Did your new pontoon dealer "haggle"?

[Mosnowman]

Personally if they show you the MSRP I Would start at 30% off that price. Probably won't get it but 20% off MSRP is reasonable. Dealers want to sell boats and shooting them a starting low ball isn't going to offend them. If it does ...in my opinion ...it isn't a very good dealer. Good dealers are willing to negotiate, bad dealers aren't.

[ron nh]

Up here, some negotiate and some don't. Most that don't give a reasonable price upfront. Those that do mostly give the bullshit msrp and hope you're an uneducated consumer. I consider them the scum dealers. and the ones that set a good price up front may still react to other marinas pricing.

[solidhadriel]

I tried really hard to research my boat with my options before signing the final papers with my dealer.

The MSRP on my boat was tagged at a little over $40,000. Because it was a 2014 model, they knocked about $9k off the price tag. Then I got the dealer down another thousand if I were to purchase a custom built bimini top from them (which added $1800 to the price tag, so essentially it only costed me $800).

Compared to some of you guys, I spent quite a chunk of money for a pontoon and not a tritoon without a big engine. But I don't think I would have found any other pontoon with the same set of options I have for the same price. So I'm quite happy.

[haganjeff]

I tried really hard to research my boat with my options before signing the final papers with my dealer.

The MSRP on my boat was tagged at a little over $40,000. Because it was a 2014 model, they knocked about $9k off the price tag. Then I got the dealer down another thousand if I were to purchase a custom built bimini top from them (which added $1800 to the price tag, so essentially it only costed me $800).

Compared to some of you guys, I spent quite a chunk of money for a pontoon and not a tritoon without a big engine. But I don't think I would have found any other pontoon with the same set of options I have for the same price. So I'm quite happy.

I agree. These Bentley Elite's are really impressive.....Picking up my 2016 Bentley Elite Admiral 220 this weekend. Similar boat to yours, but they have completely changed everything about the interior and even exterior for late build 2016. Most places wouldn't give me much off, but I ended up getting about $4k off other quotes from a dealer in Mississippi on a custom order. I think the retail was mid 30k's, ended up a little under $29k before trailer, $32k with. Expensive for a pontoon with a 115hp, but the Elite furniture is as nice as anything I've seen, not to mention dual swim ladders, rear outside deck speakers, full LED package, performance strakes, underskin, hydraulic steering, Sunbrella cover, etc. Great bang for buck even for a pontoon.

[solidhadriel]

I agree. These Bentley Elite's are really impressive.....Picking up my 2016 Bentley Elite Admiral 220 this weekend. Similar boat to yours, but they have completely changed everything about the interior and even exterior for late build 2016. Most places wouldn't give me much off, but I ended up getting about $4k off other quotes from a dealer in Mississippi on a custom order. I think the retail was mid 30k's, ended up a little under $29k before trailer, $32k with. Expensive for a pontoon with a 115hp, but the Elite furniture is as nice as anything I've seen, not to mention dual swim ladders, rear outside deck speakers, full LED package, performance strakes, underskin, hydraulic steering, Sunbrella cover, etc. Great bang for buck even for a pontoon.

She's a beauty!

Not going to lie, I am a little jealous of the new exterior/interior of the Bentleys. But those are more of a cosmetic thing and were not really a huge deciding factor for me. I think we both paid pretty close to the same price tag.

I saw the Elite Admiral layouts, they are really nice too. But I love the fact I have full loungers in the back of the boat and in the front, in addition to a sink and wet bar. My uncle just picked up a Twin 2200 RT Escape, about the same size as our 220's, but they aren't rated for 15 people (10 or 12 I believe), and their usable space seems to be much less.

The dual swim ladders, rear speakers, and that spacious rear deck will make things super convenient. The underskinning, lifting strakes, and hydraulic steering work well with the 115 Mercury too. I definitely think these Elite series are worth their weight in price...Or that's what I'm telling myself. Hahah

[haganjeff]

I agree. These Bentley Elite's are really impressive.....Picking up my 2016 Bentley Elite Admiral 220 this weekend. Similar boat to yours, but they have completely changed everything about the interior and even exterior for late build 2016. Most places wouldn't give me much off, but I ended up getting about $4k off other quotes from a dealer in Mississippi on a custom order. I think the retail was mid 30k's, ended up a little under $29k before trailer, $32k with. Expensive for a pontoon with a 115hp, but the Elite furniture is as nice as anything I've seen, not to mention dual swim ladders, rear outside deck speakers, full LED package, performance strakes, underskin, hydraulic steering, Sunbrella cover, etc. Great bang for buck even for a pontoon.

She's a beauty!

Not going to lie, I am a little jealous of the new exterior/interior of the Bentleys. But those are more of a cosmetic thing and were not really a huge deciding factor for me. I think we both paid pretty close to the same price tag.

I saw the Elite Admiral layouts, they are really nice too. But I love the fact I have full loungers in the back of the boat and in the front, in addition to a sink and wet bar. My uncle just picked up a Twin 2200 RT Escape, about the same size as our 220's, but they aren't rated for 15 people (10 or 12 I believe), and their usable space seems to be much less.

The dual swim ladders, rear speakers, and that spacious rear deck will make things super convenient. The underskinning, lifting strakes, and hydraulic steering work well with the 115 Mercury too. I definitely think these Elite series are worth their weight in price...Or that's what I'm telling myself. Hahah

Thanks Solidhadriel! Love to see some more interior shots of your Bentley.....I can't wait to get mine on the water. What kind of top end are you hitting with the 115 Merc with strakes? Mine is a Suzuki 115. I was told I should get low 30's. Hope that's good info!

