New Suzuki outboards?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

Guest
Has anyone had experience with this web site:

http://www.newsuzukioutboards.com/index.html

They claim that they sell Suzuki outboards at discount prices. I don’t have much experience with MSRP prices to know whether this is a good deal or not and whether the motors are truly unused and in the manufacturers original shipping containers. I have been thinking of re-powering with a 115 hp Suzuki. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
I do not have any experience with them. We have been looking for a Suzuki 2.5 kicker. Their price of $599.00 is pretty good but, freight is an additional $99.70 and the motor by itself is only 30 lbs.! So, for me, I would see what I could buy local for around $700.00. I did not check freight on the larger outboards, (should have).
 
Being a Suzuki dealer, I can say that those prices are way below what we can sell the motors for.

On the larger motors you may get into a grey area, because there is no way for them to do a pre delivery inspection on the motor befor it ships. That being the case, Suzuki could deny any warranty coverage on the motor.

We are seeing all motor manufacturers tightening up their warranty guidelines, as their profits shrink. They will warranty legitimate issues, but questionable items, or motors that were not properly set up or cared for will raise all kinds of red flags, and ultimately get turned down.

As a dealer, we have technicians that we have sent to Suzuki schooling, and must send on a regular basis. We have special tools, computer software and parts in stock. We have a waterfront facility where we can physically test boats on the water if needed to diagnose a problem. We have a test tank we can back a boat into, and an inventory of special test wheels that simulate a propellor load on an engine for diagnostics.

Those guys have a web site. Their whole business model is to sell product they will never see again. They may not even have a storefront. If you have a problem, who will take care of it?

And if you have a problem on July 3rd with your motor you bought online, and bring it into us, and we have the choice of getting either the motor purchased online or one that we sold to our customer out the door for the holiday- guess who comes first?

Just sayin.
 
A while back I was talking to a guy who had a 2 1/2 Suzuki on his dingy and he was raving about it being the best motor he had ever had. He told me he bought it from a dealer somewhere in central Florida for less than $600. I thought that pretty low so I went on line to get some prices and Portaboat sells them delivered to your door for $629. I don't think I'd buy anything larger on line because of the warranty issues and I'm not sure I'd buy from Portaboat. I think my local dealer quoted me something like $900 for the motor.
 
We got our Suzuki 2.5hp at a local dealer here in Washington for a very good price. I think they've updated the model since then, I think it's a 2007. Still very happy with it and as dinghy motors go with very little usage, I'd say we have less than 3 hours on it.

(Still wondering if I should try it on Barquinho...)
 
All right-this is just what I need to hear. I thought I smelled a trench coat.
When it's too good to be true, it usually isn't true. Well that settles that.
Thanks for the advice. I knew C-Brats would give me the straight scoop.
Jon
 
I'm not getting into the price issue, but as for a 2.5 HP dinghy motor I do have a few comments.

First I had a 3 HP Evenrude (Johnson?) and it would not get the dinghy on plane. Bought it because it was light and had a neutral. and when we were in Mexico we met several people who had Honda 2 (2.5?) which were just too small to get anywhere. Even my old 3 would go faster. I finally bought a 6 HP motor and I still think that's the best dink motor going, and still have it.

So if you haven't bought that 2.5 yet, think about how long you're going to keep it and how you want to use it. No argument about the weight increase, but ALL of those 4 strokes are heavier than the old nasty 2 strokes.

So I'd try at least a 4 HP, and since in Suzuki the 4 and 6 are the same weight, one might consider a 6 HP. And the 6 HP comes with an external tank. You haven't lived until you try to refill that integral tank when you're in choppy water. And the money you saved will not enter your mind. In fact at that time you'll be willing to pay the difference, if only you could. Tohatsu is a little lighter. You pick the dealer

Boris
 
It would appear that the Suzuki outboard in the below 40 hp models is now being produced by Tohatsu.

OnlineOutboards is the largest Nissan and Tohatsu outboard dealer. We stock every portable outboard model offering you the best selection anywhere. Plus, you’ll save big because we guarantee the absolute lowest prices on new Tohatsu and Nissan outboards.
Click to expand...
OnlineOutboards.com is the same company that is offering the Suzuki outboards and if you compare the specs of both, model to model they are the same motor.

I purchased my 8hp Nissan last year and the company performed as advertised and the engine hasn't missed a lick yet. However they sell the Tohatsu and Nissan with free shipping...so unless you just have to have the Suzuki name on your motor you can save a few bucks by buying the brand X.
 
Hey , maybe you can find a repo motor REALLY cheap from a FULL SERVICE dealer thats gone out of business cause he tried to make a living..............and then be really angry when you cant find a qualified mechanic left or anyone willing to work on it . We have a one to three year waiting list for internet outboard service . BTW the only outboards the motor whores are supposed to sell via internet are portables under 25 HP.Did I say motor whore ? .Just slipped out.
Marc
 
While it's possible some of the Suzuki motors are using Tohatsu powerheads (and I'll be checking with my rep on that) I can say that the 9.9High Thrust / 15, the 25 and the 40 are definitely built by Suzuki.

Looking at the Suzuki specs, and comparing to Mercury, which IS built by Nissan / Tohatsu, the 2.5, 4 and 6 are different motors. I don't have all the specs for the new 8 / 9.9 motor. I suspect the specs on the sellers website are incorrect. Probably a cut and paste for layout, and forgot to change the actual specs.
 
Marc Said:
Did I say motor whore ? .Just slipped out.
Click to expand...

Maybe a better term to use is "Marketing Genius"...but then again I am just the sort of consumer who prefers to have folks publish a price for their products and let me decide if I want the product at their price.

