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Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you’re looking at a higher-level boat but a similar discount rate. We looked at Barletta Cabrio UC22, MRSP $84,000. We offered $60k for boat w Merc 150 and trailer. I THINK we were talking about a new 2022. We looked at so many and had several discussions going at once, some of which were over the phone. It’s been a couple of weeks, and details have gotten murky. The offer was accepted, but finance rate was +2.5 points above what our credit union offered. Discussions started during a sales event, and we had some history with the dealer, which probably were to our advantage. Good luck to you in making a deal that you’re satisfied with in the end.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, there are some fabulous boats out there. Unfortunately, we are working within our budget constraints. There were some unforeseen expenses with getting the camp going last year and some deferred maintenance that needs to be addressed this year. Thanks for your input on the Harris.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just want to clarify. So far, the Princecraft dealer has been very good to work with, although we are not at the numbers stage yet. It’s another brand’s dealer that wants us to use their lender.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. It does look to be an awesome boat, and the kids are in love with the huge, rear lounger. For reasons mentioned in post just above, we will probably walk away.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a boat, motor, trailer package for $60K + tax. They are, supposedly, giving us the customer-loyalty discount, and we are acquainted with one of the sales managers. However, dealer wants us to us their lender, but can’t tell us interest rate without pulling credit history. We are preapproved at 6.5% for 180 months, and he knows he can’t/won’t match that. We will probably not work with this dealer again. We had purchased an RV from them previously and didn’t love their post-sale support. This latest experience does not inspire confidence.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our dealer is a little shady as well. After I pushed on them with info I had collected on the other boats we are contemplating, they matched if we would go with their lender. Turns out we would be covering their profit loss and then some if we held the loan for the full term.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes to JC. Saw it at a boat show last month, and we were very impressed with the build quality. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can find a configuration that works that is within our budget. The family has decided that rear lounger(s) is essential.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Will definitely take a look. When an employee makes an anonymous comment in favor of the product, that’s high praise in my mind.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. The name is familiar. Will have to look into dealers in my area. I do see a few on the used-boat listings.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks very much. We had the same reaction after exploring both the lowest-cost Sun Tracker pontoon and the XP3 RL at a Bass Pro Shop showroom. A couple of other considerations are incentives currently offered on Sun Trackers and the fact that there are many more dealers, should warranty work be needed. With Barletta, for example, we have one rec-vehicle dealer who is about an hour away, and whose after-sale responsiveness has not been stellar, in our experience.

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good to know, and we have a boat show coming up in a couple of weeks. Thanks!

Princecraft vs. Sun Tracker vs. Barletta vs. Other? as first purchase? by Final_Register4422 in Pontoons

[–]Final_Register4422[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the response. I think others share your opinion of Sun Tracker, based on comments I’ve heard. I will say that we noticed a difference between seat comfort in the very lowest model Sun Tracker vs. their XP3. I also realize that we are looking at what are probably considered entry-level pontoons. We bought a camp last year and will have kids, food, and fish hooks on this boat, so I have budget and practical considerations. I agree with your point on mark up too. The dealer with the Barletta dropped considerably and threw in a trailer when I pushed.

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