Should I Buy: 2004 Seadoo GTI RFI
- Thread starter TrevorM
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TrevorM
Active Member
Haha not sure if he will take $800! I could probably go to $1000. Thoughts?
DanSquires
Well-Known Member
I think just an instant lowball without looking at/talking to owner is trashy. Go look at it.
That being said, RFI's can be tricky, and a Candoo is super helpful. We absolutely love my wife's 04 GTI LE RFI. Sips the gas and has plenty of power for cruising.
TrevorM
Active Member
Sounds fair. Honestly I'm not looking to keep it. Maybe fix it up and sell. I have a 2001 Seadoo GTX that I have recently been working on and enjoy riding for the most part. It's not too bad to work on as it is carbureted. But idk about the RFI and buying CandooPro that's a bit expensive.
DanSquires
Well-Known Member
RFI ski wouldn't really be a great flip IMO, unless you've got the right tools and a stash of parts.
TrevorM
Active Member
Thanks for your thoughts! I told the guy I'd come by sometime to check out the unit. As far as the not going to top speed sometimes what could potentially cause this? I'm trying to get a good idea on what could potentially be wrong with the seadoo.
Redsled
Member
RFI *
You could quickly be at $1800 on this ski if you find the problem or have to spend time and money finding it. If he could have fixxed it... he would have. Parts and parts and labor get expensive real quick. Unless you can do your own work.
DanSquires
Well-Known Member
Ok, but a lowball offer sight unseen is probably one of my biggest pet peeves, and whenever I get someone doing that to me the conversation with them is over. A knee jerk reaction of offering me 2/3 of what I'm asking before seeing it would only make me counter offer with twice the price.
As far as your buy, if it's worth 600 to you than good deal. I don't typically like to price brag on skis I may want to sell.
DanSquires
Well-Known Member
It is a beautiful sunny day, indeed. And I'm having a pretty nice one.
Dang.
I'm just trying to give you a friendly suggestion.. if you're going to flip skis for profit, don't go advertising to the world what money you've got into them. Kind of like a guy on facebook that kept bragging how he'd pick up this ski for free and that ski for 200 bucks... then he's broke in the off season and asking 10x what he's advertised he's paid.. and getting zero sales out of it.
And you don't open a negotiation with a lowball offer. It's just a turnoff, IMO.
As far as this thread, to the OP:
Look at it, check compression. Look at the wear ring. Look at the impeller (what you can see anyways)
Look at the plugs. Plug the key in to prime the pump and see if it's excessively noisy. As Miki said, it could be any number of things.. many of them inexpensive and some pretty expensive. I didn't even notice your location of LOZ, i'm in Blue Springs and have the SBT102 programmer (candoo pro essentially, ski only version) along with some other proper tools for the RFI and DI skis.. and you're more than welcome to come plug in and see what's up.
TrevorM
Active Member
Blue Springs nice! Thank you for that! Honestly I'm just getting my foot in the door of working on seadoos. I bought my first ever in July a 2001 Seadoo gtx which I for the most part enjoyed working on. The one I have I feel good with it as it runs pretty dang good!
I'm sorta just trying to find a fixer upper just to have some type of new hobby not really trying to make it a money getter. I haven't heard back from the seller yet. I was suppose to look at it over the weekend but no response.
GGuillot
Well-Known Member
That's good advice, there's people on this forum flipping skis that disclose every detail, what's wrong with it, how much they paid for it, then after everyone in the world has advised how to help them fix it, they turn around and list it 10x higher. I saw a 96' SPX listed for $1800 the other day on FB...that I know was picked up for next to nothing...which was disclosed on the forum.
I swear, it's almost insulting to people's intelligence to low ball the crap out of the ski when trying to get it, then turn around and look for an unsuspecting sucker to buy it later...like a few months later. People are smarter than that, they know when a price is listed too high (which is telling about the type seller) and when someone is low balling them (telling of the type buyer).
I think it depends on the buyer and seller....
If someone gets a great deal and a ski for cheap then fixes it up for a proffit why is that person a bad guy?
The person they bought it from didn't have to sell it cheap and the new buyer didn't have to pay whatever the flipper was asking. I don't see how they did anything wrong.
