Cobalt Dealer Network awards....

[cmattj]

Awesome Tgrace!!

Be patient for your “want haves” as the saying goes ......( Price is long forgotten..... After what you wanted , and have is remembered).

[Tuscany]

I wanted that 1.6 billion dollar lottery ticket... New cobalts all around!
Not patient...

[sailor55330]

So if I’m reading this right some dealers have actually refused to sell to an “out of territory” customer out of respect? That may be honorable but it would tick me off as that kind of sets the stage for price collusion as they truly don’t have to compete with each other. To be 100% honest if a dealer told me they wouldn’t quote me because I lived in the wrong area I would walk away from the brand. Part of our free enterprise system is being able to run your business your way. Now, if cobalt had a MAP program in place or set pricing that’s different but for a dealer to not even quote on geography....

Also interesting to note that the best guess on some dealers percent off msrp is in the 20% range.

[Tuscany]

So if I’m reading this right some dealers have actually refused to sell to an “out of territory” customer out of respect? That may be honorable but it would tick me off as that kind of sets the stage for price collusion as they truly don’t have to compete with each other. To be 100% honest if a dealer told me they wouldn’t quote me because I lived in the wrong area I would walk away from the brand. Part of our free enterprise system is being able to run your business your way. Now, if cobalt had a MAP program in place or set pricing that’s different but for a dealer to not even quote on geography....

Also interesting to note that the best guess on some dealers percent off msrp is in the 20% range.

That's exactly right. If you read my prior post, then you will see that early in my buying process, I was refused a sale...which turned out to be a very good thing.
It does seem that there are some areas where older Cobalt dealers overlap on the same lake, and then there is no exclusivity...but I'm sure there is a discount agreement in place on the hush.

Collusion is unfortunately part of Capitalism.
Just look what the oil refineries are doing to us. Prices shoot up at the hint of a rumor, and take months to drop after oil plunges.
Yeah, territory protection leaves a customer without leverage if you are in an area where you have one choice. And yeah, If I didn't have a successful negotiation, I would have moved on to a Formula...which I may not have had successful leverage either.
I am sure Cobalt boats inc. (and others for that matter) would totally deny such an arrangement exists, but it does.

The positive? It insures the resale value and service of a Cobalt boat, along with the dealership network to remain stable. If it were a free-for-all, then we would see service issues, sales issues, repair issues, unstability at the dealer level since a lot of them would go under etc..
There would be pressure on Cobalt to become Sea-Ray and reduce their quality to Sea-Ray quality in order to compete.

[akorcovelos]

I was told first hand that if you buy a new Cobalt from an out of territory dealer Gordy’s won’t service it. They are very territorial. I’ve also heard you can work with the regional dealer if another region has a boat you want and they can have the boat transferred to your dealer. Not sure the logistics or if it adds cost.

[Tuscany]

I was told first hand that if you buy a new Cobalt from an out of territory dealer Gordy’s won’t service it. They are very territorial. I’ve also heard you can work with the regional dealer if another region has a boat you want and they can have the boat transferred to your dealer. Not sure the logistics or if it adds cost.

That's exactly what I was told, and yes, you would have to pay the logistics. I think it as more to do with service and warranty considerations, than the actual purchase price itself. I'm sure no dealer wants to be loaded up with service issues, customer relation issues etc. from boats they didn't sell.

[gdane]

When I bought my R7 I was told by two competing dealers both of whom aren't on Table Rock Lake. That they could sell to me as long as they can prove to Cobalt that they can service the boat. The Cobalt dealer that is on Table Rock had the highest quote but the owners like I have stated earlier have so much money coming from their marina slip rental that they are in a position to not have to deal as aggressively as other dealers. I wanted to purchase my boat from the Table Rock dealer but they told me and I quote " If you can buy the boat for that purchase price I would buy the boat".
Just my experience with the dealers around here in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

[sailor55330]

I was told first hand that if you buy a new Cobalt from an out of territory dealer Gordy’s won’t service it. They are very territorial. I’ve also heard you can work with the regional dealer if another region has a boat you want and they can have the boat transferred to your dealer. Not sure the logistics or if it adds cost.

That's exactly what I was told, and yes, you would have to pay the logistics. I think it as more to do with service and warranty considerations, than the actual purchase price itself. I'm sure no dealer wants to be loaded up with service issues, customer relation issues etc. from boats they didn't sell.

So hypothetically if I buy a new boat then relocate 6mos later the local dealer might have an issue with warranty or customer relations because they didn’t sell the boat? I find it hard to believe that cobalt would stand for that. What if you’re not happy with the warranty service from your purchasing dealer? They might be good at sales but lack in the service area....you’re just out of luck? Thats BS.

If that’s true I’ve just lost a lot of respect

[Tuscany]

I was told first hand that if you buy a new Cobalt from an out of territory dealer Gordy’s won’t service it. They are very territorial. I’ve also heard you can work with the regional dealer if another region has a boat you want and they can have the boat transferred to your dealer. Not sure the logistics or if it adds cost.

That's exactly what I was told, and yes, you would have to pay the logistics. I think it as more to do with service and warranty considerations, than the actual purchase price itself. I'm sure no dealer wants to be loaded up with service issues, customer relation issues etc. from boats they didn't sell.

