scaring myself

JPBMW325 · May 25, 2009

ive been looking at boats for the past while and havent quite found the right "match" for me but now i found a boat with a 1980 mercury 150 hp outboard and it looks like it would be awesome. however it scares the living daylights out of me that im purchasing a motor that is almost 30 years old! the owner says he does proper maintenance and winterizes it with a mechanic etc. however i really dont want to buy a boat than have the motor blow up a week later! ive tried searching but cant find an answer. is it ok to buy a boat with an old motor???

Chris1956 · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

A 1980 Merc 150HP would be a V6. This design is still made today. However, it is a crapshoot as to how long it will last. The motor is worth very little. If he has priced it like that, it may be a worthwile gamble.

kenmyfam · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

Other option is a lot more expensive.....buy new !!!!
There is no need to worry about a 30 year old motor. Some here would say that it is still in it's infancy. As long as parts are available for that particular motor then no problem. If in doubt about it's condition then give it a water test and also a compression, spark and lower unit oil inspection first. See how it changes gear and generally sounds when running. Make sure the tell tale is showing a good stream.
Good Luck, and if you do end up buying it then change the impeller immediately.

5150abf · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

I would rather have an older engine, that was made back when they didn't engineer them to last a week longer than the warranty.

Newer engines use alot of plastic and other cost cutting parts, back then they were made of actual metal don't know about Mercs but I can still get almost every part for my 81 Evinrude, not that it breaks very often.

Sounds like the guy took excellent care of it btu of coarse have it checked out but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a boat with an older motor.

tashasdaddy · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

have the motor checked out by a Merc Certified Mech. a few bucks well spent.

Rowroy · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

There are many, many motors that are A LOT older than that running around on the water. If the compression is good, the lower unit doesn't have any water in the oil, and it has a strong spark, then I wouldn't hesitate to buy it; assuming the price is right.

ezmobee · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

My Johnson 85 is a 1973. It had sat for many years when we bought it so we had to dump some money into it at first to get it shape. That included an impeller, carb rebuilds, coils, stator, fuel pump etc. However we've run it for 5 seasons now since then and it's run well and hasn't been back to the shop once. I would not be concerned about purchasing an older motor as long as it had good compression and had decent parts availability.

JPBMW325 · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

thanks guys! hes going to his mechanic to get it checked out than letting me know. whats a good stream look like??

kenmyfam · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

JPBMW325 said:
thanks guys! hes going to his mechanic to get it checked out than letting me know. whats a good stream look like??

It does not dribble out. I would be doing a water pump service anyway so you know it's good from the get go.

JPBMW325 · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

ohhhh i get it now. you guys are great!

coolguy147 · May 26, 2009

Re: scaring myself

got a 50 year old motor

evinrude johnson man

56 rude · May 28, 2009

Re: scaring myself

JPBMW325 said:
ive been looking at boats for the past while and havent quite found the right "match" for me but now i found a boat with a 1980 mercury 150 hp outboard and it looks like it would be awesome. however it scares the living daylights out of me that im purchasing a motor that is almost 30 years old! the owner says he does proper maintenance and winterizes it with a mechanic etc. however i really dont want to buy a boat than have the motor blow up a week later! ive tried searching but cant find an answer. is it ok to buy a boat with an old motor???

have a 70 year old motor that starts all the time every time !the key to long life is proper maintinence.granted ,there are some motors that are just plain junk !though im not a merc guy anymore i still think they make a fine motor.get the compression checked,look at service history if possible and also as far as im concerned, a clean motor is a happy motor!i always said, a clean well maintained motor reflects pride of ownership.

Andy in NY · Jun 3, 2009

Re: scaring myself

My merc is a 66... making it 43 years old. after this years carb and fuel pump rebuild, 3 squeezes of the bulb it fires up after about 5 spins of the starter and will idle perfectly after about 30 seconds. no complaints here.

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