[richied718]

after watching the videos Yamaha posted about spark, Iam having second thoughts is anyone unhappy with there spark and regret buying? I put deposit down but did not pick it up yet!!!

 

[spark-orion]

See here. Do your own research...
http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=214890

Yep, my phone sent this...

 

[Mark]

after watching the videos Yamaha posted about spark, Iam having second thoughts is anyone unhappy with there spark and regret buying? I put deposit down but did not pick it up yet!!!

So far I think the Spark is A +. I own numerous Yamaha outboards from 9- 225hp. They make a good product but in this situation they clearly have missed an opportunity to bring a very desirable approach to a jet ski design.

 

[Orca]

I've had my Spark since December. No issues, no regrets, I love it. There are quite a few misleading statements in the two Yamaha videos you're referring to, and the whole tenor and tone of the videos has diminished Yamaha's brand IMO.

The biggest ill-advised statement in those videos to my mind is when the Yamaha representative says a tank of fuel "might last for an hour or two" on the Spark. That's a ridiculous statement. If they were really serious about convincing you how good the VX is against the Spark, they would list some fuel consumption side-by-sides. They didn't do that. For me, as a buyer, I'd be interested in them crunching the numbers. But they don't do that; they make jokes about plastic water bottles and the chill shade instead.

Before I looked at the Spark, I was looking around at Yamahas. Everything I read indicated that Yamahas were renowned for their reliability, and that attracted me. But then the Spark came out and I could buy a brand new machine under warranty, still have money left for insurance, safety gear, and accessories.

Another point Yamaha criticises the Spark for is the add-ons. But for me this was a good thing, because there are only some things you have to buy upfront (i.e. choosing between 2 or 3UP and IBR). The rest you can add later when your cash flow allows. So it allowed me to only have to save a certain amount of cash for the upfront purchase. Since I got, it I've added mats, the step, the storage bucket, side bumpers, etc.

They also criticise the Spark for its 'plastic' construction. But the upside of this is the weight of the machine. It can be towed by a very small car (and I own a very small car). So if you've got a small car, you don't need to work a tow vehicle into your budget as well.

I think you should consider why Yamaha would upload videos like this to its official branded Youtube account, without any statistical or scientific data to back what they say.

If Yamaha had a good story to tell about the VX, then that's what they should have done. For them to invest dollars into producing videos like these shows they are more interested in talking about what they think their competitor is doing wrong, rather than what they think they're doing right. As a potential buyer, you should think about that.

The other thing I think was a misjudgment by Yamaha is assuming a potential buyer might look at these videos and do no further research. These days, when I'm making a 'big' purchase I look around. It doesn't matter if it's a new TV, a microwave, or a car -- I research it online. I see what people are saying about it, I visit multiple sites. I don't just trust one opinion straight away, I read as many as I can. Given you've even posted the question in this forum, I can see you're the same. These days, most people are.

The danger for Yamaha in this, I think, is that they risk saying to potential buyers 'the Spark is bad'. But if those buyers ultimately choose a Spark and find that it's actually very good, when it then comes to their next ski purchase they'll remember Yamaha for the wrong reason: that Yamaha is willing to peddle misleading information for a sale.

 

[srsbz]

i dont see how its bad

what is better? and how much does it cost?

 

[BTMG]

I've had my Spark since December. No issues, no regrets, I love it. There are quite a few misleading statements in the two Yamaha videos you're referring to, and the whole tenor and tone of the videos has diminished Yamaha's brand IMO.

The biggest ill-advised statement in those videos to my mind is when the Yamaha representative says a tank of fuel "might last for an hour or two" on the Spark. That's a ridiculous statement. If they were really serious about convincing you how good the VX is against the Spark, they would list some fuel consumption side-by-sides. They didn't do that. For me, as a buyer, I'd be interested in them crunching the numbers. But they don't do that; they make jokes about plastic water bottles and the chill shade instead.

Before I looked at the Spark, I was looking around at Yamahas. Everything I read indicated that Yamahas were renowned for their reliability, and that attracted me. But then the Spark came out and I could buy a brand new machine under warranty, still have money left for insurance, safety gear, and accessories.

Another point Yamaha criticises the Spark for is the add-ons. But for me this was a good thing, because there are only some things you have to buy upfront (i.e. choosing between 2 or 3UP and IBR). The rest you can add later when your cash flow allows. So it allowed me to only have to save a certain amount of cash for the upfront purchase. Since I got, it I've added mats, the step, the storage bucket, side bumpers, etc.

They also criticise the Spark for its 'plastic' construction. But the upside of this is the weight of the machine. It can be towed by a very small car (and I own a very small car). So if you've got a small car, you don't need to work a tow vehicle into your budget as well.

