Hi, I'm looking to buy a Mariah 226 Talari of 97. It's a brand new boat (overstock model) with a 5.7l bravo 3. for 21000£. Is this a bargain? And some opinions on Mariah in general also welcome.
Mariah are good without a doubt.as to whether it is good value, rememer that when you come to sell it it will be valued as a 97 so if you sell it in two years say - it will drop 6 years in value (in other words - make sure it is cheap enough to start with!) - The thing to do is to look at the price of a used '97 model and add a bit rather than looking at the new price and taking some off... The other thing that would concern me a little is why has it been in stock for 4 years ?? - is it a VERY difficult model to sell - if so, you may have problems selling it yourself - and make sure it is the Z model - becuase that is what everyone looks for when buying a Mariah, they are not much dearer new but have all the kit on - and secondhand people will not pay that much more for a Z, they just won't bother looking at the normal one.
Hi, thx for the reply. The boat was sold due to bankruptcy of a dealer 1.5 years ago to another dealer and has been in a showroom eversince. I've seen 2e hand prices for the same up to 25000£ only with a alpha1 and no options ie the price i'll pay for boat+trailer. This one comes full option and has never touched water in his life. New the boat comes round 34000£ (=45000$)without trailer. I live in Belgium u see and we pay a lot of taxes on these kind of things.
I am the owner of a '98 Z 269 powered by a 5.0ltr EFI (240hp)Mercruiser on a Bravo 3 outdrive which I bought in the U.K. last September and brought back here to Ireland.
So far the boat has been great, although I hav not had too much time on the water yet, but am looking forward to the forthcoming season.
The Z Series would definitely appear to be the one to go for as it carries a very good specification with all the bells and whistles. The Mariahs seem to have a good reputation and resale value too. However I would be a bit dubious about the length of time the boat has been lying around.
Perhaps you should check to see if it is an old model or one that is due to be replaced soon. The fact that it has been in a showroom for 1.5 years would make you think that maybe it's not such a desirable model, therefore it could be hard to sell secondhand.
It might be of help to you to ring Southwater Marine who are the Mariah agents in the U.K. You will find their details on www.southwater.com. I have spoken to them a few times and found them to be very helpful.
Good luck with the boat if you decide to go ahead with the purchase.
