Sooooo true.
Sometimes a bargain isn't. It can cost some major dollars taking an OK boat and turning it into a nice boat. I've done it dozens of times and turned each dollar I spent into 50 cents- or less. Instantly. But I always got exactly what I wanted. If you're not as anal as I am, I'd look at the boat you want, not the boat that could be.
Also, remember the expensive part of the boat is hidden out back. I always figure if a guy flogged the snot out of the stuff that his buddies and the pretty girls looked at, I don't figure he spent his evenings under the hatches. If what you see is beat, what you don't see surely is as well.