I think you should consider why Yamaha would upload videos like this to its official branded Youtube account, without any statistical or scientific data to back what they say.

If Yamaha had a good story to tell about the VX, then that's what they should have done. For them to invest dollars into producing videos like these shows they are more interested in talking about what they think their competitor is doing wrong, rather than what they think they're doing right. As a potential buyer, you should think about that.

The other thing I think was a misjudgment by Yamaha is assuming a potential buyer might look at these videos and do no further research. These days, when I'm making a 'big' purchase I look around. It doesn't matter if it's a new TV, a microwave, or a car -- I research it online. I see what people are saying about it, I visit multiple sites. I don't just trust one opinion straight away, I read as many as I can. Given you've even posted the question in this forum, I can see you're the same. These days, most people are.

The danger for Yamaha in this, I think, is that they risk saying to potential buyers 'the Spark is bad'. But if those buyers ultimately choose a Spark and find that it's actually very good, when it then comes to their next ski purchase they'll remember Yamaha for the wrong reason: that Yamaha is willing to peddle misleading information for a sale.

good measured perspective. And while I agree with everything, I would add that Yamaha is in fact banking on a good chunk of the uninformed to stop their research here and that's that. Unfortunately this is a good chunk of the buying audience.

As for Yamaha's motivations I would say the biggest factor is they can't push a similar product as the SPark to market for a substantial amount of time. BRP has had the resources to produce the spark for some years now, it was only in the last couple that they tied them up to create the Spark project. So for Yamaha because they cant respond product to product they have to respond with spurious hubris

 

[tmobileguy]

the yamaha vx110 is the best selling pwc of all time is arguably the best pwc produced...

the reliability of the vx110 has outperformed any other watercraft to date including any of the Kawasakis or seadoos...

They have no need to make a video like this, and whoever thought it was a great idea and convinced their higher up's that it was, should be fired...

I've always respected Yamaha branded products because I have always associated them with reliability like Honda or Toyota...and when I think of reliability, I automatically think of honesty because those two things are how I view the integrity of a company...

This video is the opposite of what a company with integrity would do...

I will still continue to buy yamaha branded products, but that video left a permanent scar for me...the type of scar where I might have taken yamaha's word on certain claims because of their integrity, whereas now I will probably double check everything they claim because of a few of the straight out lies that are told in that video...

Even if they wanted to compare the vx110 and the spark, and cite the shortcomings that they view the spark has, I would have had no problem with that...but they should have done it with integrity and honesty....

and saying that the spark will only last an hour or two on the water when I personally have 5hrs on mine and have used right under a 1/2 tank of gas is a complete lie in every sense of the word...

I would go as far as to say that it would be impossible to go through a tank of gas in a spark in an hour no matter how you ran it or what modifications you did...

- From a guy that has 2 Sparks and 2 VX110's...

 

[GingerRidesSpark]

I don't think these video's are from Yamaha directly. Do to the fact that you can not comment on these video's. I have a thread comparing the spark and the Vx sport. The guy in the video talks about the fuel tanks and that the spark would be out of fuel in 1 to 2 hrs. He is assuming the Spark has the same fuel consumption as the Vx sport, which it does not. Spaerk 1.94gph at 35mph Vx sport 4gph at 35mph.

 

[Orca]

I've always respected Yamaha branded products because I have always associated them with reliability like Honda or Toyota...and when I think of reliability, I automatically think of honesty because those two things are how I view the integrity of a company...

This video is the opposite of what a company with integrity would do...

This is how exactly I feel. The Spark is my first ski, and something I learned real quick before I bought it was that in a lot of the online PWC communities, there's real segmentation and rivalry between the owners of the different brands. A person might be a Yammy guy, or a Kawi guy, or a Sea-Doo guy, etc. And they support those products and love their brands and feel the other brands aren't as good for whatever reason, and they debate about it endlessly on the different forums.

For me, I bought a Sea-Doo. But I don't really consider myself affiliated, if you know what I mean. It's my first ski, I haven't really built up a life-long brand loyalty, so to speak.

But seeing those Yamaha videos I found myself becoming affronted and questioning why a brand I'd previously respected would do something like this. It made me feel more loyal to Sea-Doo.

I think what this sort of marketing does is polarise people, and steers potential future owners away from Yamaha. I think it's a real misstep and I'll be interested to see if Sea-Doo responds in any way, or if Yamaha gets any real backlash over it.

 

[Orca]

I don't think these video's are from Yamaha directly. Do to the fact that you can not comment on these video's.

They are on the branded Yamaha Boats & Waverunners Youtube account, 'yamahawatercraftusa'.

I'd say comments are disabled because they know this kind of marketing will invite its fair share of negative reaction.

 

[Orca]