[solidhadriel]

Thanks Solidhadriel! Love to see some more interior shots of your Bentley.....I can't wait to get mine on the water. What kind of top end are you hitting with the 115 Merc with strakes? Mine is a Suzuki 115. I was told I should get low 30's. Hope that's good info!

I'll definitely take more/better pics when I get my 'Toon home. I pick it up next weekend from the dealer. They're building me a dual bimini top. In Havasu, the temps can reach over 100*s, so I thought it best to make sure the boat has full shade coverage.

When we were out for our pre-inspection/test run on the lake, I think the highest we hit was 29.9mph (GPS)/30Mph (Boat gauge).

That was with 3 adults, 3/4 tank of gas, and not trimming the engine any. Also, that was the very first run the engine ever did. I'm not sure if allowing the engine time to break in will change that. My brother and I both agreed that the engine is plenty for us, but we definitely wouldn't want anything smaller.

[haganjeff]

Thanks Solidhadriel! Love to see some more interior shots of your Bentley.....I can't wait to get mine on the water. What kind of top end are you hitting with the 115 Merc with strakes? Mine is a Suzuki 115. I was told I should get low 30's. Hope that's good info!

I'll definitely take more/better pics when I get my 'Toon home. I pick it up next weekend from the dealer. They're building me a dual bimini top. In Havasu, the temps can reach over 100*s, so I thought it best to make sure the boat has full shade coverage.

When we were out for our pre-inspection/test run on the lake, I think the highest we hit was 29.9mph (GPS)/30Mph (Boat gauge).

That was with 3 adults, 3/4 tank of gas, and not trimming the engine any. Also, that was the very first run the engine ever did. I'm not sure if allowing the engine time to break in will change that. My brother and I both agreed that the engine is plenty for us, but we definitely wouldn't want anything smaller.

Just got back from the dealer where we did a water test. Water was pretty choppy on Pickwick Lake with a good wind. 3 adults, and 1/4 tank of gas was almost identical to your numbers, right around 28mph - 30mph. I bet with a smooth lake, no wind, and playing with the trim low 30's is reasonable. I have to say, coming from the SunTracker at 18-19mph top end, it felt like we were flying. The strakes really do their job keeping the nose out of the water. I bring mine home Monday!

[solidhadriel]

Nice!

I think we need to start an Encore club on this forum. Lol... Not many people who own Encore's talk about them online. I know there is one guy on here who has a blue one that he's very happy with, and another female member who doesn't quite have much positives to say. There's very little info on the internet with these boats, let alone the Elites!

[haganjeff]

Nice!

I think we need to start an Encore club on this forum. Lol... Not many people who own Encore's talk about them online. I know there is one guy on here who has a blue one that he's very happy with, and another female member who doesn't quite have much positives to say. There's very little info on the internet with these boats, let alone the Elites!

All for it!... I walked through a dozen Premier's that sat next to my boat today. They ranged from $59 - $98k. Not a one had an interior any nicer than the Elite, although a case could be made for the raised consoles. Really happy with quality of materials. We'll see how she holds up though!

[Capt. Dan]

Sounds like others had a similar experience to us. We went into it predisposed to buy the Manitou, but when the dealer/owner wouldn't move a dime off MSRP we started looking around. I even laid out a comp sheet that showed the significant discount offered on the three other brands we were looking at and he still wouldn't budge -- all the dealers are within a few miles of each other. I even went so far as to say, OK, no discount on the boat, but give me a similar value in service to include winter storage (nothing more than a spot in a field), hauling and launching, and a few other service oriented items that would have cost him next to nothing -- but no was all he would say.

Our other brands were the Bennington, Sweetwater and the Avalon we ended up with. All were within the same ballpark and all represented a better value than the no discount Manitou!

[mzodarg]

No haggle for me but did give me a great deal on my trade in and threw in some extras. I was happy!

[Capt. Dan]

No haggle for me but did give me a great deal on my trade in and threw in some extras. I was happy!

You just reminded me on another reason we left the Manitou dealer. He would only give us a flat $2,500 for our Bennington trade, I tried to negotiate that up, but he would not budge.

The Avalon dealer said he would market the heck out of it and take s 10% commission. He did what he said and handed us a check for $7,300! Great job, especially since we paid $7,500 for it four years ago!

[Palazzoblues]

I haggled online and over the phone. We went to the local annual boat show here in Raleigh, NC in the winter. The wife and I have been toying with the idea of buying a pontoon boat for over 10 years. Yes, 10 years. I also own a 1993 Master Craft and still don't intend on selling it. We have been looking at all the pontoon manufacturers for some time. When we went to the boat show we finally decided on a Godfrey Aqua Patio. We looked at the Benningtons, Silvans, lowes, and other manufacturers I can't even remember now. We visited many dealers and even the big box stores. I knew I wanted a high horse power and a tri-toon. Coming from a V8 in board, I knew I wanted a fast whole shot.

Then the search basically came down to where could I find a toon vs ordering one for the price. We figured we could get the best deal by finding something that was already sitting on a dealer lot. I felt like I was not able to get a good enough deal ordering one. However, high sight is 20/20, if I ordered one I would of ordered one with a 300HP V6 engine. But when it came down to it, I was able to find a toon with a Yamaha 250 V-max SHO in another state. So, it came down to price, how far I was willing to go to get it.

Fortunately we were prepared to drive as far as it took to get that perfect toon for us. See, We do the RV thing too and we were prepared to travel to get the one we wanted. We actually found a year older brand new 2015. I also did all my research going in to this knowing that Benington just bought Godfrey. So far so happy. I just want it to warm up some!