Now if someone buys it cheap then slaps it together knowing it is a piece of junk and will fail then sells it high as a perfect ski, then yes, I agree he is a dirtbag.
I was given two 1997 GSX's and a trailer for free that looked pretty good. I found out they had scuffed pistons and some bad balancer and crank bearings. I tore them down to the hull, buffed everything, serviced everything, new crank bearings and top ends, carb kits, new trailer tires and paint you name it. They look and run like brand new. I probably have $1,500 into them and sold them to a fried for $3,500. So does that make it a bad deal that I made $2k off a friend not counting any of my labor because I got them for free and sold them for $3,500.
Maybe GGuliott I misinterpreted what you were saying.
If someone gets a great deal and a ski for cheap then fixes it up for a proffit why is that person a bad guy?
The person they bought it from didn't have to sell it cheap and the new buyer didn't have to pay whatever the flipper was asking. I don't see how they did anything wrong.
Now if someone buys it cheap then slaps it together knowing it is a piece of junk and will fail then sells it high as a perfect ski, then yes, I agree he is a dirtbag.
I was given two 1997 GSX's and a trailer for free that looked pretty good. I found out they had scuffed pistons and some bad balancer and crank bearings. I tore them down to the hull, buffed everything, serviced everything, new crank bearings and top ends, carb kits, new trailer tires and paint you name it. They look and run like brand new. I probably have $1,500 into them and sold them to a fried for $3,500. So does that make it a bad deal that I made $2k off a friend not counting any of my labor because I got them for free and sold them for $3,500.
Maybe GGuliott I misinterpreted what you were saying.
GGuillot
Well-Known Member
Not saying a person is bad doing it for profit, just ignorant to advertise what they bought it for and then try to sell it later for much more to the same crowd.
As far as your flip story, on the face it's fine, I'm sure your work is top notch, but just me, people I consider a 'friend', I don't make money off them, actually most of the time I give them things or maybe try to get something back I had in it. It doesn't make it a bad deal you sold them for $3500, just kinda sad you felt okay to make $2K off a friend, especially if you got them free in the first place.
I wouldn't have it in me to accept them free, I'd have to give something for them, and probably what they were worth in current condition. I'm sure you didn't tell your friend you got them for free or what you had in them, which is the whole point I was trying to make. Because if you did, you probably wouldn't have sold them for $3500.
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I think your missing the point and what our economy is based on. It doesn’t matter what the person paid for it, if it’s worth what they are asking it will sell.
It doesn’t matter that I got the skis for free or if I paid $3,500 for them, my friend knew they were worth more than that and was ecstatic to get them for that. He actually made the offer before they were done.
So since I’m friends with the local motorcycle dealer should he sell me all my motorcycles at cost since I know the invoice price? Pretty hard to keep the doors open that way.
It doesn’t matter that I got the skis for free or if I paid $3,500 for them, my friend knew they were worth more than that and was ecstatic to get them for that. He actually made the offer before they were done.
So since I’m friends with the local motorcycle dealer should he sell me all my motorcycles at cost since I know the invoice price? Pretty hard to keep the doors open that way.
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Totally agree with you.
The ones that piss me off is when they tell an unsuspecting buyer they are perfect and they know they are junk.
My cousin always wanted a 1997 XP so he bought a perfect mint one two years ago and I wasn’t available to look at it with him and he paid a lot for it.
First ride out it sank. Hull was patched with bondo. Carbs were mismatched, crank bad, electronics filled with water and pistons shot.
I felt so bad for him. We reglassed it regelcoated it rebuilt everything and he could have bought two buy now but he loves it. I probably have over 100 hours into it all for beer and pizza.
Always run when you hear, “It just needs a battery “, lol.
GGuillot
Well-Known Member
I know really, it's always "it just needs a starter" in depth knowledge is key. Unfortunate for your cousin, the misrepresentation out there is breath taking, not just for skis but everything...my experience is people have no problem lying their ass off. When I searched, I gave up trying to find something in good condition, it was always something they wouldn't be forth coming with. The strategy I eventually took is if everything is bad they have a hard time lying, so I looked for crappy skis I could build up to new. 100 hrs + on the 97'GTX and done, on my way getting the 96' GSX done by next Summer.
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