PacketFiend wrote:
So the missus and I are in the market for a new/used boat, hopefully to put it on the water in 2020 or 2021 - we're not in a rush so we can wait for a good deal.
What's the best time of year to look for one?
I know Kijiji/Craigslist deals can go quickly depending on where you are, and most outfitters sell off rental stock during the fall/winter. Not sure yet about retail/factory clearance sales.
Anyone have experience with buying boats at the winter trade shows?
Is it best to look for a good deal after labour day or after "spring cleaning" on the kijiji/craigslist sites, get a good retail/factory clearance sale, buy up old rental stock, or check out the trade shows in winter?
For starters “No rush” is a good thing, especially if you are looking to buy private party used. You’ll have time to gauge to local used market, pricing and availability.
Outfitters selling rental stock at the end of the season know the value of what they are selling, so finding an underpriced used canoe there is less likely.
“Best time of year to look”? There are a lot of used canoe sales in the spring. And a lot of people looking, so it’s kind of a wash. A seller who wants an unused canoe out of their garage before winter so they can park another car, or out of their shed to make room for a snow machine, may be motivated and price it to sell.
We bought two canoes from a rep at a paddlesport show. On the last day, at the end of the show, when the rep was eager to sell them for substantially less than the MSRP instead of loading the back up and hauling them home. Actually “we” bought four canoes at pro-deal prices; we had another family with us, also looking to buy two canoes. The rep was quite happy to haul four fewer canoes 1000 miles back to the factory. There may be additional incentives for a rep to sell a certain number of canoes by the end of the show, like end of month new car sales.
The best time to look is all the time.