Buying 89 Supra Mariah

[jbwake]

Hi all, I am looking at buying an 89 supra mariah for $7500. It has new paint and new uplostery. I am not sure of the hours but I will look at it tonight. Anything I should look out for? I want to use this as a wakeboarding boat, it doesnt have a tower right now. Is the price reasonable?

[haugy]

I could type a novel, but search out Mariah. Also search my name and Mariah. You'll see a lot of threads on them here. I used to own one.
Depending on the condition the price is pretty good actually. But I need pictures to really help


Mods:
Perhaps this would be a good time for us to create a "Buyer's checklist" for older Supras and make it a sticky. This gets covered weekly.

[jbwake]

Will it be good for a beginner wakeboarder like myself? I have only been wakeboarding for 2 years behind an 125 hp outboard. Also do you know what the approximate length of the trailer would be?

[jbwake]

Pics to help you out haugy. Its missing the back hatch cover as well.

[crystal waters]

number one in my book is do a compression test on all cylinders!
Saved myself from a horror story years back by doing just that!
If boat was repainted etc was the stringers done at same time--and if so partial or full.
Hours on the meter are not necessarily hours on the boat and motor itself.
The connector wire to the hour meter is easily disconnected for a season or two if one is dishonest enough to do so!
Go by the condition of boat and trailer, and of the running gear, compression test results, service records etc.
Check the electrics throughout - every single switch --do they all work properly!

[crystal waters]

haugy --awesome idea-- a buyers checklist !
any other members wish to chime in ?

[haugy]

Pics to help you out haugy. Its missing the back hatch cover as well.

Yes it will be fine for a beginner. I used to put about 500lbs into mine and it put out a decent wake. That and a couple of friends you can do plenty. In fact it helps you work on your technique better on the smaller wake. If you can do tantrums behind this, you can do them anywhere.

Actually from the pics it looks to be in really good shape. Cosmetically I'd say it was great. But as Crystal mentioned, there is a lot more to it. The floors and sub-floor (called stringers) are all wood. And they tend to get wet over time, and then rot. Their tell tall signature is soft spots in the floor, and loose engine mounts into the wood holding them.

Check the entire floor for soft spots, and I mean everywhere, slowly. Go barefoot to help find them. Then take a wrench and check the engine mounts that are bolted into the boat. If they are loose, bad sign.

Crystal I'll work on a big write up. Then I'll post it so we can all review and add to it in case I miss anything or am mistaken. Once I get all the feedback, I'll edit it again. Then we can get the mods to post and lock that as a sticky. That will give us something to reference for those who need to know, without typing out the novels we know it can take. I'll have it cover the models first so the reader knows what is what. Then I'll cover what to look for in buying one.

What I'll also do is ask for pictures in certain places to help reference things, like oxidation on gelcoat and how not to be turned away from it. Those before/after pics I know we all have well help illustrate. Just like bad floors, stringers, etc.

[Salty87]

Hi all, I am looking at buying an 89 supra mariah for $7500. It has new paint and new uplostery. I am not sure of the hours but I will look at it tonight. Anything I should look out for? I want to use this as a wakeboarding boat, it doesnt have a tower right now. Is the price reasonable?

it looks good except for the blue trailer. the missing rear deck will be a pain in the butt and not cheap to replace. not trying to talk you out of it but you need some bargaining chips and these are easy/obvious. the vinyl looks news, the dash is clean. these are pluses but as the other guys have mentioned not nearly as important as the floor.

what does the bilge look like?...that's a bit harder to clean and will give you an idea of how someone took care of it. can you get more pics? stick your camera in the bilge behind the engine pointed toward the stern. you want to see what the stringers look like back there.

$7500 is high if it needs floor work. it's priced as a very good condition boat and in my book that means no missing rear decks, oddball trailers or floor/stringer issues.

[haugy]

Oooh my bad, I was hurrying at work and didn't notice the rear hatch. I thought you meant the engine cover hatch that looks like it's missing too.

