yamaha or tohatsu

ralphl

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Messages
223
9.8 full remote with tilt and trim 20 in shaft, both brand new and near exact price. Have to decide this week. Which would you pick and why. Need advice
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

Yamaha because you will get a 5yr warranty instead of a 3yr warranty and you said it was the same price,Plus there are a heck of alot more yamaha dealers around then tohatsu.After that they both are top notch motors.The only reason i say yamaha is you said they were the same price and because yamaha is offering the 5yr warranty.Usually the tohatsu is way less money and just as good of a motor,but for a dead even price and a better warranty go with the yamaha.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,952
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

If they are from the same dealer, ask the Service Manager for his opinion. He knows the right answer.

If they are from different dealers, go with the dealer that has been in business the longest, has the best service department, has the best reputation in the area, etc.

Its not about the motor.......it about the dealer you do business with.
 

TOHATSU GURU

Admiral
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
6,164
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

Yamaha because you will get a 5yr warranty instead of a 3yr warranty and you said it was the same price,Plus there are a heck of alot more yamaha dealers around then tohatsu.After that they both are top notch motors.The only reason i say yamaha is you said they were the same price and because yamaha is offering the 5yr warranty.Usually the tohatsu is way less money and just as good of a motor,but for a dead even price and a better warranty go with the yamaha.

About twice as many dealers....But, if the number of dealers was important, no one would buy anything other than a Mercury.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

I don't understand jim why you would say it is the business you buy from not the motor.If anyone found a really great deal on a motor at a certain dealer that could not be beat anywere else and save a ton of money but you really feel the dealership is not so good,you can get the deal there and just get service somewere else if you want to as there are a ton of yamaha dealers and tohatsu dealers.

So it does boil down to the motor and the price of what your getting for it.If just about anyone walked into a marina and saw a 9.8 tohatsu and a 9.9 yamaha sitting right next to eachother at the same price and the yamaha had a 5yr warranty and the tohatsu had a 3yr warranty i don't think anyone would think twice on what they were buying as most people know that both motors are fantastic but anyone would take an extra 2yrs of warranty for free for sure.Then if the service is no good there bring it to a different dealership to get service.Just my opinion.I'm the kind of person that just looks for the best deal i can find,if i don't like the service were i bought it from i just go find another one.It's all about saving as much money as i can when i buy something.

I do understand what you are saying try to find a good business that has a good reputation but that should never be a factor when trying to find the best deal.It's like saying if you found the same motor at 2 different places and the differece in price was say $500 but the more expensive place was nicer to you and had a better service dept you should spend the extra money,no you buy the motor from the least expensive place and go to the other place for service.I don't know maybe i'm different but i like to get the best deal.Also fellows please don't take this the wrong way as it is not meant that way,i'm just explaining what i would do and who knows it may help this guy buying his motor.You can get service anywere they sell the brand of motor you buy as long as it's under warranty and the [marinas are close to you]Now that could be a deciding factor also how far he has to travel.
 

ralphl

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Messages
223
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

good advice all, but the factor I neglected to include is this motor will be flown into a very remote area, hundreds of miles from any dealer. Price is not as important as reliability, cold starting and ease of maintanence. while it is a recreational camp, fishing/hunting, lives can often depend on it. Thats why I posted the question .
 

TOHATSU GURU

Admiral
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
6,164
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

Toss a coin then. I don't see a difference in reliability between the two.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
7,952
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

I don't understand jim why you would say it is the business you buy from not the motor.If anyone found a really great deal on a motor at a certain dealer that could not be beat anywere else and save a ton of money but you really feel the dealership is not so good,you can get the deal there and just get service somewere else if you want to as there are a ton of yamaha dealers and tohatsu dealers.

So it does boil down to the motor and the price of what your getting for it.If just about anyone walked into a marina and saw a 9.8 tohatsu and a 9.9 yamaha sitting right next to eachother at the same price and the yamaha had a 5yr warranty and the tohatsu had a 3yr warranty i don't think anyone would think twice on what they were buying as most people know that both motors are fantastic but anyone would take an extra 2yrs of warranty for free for sure.Then if the service is no good there bring it to a different dealership to get service.Just my opinion.I'm the kind of person that just looks for the best deal i can find,if i don't like the service were i bought it from i just go find another one.It's all about saving as much money as i can when i buy something.

