is this a good buy

bayliner2

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May 9, 2008
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I am looking at 97bayliner 175o capri in exellent condition for its age it has the 3.0 mercruiser they are asking 5000 is this a good price and will it be sufficent for pulling a tube.Any input will be greatly appreciated.
 

tashasdaddy

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Nov 11, 2005
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Re: is this a good buy

for water sports the 3.0 is minumim. in a couple of years you are going to want to upgrade to a 4.3 or 5.0. find out all the service that has been done. it is due to have manifolds, and bellows replaced. has it been winterized each year. pay a merc certified mech, to go over it before buying.
 

marine4003

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Feb 3, 2008
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1,119
Re: is this a good buy

There's alot of factors involved, start with the motor...how many hours ? was she stored indoors or out,interior condition,hull condition ect....Typically Bayliner is a low end boat,kinda the Ford pinto of watercraft, so if i had 5K to burn on a boat,i'd look at older searays,chriscraft's,sting rays. something sturdier,a little more power,perhaps a tad older but definitely a better boat.The other factor is Bayliner is a disposable boat,say you pay 5K for a 11 year old, use it for 2-5 years...theres no way you can recoup enough to have a down payment for a newer boat...older sea rays dont drop unless its trashed.....just a suggestion. Look around theres LOTS of boats out there.
 

azlakes

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jul 8, 2007
Messages
720
Re: is this a good buy

The other factor is Bayliner is a disposable boat,say you pay 5K for a 11 year old, use it for 2-5 years...theres no way you can recoup enough to have a down payment for a newer boat...older sea rays dont drop unless its trashed.....just a suggestion. Look around theres LOTS of boats out there.

... if its a 17 footer, the 3.0 will sip fuel and get ya around unless your hauling a piano. 5 grand however is a bit much and prolly the asking price.

as for disposable. have not seen that boat built yet. its all a matter of proper care and maintenance. so your comment is a blanket statement thats wrong at best.
 

marine4003

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Feb 3, 2008
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Re: is this a good buy

AZ, I'm not attempting to insult anyone, but statistics show Bayliner's not having the best resale due to the workmanship, the boat was built to be affordable to entry level boaters, and by having lower production costs something has to give,when it was owned by Brunswick there were lawsuits from the hull caving in when struck by floating objects that would have glanced off other make hulls, the weight of a boat defines its structure :this is the 2008 17' BR -Power: Stern Drive - I/O
Hull: Fiberglass
Beam: 6 Ft. 11 in.
Fuel Tank Capacity: 21 Gallons
Dry Weight: 1847 lbs
Now this is a 2008 Tahoe Boats Q4 SS Specifications
# Max Load: 1050
# Dry Weight: 2270
So it stands to reason the same length boat..same motor...but one outweighs the other by 423 Lbs and is about the same "class" boat....one is better built.
 

Marcq

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
241
Re: is this a good buy

I am looking at 97bayliner 175o capri in exellent condition for its age it has the 3.0 mercruiser they are asking 5000 is this a good price and will it be sufficent for pulling a tube.Any input will be greatly appreciated.

For people that know about boats, this is not worth $5000. But for people that don't know about boats it's a good deal.

And since the majority of people don't know nothing about boats, I say go for it, if it's in good shape

Marc..
 

Bondo

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Apr 17, 2002
Messages
71,130
Re: is this a good buy

I'm not attempting to insult anyone, but statistics show Bayliner's not having the best resale due to the workmanship, the boat was built to be affordable to entry level boaters, and by having lower production costs something has to give,when it was owned by Brunswick there were lawsuits from the hull caving in when struck by floating objects that would have glanced off other make hulls,

Ayuh,....... Welcome to My world Marine4003.....

I've been saying for Years that Bilgeliners are Entry Level boats that, Generally speaking are Abused by their owners who just Don't know how to take care of a Boat...
The Fact that they're built as Entry Level boats, sold to mostly Entry Level Boaters seems to be the Point missed by Bilgeliner Lovers....

The Bilgeliner Lovers tend to argue that Only the 80s vintage Bilgeliners are Junk....
I contend that the reason the newer 1s aren't,... Is because they haven't had enough Time to Rot Out..... But Time keeps going by,+ now the 90s vintage Bilgeliners are catching Up with their older counterparts.....
For people that know about boats, this is not worth $5000. But for people that don't know about boats it's a good deal.

And since the majority of people don't know nothing about boats, I say go for it, if it's in good shape

I fail to see the reasoning in that statement,.....

We all hang out here to Educate fellow Boaters to be Knowledgeable Boaters......
If it's Not Worth It,.... Why say Go For It,..??..??..??
 

Marcq

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
241
Re: is this a good buy

I fail to see the reasoning in that statement,.....

We all hang out here to Educate fellow Boaters to be Knowledgeable Boaters......
If it's Not Worth It,.... Why say Go For It,..??..??..??

I said go for it if it's in good shape
Chaparal are good boats but I wouldn't buy one if it had a rotten deck even if it was cheap

Marc..
 
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