible much of the time.

Thanks
 
Scott1 said:
I don't care what anyone tries to tell me, being first in line for an extra 25k is not worth it. 

$25,000 price difference?

Is this a direct comparison?

Same model year?

Zero hours?

Same options?

Same engine"

Same trailer?

Something doesn't seem right here.

I am a disciple of the saying "You get what  you pay for & you pay for what you get"
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Bill N said:
Scott1 said:
I don't care what anyone tries to tell me, being first in line for an extra 25k is not worth it. 

$25,000 price difference?

Is this a direct comparison?

Same model year?

Zero hours?

Same options?

Same engine"

Same trailer?

Something doesn't seem right here.

I am a disciple of the saying "You get what  you pay for & you pay for what you get"
Click to expand...
What does not seem right?.  I am comparing the build price to the price I paid for it.  There were no other boats in my area set up the way I wanted it.  That means I would have to "build" one and then pay close to the MSRP.  I spoke with dealers on phone, when you build a brand new one, if they give you 5k off they think they are doing you a favor.  I have done the same thing with vehicles, a smaller closer dealer will sell me the car for 40k and won't budge, I find a larger dealer and get it for 32k.  I am sorry, but I am not so loyal to purchase local if you cannot at least come close in price, I work hard for my money, so it is my choice how I spend it.
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It sounds like you understand the warranty issues if you buy elsewhere, SO, with that in mind if you are truly saving what you are, and you are willing to give up some time, $2200 is a chunk of change. Me personally, I'd drive if I were not concerned with going to the end of the service line with my local dealer.
 
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