The first step to getting a jet ski is research, especially if you’re a beginner! You got to find out if this sport is for you or should you move on to something else! After doing some research, you need to determine what you want to buy. Considering your riding style, do you need a jet ski for speed or something for the whole family?
After all that, or even before that, you start to look at costs! Not just the cost of getting a new jet ski, but the maintenance and other items to keep it going.
For this post, I want to cover the current and even past prices for the major models on the market. I also want to discuss the jet ski market, show you my calculator to get an estimated out the door number, and answer some questions you may have. So, let’s dig in!
How much does a jet ski cost?
PWC Price Tool
| Make | Model | MSRP |
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What Is The Out The Door, What Are The Fees?
But wait, there’s more to consider!
Those prices I just mentioned don’t even cover taxes, fees, and the trailer. I get it; it can get pretty confusing real fast. That’s precisely why I’ve cooked up the pricing calculator for a jet ski that’s based on real-world scenarios, not those useless ones you stumble upon elsewhere on the internet.
Let’s keep it real, folks; the jet ski dealership tends to charge prep, freight, and doc fees, so you might as well use the calculator that’s got all that covered.
Used Prices – Use Our Tool!
If you’re looking for used or trade-in values, I have a tool for that called “Steven Used PWC Values (SUP Values)“. I also have a post that goes over other ways to figure out the amount you should pay for a used jet ski here.
The Used Market Varies in $$$
The average on used or pre-owned jet skis range from $2,000 to $15,000 depending on the year, shape, and condition. These can go for more or less depending on the newness of the jet ski model, its condition along with market conditions. Just watch out for scammers on the used market, they’re on the rise. They’ll rope you into a cheap, too good to be true prices, and run away with your money. I’m getting a lot more emails from people about this, and it seems to be getting worse. They also target people selling, as seen here. Be careful out there, folks!!!
Interesting Tidbits: Pricing on jet ski Since 1990
I built a tool to calculate what used jet skis are worth, and doing so, I have a large database of historic data dating back to 1990 to 2024 and on going now. With this data, I can calculate interesting tidbits through the years for cost and other data.
The Average & Median Costs Over Time for jet skis
- Average (1990-2024): $10,019.93
- Average (Past 5 Years): $12,923.90.
- Median (1990-2024): $9,399
- Median (Past 5 Years): $12,449
The average price (cost) has INCREASED by approximately $3,095 over the past 10 years ! In the past 10 years, the cheapest jet ski model was the 2015 Sea-Doo Spark 2up 60HP at $4,999! When the Spark came out, most MSRPs were twice that, so it shows how the Spark really brought new life to the industry.
What Is the Best Time To Buy a jet ski?
Timing the market can tricky, especially when doing it during the busiest time of the year. You’re going to pay more, often over retail for the crazy busy market, if you buy when it’s summer and warm out. The opposite can be true, when it’s cold things do get cheaper.
The best time to buy is when the jet ski manufacturer releases new models, as the dealership and the manufacturer want them to get rid of the old inventory. The problem is that many jet ski dealers don’t have inventory then when demand is high. If they do, it’s for models that no one wants. If you’re eye-balling something exact, I’m sure others are too, especially if the color is nice, so don’t wait and get it as they won’t restart production runs when the time is up!
Haggling For a jet ski Can Be Tricky
There is an art to haggling, and you can do it on many models on the market. Unless demand is so good that the jet ski dealership or guy selling doesn’t want to.
I’ve seen all the tricks, and some of them are quite funny… like asking for the sales manager thinking they can give you something better; it’s wasting everyone’s time. There are things you can do to get the better deal on your next that I cover in this jet ski buying guide here.
It’s crazy how expensive these things have gotten! Even the used market is high, though cooling down a bit.
Nice info
In 2020 all new jet skis and used were going for MSRP plus plus. It’s looking like 2021 is going to be the same. A fair deal would be MSRP plus $1k (if you ask me) but if that dealer has someone willing to pay more it’s a tough position. The dealer could also be playing hardball, have them break down the cost, and email it to you so you can see if the numbers make sense. Things like freight do cost the dealership money, it’s usually about $400-$500. They also have to pay people to put it together and the manufacturer doesn’t help with disposing of the crate so there is a cost in that too. I have a guide that goes over more tips here… https://steveninsales.com/new-jet-ski-buyers-guide/
In 2020, with the high demand for jet ski’s, is it reasonable to pay MSRP for a new SeaDoo, or should I be able to negotiate for below MSRP pricing? Also, they are charging $2,000 for “Freight and Setup” and then lowered it down to $1,500 when I questioned it. $1,500 still seems high to me, especially on a GTR 230 that they are quoting at full MSRP. $500 – $750 seems reasonable to me, but not $1,500. Would love your thoughts. Thanks in advance!
I had to look up the conversion to USD, it’s about $4k USD. That is a lot of hours for 2019 GTX 155 but that is a really cheap price and you know the watercraft and how it runs. Normally I would say no but since you know the history well and that price is really attractive for a 2019 I would go for it. Just know if you go to sell it later you’ll have a hard time due to the hours. That 155HP engine is solid and that body very comfortable. If it was me in your situation I would buy it, that’s not a bad deal.
Hi thanks for the great info. I’m looking at buying a 2019 Sea Doo GTX 155 and new trailer for $6,000 AUD. It has 425 hours on it as it was used at a rescue jet ski in Sydney. I am part of the rescue service so know the ski well and know it was very well looked after and serviced as per manufacturers requirements. Last service a month ago. They do get a lot of use as they are on the water for 8 hours a day on the weekends all summer. Hoping that if it’s looked after this is a really good buy. Please let me know. Thanks.