We bought our pontoon in November '06 from a boat dealer. It's an '89 Suntracker that had been purchased new at the dealer where we purchased it. We were able to take a good look at it and could see that as stated by the seller, the boat had been kept on a lift and covered when not in use. The deck was in excellent shape, and new carpeting had been installed. The seats, though original, were in great shape.
More importantly, the dealer agreed to putting in the bill of sale that the deal included a test drive the following spring. So, prior to having the boat delivered to us, we went for a test drive and got to check everything out.
From my point of view, although an older boat, we got a nice rig for the money. The motor has been good for two seasons, although I do have to have some work done on the power trim this spring. A couple of the seats had seams that were repaired this past year at minimal cost....good new was that the seat fabric is still in good shape and can be restitched.
I got rid of the original hard top and installed a nice 10' bimini.
At some point, I'll upgrade the 40 hp Evinrude to a 75 or 90 hp motor. But.....all things considered, I plan to keep this boat for quite a while. It's more than adequate for our needs, so why spend thousands more on a new one or even slightly used one. If needed, I'd even consider buying new seating.
But...as one poster stated......you have to look carefully to find a used rig that has been taken care of and avoid the stuff that has been neglected. Although I'm a fan of buying new cars (which I keep for at least 6 years), with a short boating season on Chautauqua Lake, I'm not tempted to pay the bucks for a new one.
However........if everyone wants to send their donations to my boat fund, I can be convinced to sho
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