ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602270133
SECTION: BOAT SHOW PAGE: BS-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
If you plan to buy a boat and want the best deal possible, the boat show is the place to get the job done.
That's the advice of Mike Fielder, co-chairman of the Southwest Virginia Boat Show and an owner of Advantage Marine in Roanoke.
At show time, the inventories of dealers are at their highest, the prices are at their lowest and the-under-one-roof competition is fierce.
Here are ways Fielder says a boat buyer can use the show for his or her benefit:
DON'T PLAY GAMES: If you are a serious buyer, say so when you walk into a dealer's display. Many buyers will say, ``I'm just looking,'' and that is a mistake, Fielder said.
The boat show draws hundreds of viewers, and a dealer has a limited number of knowledgeable sales people to take care of the crowd. The quicker the dealer can separate a serious buyer from someone out on an afternoon lark, the better he can serve that buyer, Fielder said.
ZERO IN ON A TARGET: The boat show will have everything from craft that you pedal or paddle to 30-foot-plus cruisers you can take to the ocean. It can be confusing if you don't narrow your choice ahead of time and zero in on the boats and motors that will fill your needs.
``We don't want to show people a deck boat if they want a bass boat,'' Fielder said. ``If we know their needs, we can pinpoint what we have to offer and give the features and benefits.''
USE THE COM-PETITION: The boat show squeezes nearly every dealer in the region into one spot. That makes it ideal for comparison shopping.
``It is nice to go from one booth to the next and compare,'' said Fielder. ``If you do that after the show, you will have to drive 200 miles and spend all kinds of time. And you are going to forget what one dealer had by the time you get to the next.
``Don't be embarrassed to go back to the same dealer a second time to ask more questions. I don't care if it is your first visit, second or last. Just give me a chance to tell about my product. We know we are competing against each other. What a buyer wants to do is learn about the products and get the best value.''
FINDING LOSS LEADERS: Many dealers will feature a boat and motor package at an extremely low price, so low that they will lose money on it. The purpose is attract buyers to their display with the idea of selling them something else, Fielder said. If you can find what you need in a ``boat show special'' it can be an excellent buy.
How will you recognize such a craft?
``It will stick out like a sore thumb,'' Fielder said. ``It is not hard to identify. It is the boat that looks like a super value and everything else stands away from it.''
Often a dealer will have only one or two such boats in stock.
PRICE IS RIGHT: Many of the boats in the show were ordered in July, August and September when dealers could nail down their best prices, Fielder said. Those values are passed on to buyers at the show.
``After that, the prices definitely go up,'' he said. ``I've already got word from every one of my manufactures that there will be a 3-percent increase [on boats ordered later in the season.''].
That means if you can buy a boat already in a dealer's inventory, you will save money.
ORDER EARLY: Say you can't find the craft of your dreams in stock and need to order it. The boat show is a good time, because it comes early enough in the season to assure a reasonable delivery date. If you wait until April to order, chances are you will miss a large chunk of the boating season before the boat is delivered, Fielder said.
HOW TO DICKER: Dealers will have their best prices posted on the boats they are showing, which makes it difficult to get an additional markdown, Fielder said.
``The prices already are the lowest of the year,'' he said.
The dealer who balks at reducing his profit margin with an additional markdown may be able to throw in some extra equipment, such a life jackets, a depth finder or fire extinguisher. It is worth a try.
FLOATING A LOAN: Most boat dealers offer financing packages, but you may be able to get a lower annual percentage rate or a longer term by using your own bank or credit union.
``Call your bank and tell them you will be going to the boat show and might buy a boat,'' said Fielder. ``Ask for a quote on a 48-, 60- and 84-month term, then bring that to the show.''
Then you can compare your bank's offer with those of other lending institutions in the show and with what the dealers can provide.
``I usually can give a buyer a better rate than he can get at his own bank,'' Fielder said.
``People are going to see some good rates at the show,'' he said. ``There is competition going on right now.''
New this year, boat dealers will be using fax machines to process loan applications during the show.
``With no problems, within an hour we are going to be able to tell you that you own the boat,'' Fielder said.
TOWING A TRADE-IN: If a buyer has a boat to trade in - and most do - there are a couple of ways you can make the used craft part of a boat-show deal, Fielder said.
``We have some people who tow their trade-in to the show,'' he said. That way, a dealer immediately can make the trade part of the deal. And if you want comparison quotes from several dealers, you can accomplish that in one spot.
The second-best thing to towing your boat to the show is to bring pictures of it shot from a variety of angles. ``A picture can get you a ball-park figure,'' Fielder said.
INSURANCE, TOO: The boat show also is a dandy place to check insurance needs and rates. You can sign up for a boating course, and upon completion get a discount on your insurance. In addition, you can get advice and prices on trailer hitches, boat phones and stereos and other accessories, all in one-stop shopping.
BEST TIME TO COME: "The absolute best time to come if you are a serious buyer is Friday, the first day - any hour,'' Fielder said. The crowd will be thinner and you won't have to stand in line to talk to a dealer. If you come Saturday, get there early. ``The worst time is after dark,'' Fielder said, because that will eliminate the outside exhibits.
``We will stand out there in the cold, in the dark, and show boats to you, but you don't do yourself justice,'' he said. Sunday will be crowded, so it is smart to come early. Sunday is considered a ``write up'' for dealers, a time when many buyers return after an earlier visit to sign a contract.
If you do need to come back a second day, most dealers are willing to give you a free ticket or pay for your ticket.
LENGTH: Long : 118 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Fielder.by CNB