The electric pump in my 470 works great. Last year, the diaphragm on my 28 year old mechanical fuel pump cracked and I went through 3 brand new Mercruiser fuel pumps that were all defective and pumping over 11PSI. I spoke with Mercruiser and they said they were having problems with their suppliers (probably fixed by now) and many of their pumps (at least this particular application) were providing way too much pressure. To get back out on the water, I converted to electric and the boat has never run better. However, I don't think it would actually be more reliable than a properly working mechanical pump (my old one lasted 28 years).