itchy trigger finger. help!

[ckone0814]

Got my eye on what looks like a great boat at a great price on ebay but i can't get to see it anytime soon. 92 Chris Craft 187 Concept 5.0 $3999 buy it now. exchanged email w/ the seller and he has me almost convinced it's as nice as he says, he spent $1500 on it end of 2007 to get it mechanically right.

help me squeeze the trigger or put the gun down...and slowly back away.

 

[DrCox]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

I went to NADA Guides and booked it base price with just the boat and a 5.0l Motor.

Looks like $4055 Low List and $4500 average list

http://www.nadaguides.com/default.aspx?LI=1-24-38-5697-0-0-0&l=1&w=24&p=38&f=5698&m=0365&d=1600040401&y=1992&ml=C&z=97006&gc=mr&gtc=MR

If its close enough for you to go and test it, DO SO!. Go for a test ride, 30 minutes min. Check for soft spots in the deck, make sure everything works. Most of all make yourself NOT WANT IT so bad that you overlook things that you will later regret.

If all checks out, and you like the boat, his asking price seems fair. Be careful of Ebay and Craig's list though, alot of people trolling for buyers who do not know what to look for.

-Good Luck

DrCox

 

[ezmobee]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

I believe with vehicles on ebay if you win the auction, and you go and check out your purchase and it isn't in the condition you expected it to be, then you aren't on the hook for it. Heck even if you were the worst that could happen is some bad feedback. So if you're serious about this boat and think it's a good deal (which it sounds like it is) go ahead and Buy It Now. I bought my truck on eBay and it worked out very well.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

I believe with vehicles on ebay if you win the auction, and you go and check out your purchase and it isn't in the condition you expected it to be, then you aren't on the hook for it.

Bids are up to $3k already.....

 

[ckone0814]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

dunno, now i'm staring at these words in the ebay listing..."The floor has a small soft spot(not bad) in the center".

 

[ezmobee]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

Fail.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

dunno, now i'm staring at these words in the ebay listing..."The floor has a small soft spot(not bad) in the center".

And possibly a 'soft spot' in the stringers or transom. Hard to guess what you'd get into without seeing it first. Bit of a gamble I think.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

Got my eye on what looks like a great boat at a great price on ebay but i can't get to see it anytime soon. 92 Chris Craft 187 Concept 5.0 $3999 buy it now. exchanged email w/ the seller and he has me almost convinced it's as nice as he says, he spent $1500 on it end of 2007 to get it mechanically right.

help me squeeze the trigger or put the gun down...and slowly back away.

1500 goes pretty fast and that was a season ago. a lot can happen in one trip, much less a season that can cause trouble.
i got burned on e-bay once and that was enough for me. i won't spend any more there now than i'm willing to throw out the window and lose
this market, i'd look before i buy. thats just me lthough

 

[fishingdan]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

Don't be in a hurry to buy. There are a lot of boats on the market. I strongly suggest that you go look at the boat.

Ask the seller specifically about the soft spot. Ask him to describe specifically (size, location, etc.). Also take a careful look at how the outdrive operates. It is getting tougher each year to get OMCs serviced. Parts are still available, but some are getting pricey. If you like it, go with cash and the seller may give it to you for less than the buy it now price. They can cancel the auction at any time.

If you do buy it, plan and budget to replace the floor and carpet at some point.

 

[Robertpel9]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

I have the next newer model of that boat it is a 1995 (Concept 18). I paid 8k for it but that was this past spring and it literally was in brand new condition with 89 hours on it. It has been an awesome boat that i have put almost 70 hours on this year with everything from cruising to watersports to sustain WOT runs and it just runs like new

I have sold and bought many cars on ebay, if it is not the real deal when you get there you can walk away. A couple of points though

1) Where exactly is the soft spot. On this boat there will be a tiny bit of flex in front of the ski locker as the beam underneath it supporting the deck in the middle is about 1/2 inch below the marine plywood. That is not an issue but i don't consider it a soft spot, if it really is soft and not just this tiny flex I would walk or run away

2) Does it have the volvo engine and drive or the OMC. I would not touch an OMC (You can read all about it here). Mine is a volvo, if it was not i would not have bought it

3) It is a buyers market, there should be a ton of nice boats close to home, look there first

Having said that i am a huge fan of these Chris Crafts. I live on Lake Norman where the avg boat is 24 ft. I get compliments all the time about my boat and its design and how nice it is laid out. They are great boats just make sure you cover all your bases

 

[ckone0814]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

Motor is identified only as "5.0 Cobra".

 

[ezmobee]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

That's an OMC. Not good.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

I've pretty much decided to pass on this one... but I'll be back to pest you guys soon I'm sure!

Thanks to everyone. I mean, where else would a newbie find out that OMC is bad? I assume MC stands for Motors Corp or similar but what's the O???

I'm a frequent poster to a Ford Mustang forum and the folks are awesome there too. Never ceases to amaze me how helpful places like this (and the people who inhabit it) can be.

Thanks again!

 

[fishingdan]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

OMC isn't inherently bad. The Cobra outdrives were good. The concern is that they have not been made for many years and knowledge and parts get more scarce every year. That said, there are still a lot of them on the water and service isn't a major issue in some areas, but it really depends on what service is available in your area.

OMC was the parent company of Johnson/Evinrude outboards. OMC was later purchased by its current owner Bombardier.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

OMC = Outboard Marine Corp. They made Johnsons and Evinrudes. They also made OMC stern drives. Nothing at all wrong with the drives but since they are out of business parts and service are getting scarce. Bombardier bought them out and have continued supplying parts for Johnson and Evinrude outboards so no problem there but the stern drives kinda got left behind. Stick with Mercruiser or Volvo for an I/O and anything but Chrysler/Force for outboards.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

Thanks to everyone. I mean, where else would a newbie find out that OMC is bad? I assume MC stands for Motors Corp or similar but what's the O???

O is for Outboard and OMC is Outboard Marine Corp. They started out making outboard motors and I guess back then they didn't have the marketing geniuses of today and simply marketed it as the products they sold.

Don't think all OMC is bad. I think the outdrives by OMC are what people are referring to.

Johnson/Evinrude are great motors and a lot of their outboards are still in use today. I think the OMC/Cobra outdrives (not my area of knowledge) are still part available but the folks to work on them are less and less and had a run of problems that most folks simply pass on them now.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

Here's a link to some OMC history and related articles if you're interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outboard_Marine_Corporation

 

[ckone0814]

Re: itchy trigger finger. help!

great info and advice - thanks.