Possible purchase - have questions! 1989 Supra Sunsport

[twet20]

New to the page and to boat ownership. I'm pondering on purchasing a 1989 Supra Sunsport that needs a little work. Haven't seen in person yet but pics look ok. Seller is asking $2500. States motor is good and had complete overhaul 5 years ago. No dents, dings, or cracks to hull. Will need some upholstery work, new floor, wiring, and new drive shaft built. Just wanting opinions on how much it's going to cost me to get this boat going? Of course, I'm going to go see it and make sure the engine will start and what not but as far as he's telling me, motor runs fine and hull is in great condition. Paint looks great as well. Anyways, any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[crystal waters]

New to the page and to boat ownership. I'm pondering on purchasing a 1989 Supra Sunsport that needs a little work. Haven't seen in person yet but pics look ok. Seller is asking $2500. States motor is good and had complete overhaul 5 years ago. No dents, dings, or cracks to hull. Will need some upholstery work, new floor, wiring, and new drive shaft built. Just wanting opinions on how much it's going to cost me to get this boat going? Of course, I'm going to go see it and make sure the engine will start and what not but as far as he's telling me, motor runs fine and hull is in great condition. Paint looks great as well. Anyways, any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Absolutely have a compression check done on all eight cylinders. This is a must regardless of engine rebuild five years ago.
Second, check that stringers are in good condition and not rotting.
The Sunsport is a nice all around boat.

[Moor]

If the owner says it needs floors, be prepared to get into stringer repair. If the floors are soft, i'd guarantee the stuff that supports the floors are soft too. Stringer repairs run anywhere from a $1500 diy with a mountain of labor, up to $8k for a super duper profession job.

[wotan2525]

Stringers are rotten. Buyer beware.

[Salty87]

^ agree

If you're not planning to DIY then you'd be better off finding a boat in better shape and just paying more up front. Even with DIY you're looking at $5k+ for stringers, upholstery and shaft. That puts you upside down a bit compared to market value although you'll have new floors and vinyl. Keep the boat for several years and it'll be sweet ride you can enjoy. Try to sell it sooner than that and you might not cover your costs.

Old v drives will soon be nearing the $10k mark. That keeps pushing the value of older direct drives down.

The more you can push the price down the better. $1500 and DIY would make more sense. After all, you're really only paying for the engine & trailer. The hull is going to cost you money to get in shape.

[scottschmitt]

There is nothing as expensive as an old boat. I bought an 89 Sunsport 5-6 years ago for 6.5k. It needed a little upholstery and it turned out to have a soft floor (what did I know). So, your price is a little better than mine.

The real problem here is if the floor needs replaced, the motor mounts may be soft. You can live with a soft floor. Can't live with soft motor mounts. Like they said, calculate how much you will need to invest in this ride to make it able to get on the lake and how many years you think you'll have this. If it runs and you can ride it as is for 2 years and then sell the trailer, then it's only 1k/year. Not bad. But if you have to fix the drive shaft, re-do the wiring, floor, and upholstery before you are on the water, now you'll in for a few more nickels and it will be hard to recoup that if you need to sell soon.

The old Supras are great boats with lovely lines. Just know what you are getting into. If you can find a Supra with a rounded windshield, it will have a composite floor, and you won't have the rotten floor issue to deal with.