"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
In my hunt for a new boat I have heard a couple people mention that there
are some huge mega dealers in the mid west that really sell boats at the
best rates just becasue they sell so many boats.

Since my only local dealer only sells Ranger, and I have moved Ranger down
my list a bit I am now having to explore pricing and availability out of
town. Since my buy local first may not be practical I see no reason not
to
go where I need to in order to get the features I want at the best price.

So who are these Mega Dealers?

I would be VERY cautious dealing with a "Mega Dealer", especially if you are
going to travel quite a distance to buy the boat.

I made the mistake of buying my last boat from a distant dealer. While I
did get a good price, his idea of service and mine were quite a ways apart.
Part of the reason that I got a good price is my guide service partner Gil
and I both bought boats at the same time. We were promised that anytime we
needed service, because we are guides and need to have the boats ready at
all times, we would get preferrential treatment.

I've had numerous minor warranty problems that have gone either unresolved
or I've had to fix, and pay for out of my own pocket.

On Gil's first guide job of the year, he accidentally hit a rock with his
lower unit, doing some pretty good damage to the prop, the lower unit and
the skeg. To make a long story short, the dealer had his boat in excess of
SIX WEEKS! The loaner boat that was promised to either of us in the event
of such a disaster never arrived. The dealer stopped taking phone calls
from either of us and wouldn't answer e-mails either. How would this dealer
have affected your tournament schedule?

So, my suggestion to you would be to look closer to home and don't worry so
much about saving a grand or two. There's more to buying a boat than price
alone.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com