[C320-list] 1996 vs. 2000

[jonvez at comcast.net]

Hi Mike,

First of all good luck...They really are great boats. Here is my two cents and strictly personal preference:

At the end of the day, this is a personal choice with the factors of cost, shape of the boat etc. being the ultimate factors--but I don't think you can make a 'wrong' decision here.

I would go for the newer boat and try to negotiate down that big $ difference for the following reasons:

1) One of the nice things about Catalina is that they are regularly upgrading and tweaking aspects of the boat from year to year. So the 2000 will have some improvements garnered over the previous 4 years.

2)Age is an enemy of all of us, and boats are no different. Sounds like the '96 wasn't used that much and that's not necessarily a good thing. You would have to check for what shape everything from hoses to gaskets to pumps and even hardware bedding is like on both boats. Idle time can be worse than regular usage.

3) Engine hours. I would be curious to see if an engine mechanic would actually find the engine with more hours 'healthier' than the one hardly ever used. Diesels require regular use and we are often guilty of underusing our engines (those pesky sail things :)).

--On the other hand the 96 will probably represent better value from the depreciation perspective, the price difference is pretty significant at this point, and there is no 'bad year' for our 320's--they're all great...

.....Good luck

Regards,

Jon Vez

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Mike Paris" <mikepxx at adelphia.net> 

> I'm looking into purchasing a C320 (my first boat). I'm seeking input as to 
> potential problems of going with an older boat (1996) vs. a somewhat newer one 
> (2000). The 1996 has less than 100 hours on its engine and the 2000 has 
> approximately 350 hours. The difference in price is $20k. Are there some common 
> problems that I should be looking for? What other considerations should affect 
> my choice? Of course I'll be having a survey performed once I make a preliminary 
> decision. Thanks!