Help - Good or Bad Deal? 93 Saltare...

I'm new to the site gang and already need help. I owned a 93' Sun Sport and loved it. Now, I have now found a 93' Saltare that a doctor is selling in South Texas. Says it has 560 hours and admits it has been run in salt water but he has a 'salt-water' package on it. My question? for $5500 he is letting this boat go complete with a fresh water 2003 Supra Trailer that has not seen the salt water. Is this boat a good deal or am I crazy buying a boat with this many hours? Boats don't run forever and I am going to see it on Tuesday with the intent to buy because he swears it just needs cosmetic help which I am prepared to address. Besides running basic diagnostic and compression tests on the engine (which I plan to do), 'what else' should I be buyer wary of? Cosmetic issues are easy to fix (not that they are cheap) but it seems that this is a pretty good price for this package (the trailer is probably worth $3k alone and the blue book says the package is over $12k but it didn't ask me for engine hours and these are high). From what I have read on this site, it appears that the Saltare is advantages in that it has no wood (all fiberglass) so that gives me comfort. But what else? I plan to post pre-post photos when I complete the retoration! Thanks!

Offer him 4000 then work up on the price, Salt is a big deduction, even if he has the kit the boat still has had salt water run through it. Remeber 5500 is only the asking price

The hours wouldn't scare me much. That's not really that many for a 1993. The part that I'd pay more attention to is the salt use. Not that you shouldn't consider it because it can still be a great buy if it's been properly taken care of. The saltwater kit is helpful, but you still need to be meticulous in washing the boat after every salt water use. Give it a good walk through and do as Edgewater suggested, offer him something significantly less and see what his reaction is.

did supra have saltwater kits back then? did he upgrade himself?...receipts

the hours aren't high (31 hr/yr avg). a properly cared for fresh water 454 can see 2k hours. in salt it all depends on the care. if the inside of the boat looks bad, i doubt the inside of the engine looks much better. $5500 for a '93 with a newer salt-free trailer sounds low to me. sounds like it's priced for an overhaul.

check it from top to bottom, inside and out. how much engine work can you do yourself?

yes they did have saltwater cooling systems back then, and it was an oem option. If it has it then the engine should be fine as long as the cannister hasn't developed any leaks.jmo

My only advise would be to start much lower than $5500 for your offer. Another member on here went to pick up a boat that was $5500 firm and walked away with it for around $3200.

If this was me, and I had not driven far to look at the boat I would start at about $2500 - $3000. If he is really offended you can remind him that its a recession. I doubt he has had many calls on the boat. And if he has they were mostly tire kickers. The fact of the matter is that not as many people have money to throw at a boat. He may not be hurting to get rid of it, so he may feel like the value to him is higher. I would certainly start on the low end of things and work up to whatever you are comfortable paying for it.

93 should be composite stringers at least. And those are nice boats. I agree that usually the condition of the boat is the condition of the motor. So if the interior is in bad shape I doubt he maintained it very well mechanically either.

If you have a link to the ad or some pics to post we could see if we spot anything out of place.

Most post 92-93 composite stringer boats are prices 10K and up. I f the interior is decent you have lots of room for profit.

The hours are not very high at 550 ish. Have seen many boats with 2000plus hours on them which are just fine.

Just make sure the seat frames are in decent shape and look for the typicial salt rot in the engine area and other hidden places. Just remember not to point out the pluses of the boat just the negative stuff. I think you will get her for $4500..

I wonder if sellers ever come on this forum to check things out?

You guys are great! Thank you for all the feedback! It really means alot. Most of my research is that this boat in decent shape Books Out at around $10k so I agree there is much room for profit. I am going to look at the boat with a friend of mine who is an absolute "gear head" and can spot what is mechanically wrong with this thing or not. He is also going to do all the work for me and I know he knows what he is doing. If I can get pics uploaded (as some suggested) I will do so. But I'm thinking that if the boat at least mechanically is in good shape, the cosmetic stuff would not be difficult to address (although not cheap). Many have suggested that I offer less than the $5500 he is seeking but realize he didn't want to sell the boat - I had to talk him into selling it so it may hurt me to go lower (remember, that a $3000 fresh water 5 year old tandem axle supra trailer is coming with the package so surely I'm still way ahead on this deal!). THANK YOU ALL for taking the time to help me. I'll post some before and after pics on this rig as I am about 90% certain I'm going to grab it. Last question, any suggestions on where to find Supra-esque gear for the boat? Orignally badging, stickers, exterior paint and/or striping and especially new gauges for the cockpit? THANKS AGAIN!!!

you should b able to get all of that stuff a viper customs 865-388-4096