Seeking all opinions

[NiceAft]

All of the above have supplied good feedback for you. I have to add one item to Hardcrabs posting of

I'd think it should come down to your personal skill level with tools and such, or the amount of "handyman" you have in your background.

It also depends on the time you have available to apply yourself to doing mods. I have the skill level, the tools, and the handyman background. What I don't have is the time. Because it would not get done if I elected to do it myself, just about every mod on my boat has been done by a paid professional. So, if you have the skills and the time to do mods, then entertain the used boat thought. If you worry about a lemon of a boat, or If your time is as precious as mine, go for new, and then do the mods as time/money allows. In the meanwhile, you will be sailing

Ray

[The Mutt]

We bought our 1997 from Scott, he had it advertised in the forum's for sale section, what we were looking for was a boat that was looked after with as many sails, electronic toys and mods done as possible, there were many shonks that we looked into on other web sites.

Be ready, no boat new or used Macgregor or other make will be setup correctly for all everyone, be ready to do some changes that suit you and your family, if you have the the nads to do the work yourself and don't know how then do some courses, there is satisfaction in knowing you have done the work yourself. I have the same problem as Ray, very little time to do the work myself, I force myself to make the time every few weekends to do a bit more on the boat ... I call it therapy, working on the boat or Range Rover is a way for me to wind down and de-stress.

Glenn

[c130king]

I think I was the opposite of Ray. Lack of time and skills and tools to do mods was my issue. So I went with used to get some of the basic things that I wanted already installed such as lines led aft, lazy jacks, bimini, furler, etc...

Since then, after getting several months of use under my belt, I have done lots of research on this board and asked millions of questions and done some more mods on my own...fixed vhf and antenna, stereo, S1 Wheel Pilot, new dual battery system and electrical panel plus several other small/easy mods.

I vote for a slightly used but nicely modified boat that way you can sail right away without worrying about mods...then after you have spent some time on your boat, done some research, asked some questions, you can begin your own additional mods to even further improve your macgregor boating experience.

But if you have the skills and time there is something to be said for getting a brand new boat and personalizing it right from the start.

Either way hopefully both you and your wife will be happy.

Good Luck,
Jim

[Terry]

After what I have spent over the years I would have to recommend buying used. I bought new and I am still spending big boat bucks on upgrades and mods, most of which I do myself. Even the basics are going to inflate the initial cost of a new boat, think VHF, ChartPlotter, depth sounder, rollerfurler, lines aft, headsails etc, then there are the extravagant mods like autohelm, musclehead main, reeefing sytems, lazyjacks, stern rail seats, electric pressure water, stereo & speakers, house battery, expanded fuse panel, vents, painting the bilges etc. I could go on but you get the idea, most of the mods & upgrades are ones that you will eventually get on your new boat so why not get them on a used boat and save some costs and aggravation. The one upside to new is that the new boat is super clean & shiny when you first get it, no scratches. Mine (a 2003 26M) is still clean & shiny because I baby it, but I have no shortage of docking scratches. Actually if I was to sell my used 26M it would be a very nice purchase because it has been well appointed over the years but I would start with a high asking price due to the amount of $$$ I have invested in it. As far as getting a lemon, I think that only applies to the engine, the boat itself is pretty solid and free of lemon juice.

[argonaut]

Whether you buy new or used you are buying a boat and a motor. Two separate items.
So, while the boat cost will vary over time, the motor is a significant cost new and will depreciate much more rapidly.
My 1997 hull is in great condition, but I expect the new motor I bolted on will live for about 10 years if I treat it right.

So when you see used boats, it's not so much the boat you need to be concerned about as it is that $7K transom ornament on the stern. And every outboard install is custom, a "dealer install" item, so scarcely any two are exactly alike. The boats come from the factory without motors.... (or used to)

I bought mine at a cost that didn't value the motor very highly. The boat itself will age well. The motor is what you should base your decision on, even if you intend to sail and not motor. So IMHO, find the motor that's in good shape that you like and can get serviced easily that has a pretty decent boat attached.

[Highlander]

I bought new because the price was right & my Mods were mostly self designed/ engineered & made & installed by myself if done by a marina they would have cost as much or more than the boat ! . But then again where else can you get a mac that can fly 5 headsails has over 1200ft of wiring installed for all future electrical access.
As for an eng you can p/u a good used eng @ I-BOATS 10-12 months old for around half the price of a new one still under warranty they even have new ones like last yrs models going alot cheaper thats what I did my eng was 10 months old from them and it looked & smelled like brand new

J

[irayone]

Most macs have an engine hour meter or they can be connected to a computer to check hours.

[robertbanfield]

I would just like to say “Thank-you” to each and every one of you that took the time and offered your valuable opinions. We considered them all. Although we have not made a final decision yet, it has certainly helped us re-enforce the direction to which we thought we might lean. Unless some wonderful used boat appears, we plan on buying new, with some basic performance and safety mods done by which ever dealer gets our dough. After we sail our boat for a while and I become more comfortable with the idea of drilling and cutting holes on a craft that is intended to float, then I (we) will add those mods which will make it our “own”. We hope to meet some of you some day while sailing in the South Carolina area. However, “Fair winds and following seas” to all of you.
Sincerely, Robert & Debbie Banfield