Craigslist dilemma

[arkansasnative]

been tryin to find an outboard for my 1432 for the past couple of weeks and things really havent lined up for me. id miss a smokin deal or they were asking a million dollars for a piece of junk. i finally had the idea to put a WTB ad up in the boats section and had 3 people call me. now i have a tough decision to make. i only have pics of two of them and remember my boat is blue with grey inside and gray carpet.

Option 1: 1978 model johnson 15 horse. painted camo everywhere with spray paint but the inside is really clean. runs good and starts easily. asking 550 and its an hour and a half away. (Problem: might be too much for my narrow little boat)

Option 2: 1981 model johnson 9.9 horse. very clean and original white in color. runs perfect and starts everytime. asking 700 and its 20 minutes away. (Problem: i dont know if this is a good price or not)

Option 3: Two Mercury 9.8's model between 1970-1972. Both have trouble idling but will start. all parts are there but one has the carb taken off. old man was gonna fix them but his son bought him a bigger newer motor. asking 250 for both and is an hour away. (Problem: its a gamble. if i fix them both i can make a profit, if i cant ill be out 250 bucks with no motor)

id really appreciate help with this guys. im mechanically inclined (not to the point of building an engine but just normal stuff) but i dont know alot about the selling market for outboards.

 

[wasilvers]

I like mechanical things so I might go with the Mercury motors. Sounds like a carb clean and adjust might be all it needs, but who knows- the last owner did give up on both of them and who knows what he adjusted before then.

I wouldn't go with the 15, too big and can't use it on horsepower restricted lakes.

If the johnson guy would go down on price, I'd choose it. Tell him you have a 15 hp offered for $500, and see if he'll match the price. Can't really hurt anything.

Good luck!

 

[Troutman3000]

Ditto above post. Thats way too much for thats Johnson.

 

[bassboy1]

The weight difference between the 9.9 and the 15 johnnyrudes is virtually nothing. So if it is the weight you are worried about, I would be just as leery of a 9.9 as I am a 15. As far as HP, just because you haven't doesn't require you to use it, but there are times when it would be safe to use all 15 horses, and you might just be glad to have them. I would try to talk him down a little. 550 is about what that motor would go for around here if it wasn't camo'd. That will lower what I would pay for one.

Now, this is assuming that you don't have 10 horse limited lakes.

 

[arkansasnative]

nope no hp limited lakes around here! the only problem that bugs me about that is the drive to get it and ill have to repaint it... what type of paint is most used to repaint an outboard? spraybombs?

 

[BaitCaster]

The 9.9 JOhnson seems like just the ticket - but he is asking tooo much for it.

 

[arkansasnative]

i ended up talking the guy with the 9.9 down enough to make the deal reasonable. its nice and started on the first pull just like he said! thanks for the advice guys!

 

[Troutman3000]

The weight difference between the 9.9 and the 15 johnnyrudes is virtually nothing. So if it is the weight you are worried about, I would be just as leery of a 9.9 as I am a 15. As far as HP, just because you haven't doesn't require you to use it, but there are times when it would be safe to use all 15 horses, and you might just be glad to have them. I would try to talk him down a little. 550 is about what that motor would go for around here if it wasn't camo'd. That will lower what I would pay for one.

Now, this is assuming that you don't have 10 horse limited lakes.

Are engines worth more in their original condition? I got an old rude thats in rough shape cosmetically so I would love to touch it up with some white spray paint. is taht a bad idea for resale value?

 

[Quackrstackr]

I wouldn't say original condition but they always seem to bring more if they are at least painted back the same color and paint scheme. (talking good paint job, not a spray bomb)

I can't bring myself to camo a motor unless it is just beat all to pieces. You most likely just cut down your resale opportunities exponentially if you do. Even if someone has a camo boat and doesn't mind, they would want a motor to match.

 

[Troutman3000]

I wouldn't say original condition but they always seem to bring more if they are at least painted back the same color and paint scheme. (talking good paint job, not a spray bomb)

I can't bring myself to camo a motor unless it is just beat all to pieces. You most likely just cut down your resale opportunities exponentially if you do. Even if someone has a camo boat and doesn't mind, they would want a motor to match.

How would you paint it right? With a spray gun and proper prep work?

 

[Quackrstackr]

Yup.

 

[monarch1652]

the 9.9 and a 15 for most manufacturers is virtually the same darn motor. one might have a bigger carb or restrictor plate. or reed block assembly. you will be glad you got the extra 5 horse sometime. and like he said. you dont have to go wide open with it if you dont need the extra hp. but my guess is you will have a grin on your face skipping across the water. have fun!

 

[KeithCoward]

My 1432 says the biggest you should put on it is a 15 so I would go with the most you can put on there.

 

[monarch1652]

just watch the left hand turns at first to make sure you wont swamp the boat. you should be just fine. have fun