The rear deck hatch will cost between $300-$500 to replace.

[DAFF]

Check the rudder and prop area for cracks or what looks to be a repair. While there look for slop in the rudder and make sure the steering turns with a heavy finger. Smell the oil of the engine and observe the colour of the trans fluid. Does it smell burnt or blackened?? How's the running condition of the carb??

[jasun]

was it stored outside? What shape is the cover in? the original cover on my salt did more damage the no cover... it would pool water in areas and there is were all the water go into the boat. If the floor is solid, make sure it is original. Check the deck Plate in front of the ski pylon... if you take it out, you will be able to tell if they put a floor over the bad floor.... Also, look for mold under the seats...

[SquamInboards]

Buyer's checklist should definitely become a sticky. For me the biggest single necessary item is a water test. Checking for stringer / floor rot is a close or equal second, and compression or leakdown test is up there too, especially for an older motor.

Yes, checking fluids and thoroughly looking over the boat is important, but a water test will tell you a lot that you can't see on land, like whether it pumps water sufficiently to cool the engine at all speeds, whether it shifts, leaks, idles, hesitates, runs under load, runs at WOT, has any vibrations, high speed issues, how it steers at speed, and whether all the gauges, bilge pump, and other accessories work. You can learn all that in 10 minutes, but no amount of time on land will tell you most of those things.

I can't imagine buying a boat without a good test in open water, unless it was nearly new and/or from a marina or person that I knew well.

[rideevol]

A thorough boat inspection is called a Marine Survey. Look on the internet for what is involved with a Basic Marine Survey which is a good starting point for a realistic assessment of a boat's condition. Then follow your heart the pride of ownership grows when you fix the elements one-by-one, knowing that your boat is solid, runs and looks great. 1989 Supra Mariah owner.

[jbwake]

Thanks for all the input guys. I took some pictures near the engine and bilge like Salty had said. What do you guys think?

The boat is on consignment at a local motorsports store in my town... they're an old couple, bought it brand new and are selling it to get a pontoon as they have no use for a ski boat anymore. From what I can determine, it looks like everything is in great condition. Motor mounts were snug as can be... Have to do a test drive and check compression before I commit 100% though.


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[DAFF]

The last pic is actually one which shows promise. Notice the lack of cracking or brown streaks from behind the ski pole mounting plate. Keep in mind sooner or later it will have to have the cap pulled to fix the rotten stringers and floor. You can use this as a bargaining tool for you know these hulls will get soft in time and what is involved in the repair. As for the interior it looks like the vinyl has had some work done to it in the past which is a good thing for you.

Price wise $7500 is top nut pricing for a boat which has been painted. Myself $4800 is where you need to be so you can feel comfortable in reinvesting back into the boat.

[haugy]

That boat looks good. I'd be willing to bet the dash panels have been re-covered as well.


As for the buyers guide, I'm working on it. It's turning into a novel so I'm trying to work on condensing it down a bit.

[jbwake]

Haugy, would you buy this boat for that price?


That boat looks good. I'd be willing to bet the dash panels have been re-covered as well.


As for the buyers guide, I'm working on it. It's turning into a novel so I'm trying to work on condensing it down a bit.

[haugy]

Hard to say. With new paint and upholstery, it's hard to tell the work quality. It is missing some things, and will need work. If they were all there, I'd say it might be worth $7500-8000. But since you will have to do some vinyl work, I'd right off the bat say it's worth more around $7000.

I still can't see the engine pic, I don't know why. But if the floor is solid as a rock, and no soft spots I think $7000 would be a very good number for this boat if the paint and the rest of the upholstery is real good work. It has new paint, great, but that doesn't add value. Since the old gel-coat could have probably been brought back with less work than painting it. But most don't know that.

The new seats have me worried about the floor. Typically only two things kill these seats, tears or rot. I'd be hard pressed to believe that every cushion on this boat was torn. But I can believe it was sat outside, faded, rotted the seats and looked like hell. Thus the pain and seats. Which could mean the floor is next on it's way to go out.

