1996 Monterey 276 — Saint Joseph, MI

A 1996 Monterey 276 at Saint Joseph, Michigan — asking $20,000, down from $24,000. A classic express cruiser on a solid deep-V hull, with a single MerCruiser, a double bimini with full camper canvas plus a separate screen enclosure, and updated seats and flooring in the aft cockpit. The broker notes it has sat past thirty days and says plainly: make an offer.

A price already cut once, on a seller already signalling. The $4,000 reduction and the thirty-days-on-market note are the two tells that matter — this is median-band money ($29,900 buys the middle of this shelf) with a motivated seller under it. The recent cockpit soft goods are real value; canvas alone runs thousands. Confirm the freshwater story and survey the stringers and transom around the drive.

The neighbours frame the negotiation. Below it, the Bayliner 2855 is two thousand cheaper and roomier below decks:

Five hundred above, the Four Winns Vista 278 is a 2008 hull with a receipted engine rebuild:

And the most-drivetrain-per-dollar play on the whole shelf is the repowered Carver 310:

With the seller already moving, this is the one to put an offer under: