New or used.. Advice?

I'm about to the point in my life where I can finance a boat. I'm in my early 20s and have a good job and have all my basic needs covered. I want a bass boat. I love fishing, but I love being on the water more than beating the banks. I will be financing my boat. Let's get to my question.. Should I buy a new aluminum boat (ex. Tracker pro 190) or a used fiberglass boat? For my price range (about 18-20k all said and done), what would be the best bet? If I bought used, I'd want something relatively new. I'm not too concerned with having a loaded 21' boat with a 250 and power poles. I just want a solid, reliable bass boat that my buddy and I can fish new lakes with.

Do you want to fish big lakes? Do you like to fish deep or shallow? Are you more comfortable in getting less boat but have a warranty? You'll end up losing some money on the resale. Used pretty much has taken the big hit and will be worth closer to what you paid for it when you decide to sell. No one can really tell you which you should buy as everyone's needs or wants are different. You are just going to get opinions of what is best for them. Heck, I'm sure that you are going to hear that if you can't pay cash, that you don't need a boat. With my experience,I go for used, older well maintained fiberglass boats that are 1/4 of what you are looking to spend. Virtually trouble free and what does come up, I can get fixed and still not have a ton of money invested. More money for electronics, tackle and gas.

If I was to give advise I would say, our first boat and you won't know what you will really want until you try one. The first boat or even the first few are never boats that have everything that you want and you'll want more or different. Buy used and buy much cheaper than you are talking about and give yourself room financially to buy a better boat once you use this and learn what you really want in a boat. You'll be ahead of the game.

The only way you should buy new is if you know for sure you will not sell it before the end of the loan so you can pay down the depreciation. Then you should get as much boat as you can afford at the cheapest rate and shortest term. I would advise no more than a 6 year term. Try to strike a good balance between down payment and monthly payments.

If you buy used you should look at boats in the 2 to 4 year old model with a VERY good price. Be aware that most boat sellers (and dealers) are very unrealistic about the value of their used boat because they do not want to admit (or inform you about) how much depreciation as occurred. Use NADA boat values at low retail if the boat is in perfect shape with low hours and go down from there for wear and tear for you offer and just know that a lot of sellers will act offended when presented with the true value of their boat, do not let that affect you just move on to the next.

If you go for aluminum try to find the new type hulls that are close to the shape of a fiberglass hull instead of the old flat bottom type because even in your early 20s being beat up in the wind still sucks.

If you are unsure what type of fishing you will do definitely follow Mr. Milam's advice above in the second paragraph.

I firmly believe you should find a first bass boat you can pay for, no financing. Plenty of expenses going fishing without a payment. Best first bass boat: a 350V or 373 Ranger. Several really good ones out there for under 6K. You can get back what it cost and you can fish any water.

Thanks for the feedback. I plan on putting a fairly substantial down payment towards my purchase. I think I'll be looking around for a decent used boat. I really like the tritons and nitros from 2010-current. Anything I should look out for in these boats?

If you are looking at Tritons make sure you can fit in the cockpit because, at least with the new ones I looked at last week, they were designed so the console blocked leg access to the deck.

If you have money for a good down payment, then just find an older used boat in the $6-8K range and pay cash for that sucker. You can get a lot of boat for that amount of money that will dang sure get you out on the water and then some! You will soon find out that there are going to be A LOT of expenses associated with boat ownership and putting it out on the water: FUEL, fuel additives, oil, baits, more toys to put on/in the boat, maintenance and the occasional repair, and the list goes on.... I currently fish out of a 91’ Stratos 201 Pro that I paid $600 for because it was weathered and the motor was shot, but the hull/transom was in fine shape. I fixed the motor for $1000 and completely restored the gelcoaf(lot of time and elbow grease). It now shines like a new one and motor runs like a top, i’ll even get the occasional complement at the ramp, which is fun given what I paid for it. Anyway, you may want more of a turnkey deal, but just an example of how little you can spend to get on the water. Just think of all the toys you could buy with that $15,000 you’ll be saving......

Agree with what everyone else is saying above. Find a cheaper used boat and get out on the water and learn what you do and don't want in a boat. 2 years ago I bought my first boat and before I started looking I was sure I wanted a new aluminum bass boat. After some research I ended up buying a used 16.5' Lowe Aluminum Deep V side console because it could handle chop better, easy to tow/launch, and the price was right for a first boat. Now 2 years later I realize I don't want a bass boat at all (fished out of a few since then) and am looking for my next boat an 18-20' center console. The boat I bought hasn't depreciated at all and I learned alot without worrying about damaging a new boat.

You might have to put a few bucks into an older used boat but you won't lose a ton if you are patient and wait for the right deal. Good luck with your search!!

No matter what the year or brand check the transom and engine first. You'll want a mechanic to look at one that you are interested in to do tests to it. If you aren't real familiar on things to look for try to find someone to go with you.

I will tell you this...

Take the price you think the boat is going to cost you per month, and double it.

Used boats especially, they are going to require some repairs along the way and of course all of the maintenance. The nicer boat you have, the more [censored] that can go wrong with it and the more expensive all of that is.

Buy that boat with the thought that at any instant you could be >$5k in the hole because of the motor blowing up.

I'm not trying to scare you, this is just coming from someone that did exactly what you are looking to do, at the same age, and same budget.