So again, make sure that floor is solid as a rock. Go barefooted so you can feel any crevices or divots, and you can feel any movement. You can't feel that with shoes on.
If that and the engine compression test and lake test check out. I'd feel very comfortable giving $7000 for that boat.

It does look very nice, needs some work, but still very nice.

[jbwake]

Hard to say. With new paint and upholstery, it's hard to tell the work quality. It is missing some things, and will need work. If they were all there, I'd say it might be worth $7500-8000. But since you will have to do some vinyl work, I'd right off the bat say it's worth more around $7000.

I still can't see the engine pic, I don't know why. But if the floor is solid as a rock, and no soft spots I think $7000 would be a very good number for this boat if the paint and the rest of the upholstery is real good work. It has new paint, great, but that doesn't add value. Since the old gel-coat could have probably been brought back with less work than painting it. But most don't know that.

The new seats have me worried about the floor. Typically only two things kill these seats, tears or rot. I'd be hard pressed to believe that every cushion on this boat was torn. But I can believe it was sat outside, faded, rotted the seats and looked like hell. Thus the pain and seats. Which could mean the floor is next on it's way to go out.

So again, make sure that floor is solid as a rock. Go barefooted so you can feel any crevices or divots, and you can feel any movement. You can't feel that with shoes on.
If that and the engine compression test and lake test check out. I'd feel very comfortable giving $7000 for that boat.

It does look very nice, needs some work, but still very nice.


Great! Thanks for all your insight. The white on the boat is original, just the chrome illusion on top is new.

I'll do a triple check on the flooring... haven't felt anything soft at all but it doesn't hurt to try again.

My gut feeling with this boat is that the couple bought it right before the kids moved out and hasn't had much use since... that also concerns me just from the standpoint of it sitting for so long but again, that's just me guessing. Hopefully this the dealership it's sitting at gets their heads out of their butts and calls me back. Very common with this place... I wouldn't do business there but it's on consignment there and there seriously are NO other inboards around anywhere near our price range. Either people thinking their old inboards are worth a mint and asking insane prices or they're all newer. Sometimes it's a real bummer to live in the heart of Minnesota's best lakes but pretty much only when boat shopping!

[haugy]

Don't worry about a boat that has sat for too long. You want to do your due diligence, but don't be to turned off if they say it had. Both my previous Supras had sat for quite some time. While it took some fixing to get everything up to par, it wasn't too bad.

That's good about the paint.

[DAFF]

Boats which sit dry and stored properly are good. It is much worse if they sit in the water unattended for the summer and not covered. I would try to grind them a bit on the price, remember the consigner has no money in the boat and will work with you to get the deal completed. They much rather a quick sale .... Any idea on how long the boat has been on the market ??? This is also a good indication of price vs value.

[jbwake]

would try to grind them a bit on the price, remember the consigner has no money in the boat and will work with you to get the deal completed. They much rather a quick sale.

I wish this was the case. We've been after this guy for 2 weeks to get it ready for water and de-winterized so we can take it for a test run. I'm completely annoyed. I'm trying to find a way to get the name of the actual owners and tell them what's been going on and work out a deal with them directly. Anyone know of ways to find out such information from trailer license or boat registration numbers? I'm sure they won't be too thrilled that we've been trying to buy this boat, with cash for that long as supposedly they're using this money towards a new pontoon!

That being said, all the reviews this motor sports company have online are negative and saying he never gets things done on time and never returns calls. I don't understand how he can still be in business or why anyone would want their boat on consignment there. The only thing good this guy has going for him is the prime location for items to be noticed while people drive by.

[haugy]

Ask to see the previous service records, maybe it has a name on it.

Ask to contact the seller to ask them directly why they are selling, and why they are moving to another boat. Insist on it.

Ask to see the registration from last year so you can see what to expect in costs.

Ask to see the title to verify it's valid. If your trailers have titles, ask to verify it has one. You don't need one in TN. But in some places you do have to have a trailer title.

Anything to see documentation.