So hypothetically if I buy a new boat then relocate 6mos later the local dealer might have an issue with warranty or customer relations because they didn’t sell the boat? I find it hard to believe that cobalt would stand for that. What if you’re not happy with the warranty service from your purchasing dealer? They might be good at sales but lack in the service area....you’re just out of luck? Thats BS.

If that’s true I’ve just lost a lot of respect

I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid here.
I agree, it isn't exactly free trade and does smell like protectionism. Early on in my buying experience, I also had a problem "getting it". My dealer was extremely fair. Call me lucky.
But in today's dog eat dog business climate, I do get it. Survival and profitability of the brand is obviously the most important plan to Cobalt. Think of it as being "exclusive". If our dealer closed it's doors from lack of profit, where would that leave us?

Cobalt Inc. has laid it out pretty well. From dealer locations to service.
Yeah, if you happen to get a hard ass dealer, then you may shy away because of price. I certainly fall into that catagory because I'm not going to eat a full serving of depreciation to own any particular brand. If a dealer refuses an offer, then its on them to not cash the check and create another Cobalt owner.

After the price hurdle, then comes the positive effects of the situation.
Cobalt Boats takes their warranty service, and their servicing dealers VERY serious. I can tell you that first hand.
Second, their dealers are spread out and stay in business because they don't have to worry about being undercut by competing Cobalt dealers while having to make payroll, insurance, yada..yada.. They have the service end for years of extra profit.
They just have to worry about stacking up to Formula, Chaparral, Sea-junk etc..
In the private sector, every single day is a challenge.. So, don't expect a deal in the spring, but I would bet any dealer would be welcome to an offer with a check during the winter.

Service is exclusive, which is a good thing because Cobalt makes it a good thing. I've had small issues with my dealers work, and they have corrected it to the best of their ability to make me satisfied, which I am.
If there is a problem, just call the factory and they WILL help to get the matter fixed.

I would also be very confident that if you move, your new Cobalt dealer will take you in as their customer.

[akorcovelos]

Yeah, maybe I came across wrong. Gordy’s is awesome to deal with. I didn’t buy my used 252 from them, but rather another family owned Chaparral dealer a few miles down the road. The salesman at Gordy’s said “yeah, Reed’s is good people, we play golf with them and consider them part of the local boating family.”. He even told me if I end up buying the Reed’s boat to send him the hull ID since odds are it was sold at Gordy’s new so he could get me all the original paperwork for the boat.

The service thing is just a corporate culture Cobalt fosters to keep dealers from getting in price wars over the same product. I get it, but it can be a little frustrating as the consumer.

[Tuscany]

Yeah, maybe I came across wrong. Gordy’s is awesome to deal with. I didn’t buy my used 252 from them, but rather another family owned Chaparral dealer a few miles down the road. The salesman at Gordy’s said “yeah, Reed’s is good people, we play golf with them and consider them part of the local boating family.”. He even told me if I end up buying the Reed’s boat to send him the hull ID since odds are it was sold at Gordy’s new so he could get me all the original paperwork for the boat.

The service thing is just a corporate culture Cobalt fosters to keep dealers from getting in price wars over the same product. I get it, but it can be a little frustrating as the consumer.

Well, it’s very easy for me to get it.. my dealer cut me a price I can absolutely live with. With that, he gets my loyalty.
But in gdane’s case, it wouldn’t be so easy to get on board with the program. He is stuck with one dealer who is a fat and looking for the top, and another competing against someone who will never get aggressive. Not a good scenario to get an attractive price

[Table Rockin]

So I went and built out a new one with the options on my must have list and the msrp came out to 165k. So with Danes numbers I’m looking at about 130k. If I can get them to 35% then you are talking 117k.

We are down at the lake this week and it was mid 60s yesterday and the wife and I have boating fever. I actually caught her on her iPad last night picking out colors on Cobalt’s website

Sweet...do it! Boat show is coming up. Sounds like your wife is on board.

[Driller]

Boat Town has been good to me. Got me all the paperwork on my 2011 242 as it was originally purchased from them. Although I bought it used, they have done nothing but treat me with first class respect and have performed the service on my boat at a reasonable price and on schedule. That's worth a lot to me considering the response most vendors give in today's world.

[Tuscany]

Not to put any un-do pressure on TG, but the sticker price does increase dramatically each and every year..🥴.
So, if you can cut a good deal and buy new, you may want to act now.

Remember, the price goes up 8-10k per year. The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets..
..unlike these other spend happy men and woman, I’m just trying to save you money!

JUST RIP OFF THE BAND-AID.. it only hurts for a few seconds, and then the pain is replaced by this.....

[tgrace98]

Not to put any un-do pressure on TG, but the sticker price does increase dramatically each and every year..🥴.
So, if you can cut a good deal and buy new, you may want to act now.

Remember, the price goes up 8-10k per year. The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets..
..unlike these other spend happy men and woman, I’m just trying to save you money!

JUST RIP OFF THE BAND-AID.. it only hurts for a few seconds, and then the pain is replaced by this.....

Haha if only I had your money T! I’m waiting on some funds to come in for my year end bonus then the hunt might be on!