I make every effort to support my local dealers in every way I can but I don't pay through the nose for a oil change and I don't pay $90.00 an hour for shop time to perform task I can learn to perform on my own. And if the local dealer has a 3 yr waiting list to perform service on a motor that they represent because the motor in question didn't come out their door then they need to rethink their business plan or they will soon be out of business.

Now I do understand the dealers frustration with todays economic down turn but it just calls for more creative marketing and even better service offerings.
 
Papillon":9rrxo7al said:
And if the local dealer has a 3 yr waiting list to perform service on a motor that they represent because the motor in question didn't come out their door then they need to rethink their business plan or they will soon be out of business.
Click to expand...

I have wondered about this sentiment as well. I purchased my boat about three years ago from the closest dealer available at the time - over 5 hours away. I still talk to the dealer and they have handled warranty service on the boat, but for warranty service on the motor (twice now), I have gone to a local dealer, and they seem happy to have the work.

The idea that you should only expect service on a product from the dealer from which it is purchased would seem to defeat the value of a nationwide brand with sales and service available all over. Am I the only one that has traveled or moved with a product under warranty and then needed service somewhere other than the place of purchase?

Rob
 
I'm not sure where the genius is in selling a product at or below cost, with the business model being "let somebody else take care of it". And let somebody else tell the buyer that the manufacturer isn't going to cover a repair under warranty because of how the motor was purchased.

Best Price, Best Quality, Best Service- you can only have two out of three. If price is King, then you have to choose to sacrifce quality or service. Once you make that choice, it isn't somebody else's responsibility to fix any problem you may have.

It's easy to post low prices online. Then order product form the factory when the order comes in. Presto, no flooring costs, no storage costs, no showroom to maintain. No waterfront business location for demo rides and sea trials.

So your solution is to have dealers who invest money in having what you want to see in stock sell them at cost, and then have factory trained guys using factory authorized parts doing any work at cost as well.

Did your hear about the Genmar bankruptcy? Boat builders and dealers going out of business? Or other issues facing this industry? Or the added governmental regulation being placed on businesses? How about the nearly $100,000 in filtration systems that are going to be forced upon marine businesses on Puget Sound that no one knows if the will do what they are being promoted to do, but are going to be required just the same. Just because it makes some very vocal people feel better, even though there is no science to back up their demands.

When did profit become a dirty word? There was a time in the country where success was cheered! Building a business was rewarded and encouraged! Now it seems all anyone wants to do is tear businesses and succesful people down. They're evil, greedy, uncaring.

Bah! What a downer this turned into.
 
Rob & Karen":26x41qr4 said:
Papillon":26x41qr4 said:
And if the local dealer has a 3 yr waiting list to perform service on a motor that they represent because the motor in question didn't come out their door then they need to rethink their business plan or they will soon be out of business.
Click to expand...

I have wondered about this sentiment as well. I purchased my boat about three years ago from the closest dealer available at the time - over 5 hours away. I still talk to the dealer and they have handled warranty service on the boat, but for warranty service on the motor (twice now), I have gone to a local dealer, and they seem happy to have the work.

The idea that you should only expect service on a product from the dealer from which it is purchased would seem to defeat the value of a nationwide brand with sales and service available all over. Am I the only one that has traveled or moved with a product under warranty and then needed service somewhere other than the place of purchase?

Rob
Click to expand...

The problem is that the manufacturer doesn't pay for the diagnostic time that goes into determining the cause of a failure. And more often then not, it takes a lot of work on the dealer's part to get some things covered. And often, their flat rate for a repair may not cover the actual time to do the repair, and the manufacturer doesn't pay prevailing labor rates.

Now, when it's determined that the problem is not warranty related- who pays for the shop time to determine that. On a motor we sold, we'll probably eat the time, because that's our customer. We're less likely to put free time into something purchased online or out of state to save sales tax.
 
I have never worked in the boat business but I have worked for John Deere and Case IH dealers for a number of years. My experience with warranty work is that you get reimbursed at zero margin for parts and almost always write off a fair portion of the labor. Don't get me wrong, I think warranties are good and people deserve them. I miss my warranty on our boat! I'm just pointing out that other than trying to measure the value of good will (and it is real), warranty work ends up as an expense for dealerships. I took a class with some people from the recreational marine industry and it sounded like they had it even tougher with their suppliers.
 
Okay-

I talked with my Suzuki Rep.

Any Suzuki dealer can ship any motor up to 25 horsepower. The dealer agreement forbids it above that horsepower. What's that mean on a big engine? Unless (IF) you can convince your local dealer to do the pre delivery inspection on the motor you bought online, the motor will not be registered with Suzuki, and there will be no warranty coverage.

Why these rules?- so Suzuki can be sure that the motor you have on your boat was commissioned by a trained Suzuki dealer, and that everything is installed and working properly. It is to protect Suzuki owners and help ensure that the ownership experience is the best it can be for Suzuki buyers.

On another note-

Suzuki builds all their own engines, from 2.5 to 300 HP. Period. They don't have engines built by anybody else, and they don't build engines for others.

As far as service- dealers don't have a problem with engines purchased from other (legitimate) dealers, especially Boat / Motor packages, and will welcome your service business. We don't expect to get every sale, but we want to compete on a level playing field.
 
You all missed my point . We service everything that comes in the door . Its prioritized by folks that do business with us and are not pure price shoppers . We can even beat those deals sometimes . It dosent have to come out of our shop for us to work on it .I think there are a bunch of C Brats that will attest to that .What you see on the internet isnt always true as evidenced today by a fellow that brought me a printout from those very folks advertising a motor that they dont even have .
But I must say Matt was far more diplomatic than I was after a 20 hour day packing up a boatshow . Didnt mean to make it ugly. And Mike, you will get instant service anytime !
Marc
 
Back
Top