I do understand what you are saying try to find a good business that has a good reputation but that should never be a factor when trying to find the best deal.It's like saying if you found the same motor at 2 different places and the differece in price was say $500 but the more expensive place was nicer to you and had a better service dept you should spend the extra money,no you buy the motor from the least expensive place and go to the other place for service.I don't know maybe i'm different but i like to get the best deal.Also fellows please don't take this the wrong way as it is not meant that way,i'm just explaining what i would do and who knows it may help this guy buying his motor.You can get service anywere they sell the brand of motor you buy as long as it's under warranty and the [marinas are close to you]Now that could be a deciding factor also how far he has to travel.

Your definition of a deal is cheap price. Your definition of value is a long warranty. Wrong on both counts!

So, you go ahead and get your "deal", then bring it into MY dealer for service. I've been going there for 40+ years and he knows me by name. He knows you bought yours in East Podunk from Bubba. I'll be back out on the water tomorrow, but you'll be missing the best fishing month of the year. He services me first because I bought it from him and he knows I'll buy the next one from him as well.

OK, 3.1 years later you bring yours in and he says sorry sam your warranty expired. OTOH, he fixes mine for free - see the reasons above. My marina has been in business since 1946 and he has a lot of clout because he sells a lot. I can cite several instances where I got free service out of warranty with just a phone call from the dealer to the factory to authorize it.

For routine maintenance items i get a lot of things at cost - see the reasons above.

I don't go cheep....I go for the real deal.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

Well you are right in one sense.But if you choose to spend the extra money on the same outboard that is your pocket.I have a marina i can go to that sells every major brand.I know the guy very well and if i am off the water for a few days so be it as it's first come first serve usually at any place i have ever been to.If i can find the same motor for a whole lot less somewere else then that is my theory.It's not being cheap it's being smart.So what your saying is if you found the same brand new truck in 2 different places but you know one place very well you are willing to spend thousands more for the same truck.That makes no sense to me.

I think almost anyone would agree to get the best price they can find on the same item.Now if your talking a few bucks then that is a whole differnt story.But if it boils down to hundreds or even thousands on a car i will go get the best deal i can find,to me that is just common sense.If you have a favorite place then thats all good.Plus i have never any outboard motor in any shop for more then 1 to 2 days so that theory about being off the water for mths is not valid.I have a favorite marina that i can go to whether i buy from them or not and i still get 20 to 40% off anything i buy and have never bought any motors from them.Like i said i don't know were cheap comes into play.I think smart comes into play for saving money.It's all good though as i am a bargain shopper,i will always look for the best price no matter were i go.Also i never said value is a longer warranty,it's just common sense to take the longer warranty on two equal outboards as both are just as good as eachother for the same price.

If you want to get nitty gritty about it,yes i think the extra 2yrs is a better value for the yamaha as if you bought the tohatsu you would have to pay extra for the 2 yrs that yamaha is giving you.The specs and price on both are so close that either would do the job,it's just i would personally take the extra free 2yrs of warranty.They are both 100% reliable as they are built extremely well and are equal in my view.I think most would agree with me especially in this resession time.
 

WN2712NJ

Seaman
Joined
Jul 17, 2010
Messages
65
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

I think ya'll missed a key point: the original poster said that this motor is going to be located in a very remote location. So I'm guessing that taking the motor in for warranty service (by plane?) might end up costing nearly as much as the motor is worth.

Therefore, I would guess that the "best" motor for the situation would be one:
1. One that rarely if ever would require unscheduled service.
2. One that the user might reasonably have a chance of doing the service himself, if it is necessary (getting small parts flown in is a whole lot cheaper than flying the whole outboard out).

I would be nice if someone in Alaska could respond, since they are probably the most familiar of anyone in the US with this situation.

-dm
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Re: yamaha or tohatsu

Well that is all said and good,the thing is all the motors of today are built extremely good.So it is a very low risk of buying a bad outboard as long as he buys any of the major brands.The other service is cake as i'm sure he can do it with the help of the manual.Change the lower unit oil once or twice a yr,change the plugs like every 3yrs or so,and give it an oil change every 100hrs or one yr.All that is in the manual and probally shows how to do it.

So now he just has to pick a motor and install on the boat and go boating.They are all great motors,to me they just have different features that certain people like,that is all that seperates the motors of today.Some offer better warranties then others,but as far as that you can't go wrong with any of the major brands of motors.You can always find parts on the internet if needed so that shouldn't be an issue.All in all if someone takes care of a motor in most cases they don't break down that often.I'm not saying they never do but it's rare if you take care of them and do regular service on them.
 
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