Cheap outboards

[LURCHER]

I am seriously considering buying an Optimax from these people http://www.boatmotors.com/rebuilt_outboard_motors/#150

2002 Mercury 25'' ERP 2-stroke Optimax **SUPER BUY** Factory Reconditioned Promotional Engines (MSRP $10,604.00) Zero Hours - Limited Quantities - One Season Use - View Optimax 135 hp Details - 1 Yr Mfr. Warranty $6,499.00

Has anyone actually bought from them ,Iknow about customs duty but still think it is a good deal at the moment .

Look forward to any constructive comments !

[Bilge Rat]

Lurch.... if this was my money i'd be asking some important questions like:

1) where do i get any warranty work carried out in the UK ?
2) Am i going to be hit by import tax ?
3) How much will it cost to have it shipped from the states ?

I've come to believe that there is no such thing as a good deal when it comes to boats and especially engines !!

[stingraymax]

Check these places out also, these are brand new in the box engines.

http://www.marine-outboards.com/Merc...oat_Motors.htm

http://www.edsmarinesuperstore.com/outboards.htm

I Live in Belgium and I just received my engine that came from the US.
OK I don't have a small chance to none to have any warranty work done on it, but I saved more than € 4000 on a 90Hp engine.

If I need another engine I know where I will buy...

[ribraff]

....So, if you bought an Opti say from the states would a british dealer not agree to work on this engine???

[Nasher]

I'd imagine the dealers would agree to fix the engine, however the manufacturer would refuse any warranty work.

Nasher.

[Bilge Rat]

Originally Posted by ribraff

....So, if you bought an Opti say from the states would a british dealer not agree to work on this engine???

I would imagine you wouldn't find a problem getting work done on the engine but making any sort of warranty claim against the repair costs would be difficult, if the manufacturer honoured the warranties someone by now would have been importing engines in from the states and selling them far below UK prices.

[Simon B]

You've got to have a laugh at all this really!....

"So you make engines?"
"Yes"
"They are reliable"
"Yes"
"So reliable I could propell myself from one country to another"
"Oh Yes" (obviously said like Churchill)
"So how come the F*%@#ing warranty cant propell itself"

-------Stunned silence follows---------

[TIM]

I would, tell them I bought the boat in the US.... second hand.... now Honor you warrenty ......

[gingercoastie]

On this very subject, I spoke to Barrus today as I am thinking of bringing in 2 Verados from New Zealand.


The warrenty is worldwide as long as the engne is registered by the original supplier.

[Bilge Rat]

Originally Posted by gingercoastie

On this very subject, I spoke to Barrus today as I am thinking of bringing in 2 Verados from New Zealand.


The warrenty is worldwide as long as the engne is registered by the original supplier.

So if this is the case then why cant i fly out to the US of A buy myself a container load of engines, register them with the dealer in the US and have them shipped back to the UK, then sell them well under the current UK prices ??? Surely someone would have thought of this by now !!

[Neville]

Because you will be undercutting the authorised dealers here. Its then a grey import. When the dealers over here get annoyed at hearing about this guy selling cheaper imported engines, they then order one from you, check the serial number, phone up the manufacturers, and the manufacturers come down on the usa dealer like a ton of bricks. Sometimes the dealer will lose his contract.

Good idea though. Remember to add vat on to those prices at 17.5% and a small amount of duty. Shipping approx £300 per engine, or £1250 per full container!

[Rogue Wave]

It's already being done! Outboards direct which I think might be based in Fareham

[Graham H]

I got over just over 3k off the retail price (£8199) off my BJ115 4stroke this summer, there are some good deals out there.

[stingraymax]

Just for an example I paind 5000$ for a brand new 90Hp engine.
Then I had to pay 350$ to have it picked up at the dealer and shipped to a port in belgium.

One week later the engine arrived here and I had to pay 4.3% on price of engine plus shipping cost. (so 230$)

Then i had to pay the belgium sale tax on the total of that. Here 21%
so 5000$ + 350$(S&H) + 230(4.3%) = 5580$ ---> 21% = 1171$

So the engine cost me total 6171$
At curren currency rate that makes 4,770.43€ or 3,328.71 GBP

Here an engine like that will set you back 9800€

Check all the tax rates and make up your mind if you think it is worth it.

[Simon B]

I just can't get this warranty stuff out of my system!

"So you make engines"
"OH Yesh"
"And they are reliable"
"O-H....Y-E-S-H"
"But I need the warranty"
"Oh Yesh"
"So they could be sh1t then"
"Oh Yesh"

-----stunned silence follows------

[Dirk Diggler]

Originally Posted by Neville

Because you will be undercutting the authorised dealers here. Its then a grey import. When the dealers over here get annoyed at hearing about this guy selling cheaper imported engines, they then order one from you, check the serial number, phone up the manufacturers, and the manufacturers come down on the usa dealer like a ton of bricks. Sometimes the dealer will lose his contract.

Not strictly true. A dealer can't be held responsible for a customer who is prepared to buy outside of his country of residence. As long as the motor is PDI'd by an authorised dealer then the warranty is valid. You may not get the full warranty term, as some countries only have the benefit of one year.

Quite a few of the Mercs/Mariners in England have been sourced abroad, Belgium being very popular, although America, Australia etc are quite often cheap places to buy. Even some of the approved Barrus dealers are now doing this.

A common trick that used to be used by the old Merc distributor (Sowester) was to honour the warranty, but get the dealer to slow the repairs by quoting long delays due to being very busy, or having to wait for parts!

[Simon B]

Has this been going on for sometime with british made cars coming back in from Europe i.e. Landrover Discoverys

How does the warranty work with them?

[Neville]

so will the USA dealers be allowed by the manufacturer to supply abroad?

we buy a particular type of machinery from the USA to bypass the UK distributor who used to charge about treble what they are in the states, but if the manufacturer catches that dealer selling to us hes in trouble.

so we actually get the machinery shipped to another dealer in the usa and then he sends it over.

the same with my friends windsurf board business, he cant supply to ireland, and the irish dealer cant supply here...

i wish you could get the same deals abroad in inboards as you can on outboards..

[Stuart M]

I think the answer to "why doesn't someone bring in a container load and resell is simple" - it's against the law! I believe and maybe a legal eagle will correct me, that it is a trademark issue. In the EU the manufacturer can control who resells their goods inside the EU. So manufacturers can stop "grey" importing. Without wanting to start a EU/Non-Eu debate, this makes the EU free trade idea is only free trade within the EU (at the same high price). I think however that an individual may purchase outside the EU for their own use, but not resell.

A search on the web give more info

http://www.harbottle.com/i_articlede...=11&from=legal

Stuart

[codprawn]

Not too sure on that - as long as duty is paid it should be ok no matter what country - there are scores of shops on the Tottenham court road who would close down if that were the case!!!

Grey imports have been going on for years in the camera/electronic field!!!