What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

Motor is: 70's Mercury 200 20hp with new plugs, coils, points and impeller. Runs well. What is a fair price to pay to the individual owner of this motor these days? Thanks

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

$500 give or take.

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

cool thx. any other opinions?

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

Might want to do a compression test on it. I think parts support is a little spotty on older Mercs but I'm not sure if this one would have that issue or not.

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

owner has stated 110 comp in both cylinders. Is this a tough motor to find parts for?

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

You need to find out if it's a '76 or later, or earlier. If earlier, then it has a mild steel drive shaft and is likely pitted and won't hold a seal. If a '76 or later, it has a stainless drive shaft which is much better but just as likely as any motor to get a groove in the seal area over time. It's easy to tell, though. Just run it in a barrel for a few minutes and remove the lower oil drain screw to see if there's coffee/milk, or water. If so, it's not worth diddly to me. IF the lower unit doesn't leak water in, and it idles good with good compression, then I'd go with the $500 already mentioned as a fair price range. Those lower units were very tough, and the powerheads were great on speed and power. Other than electrical parts and carbs. that liked to be spotlesslessy clean in order to crank easy when cold, they were super good until the seals on the lower unit started leaking water in. It takes a real sure-'nuff merc mechanic to get one of those merc 200's back in good shape.
Just something to think about and my opinions only,
JBJ

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

The owner is holding firm at $575. his reasoning is the servicing this spring and the new hose and bulb for the gas tank. Is his price still within the range of a fair price if it is in excellent condition or is he a little high? Also anything else I should know to look for on these models while checking it out would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

I think that's a little high.

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

I have a 1972 200, currently not running. When I got it a couple of years ago, it looked like it had never been used.

I initially had some electrical issues that were the devil to track down, and a leaky carb bowl. The electrical problems were that the insulation on the wires down from the stator was shot, causing shorts, so look at them.
Now I'm looking at replacing the fuel pump (just got parts) to solve a fuel problem.

Yours could run for years and need nothing. Or it could be like mine, which is only typical of a 40 year old motor (wow. think about that). So I'd say buy it for fun or history, but not for constant reliability (I got mine to go on an old boat). Lots of people run and restore them, so it is not hard to find information on the internet, and parts are generally available. I even found a cable-steer hook-up for mine. Controls were pricey.

As for price, a good running small engine is always in demand. It's not a bargain, but what are your alternatives? I'd put a lot of value into buying from someone who has their act squared away than buying a beat up motor or a widow's barn find.

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

ya i hear that. after a somewhat lengthy phone convo with owner and some hardball on price and a lil research Im kinda on the fence right now. I guess if the agreement among everyone is that this has been a reliable motor, then i might go ahead and shell out the extra couple bucks for one that has been well maintained. gonna talk to the merc guy down the street and see what his opinion is. after that ill take a look and run it in a barrel and look for the milky discharge from the drain. besides checking the overall condition of visiable parts and running it, what else can be checked at time of purchase for quality? Any other opinions regarding price or anything else? Thanks for all the help

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

I would never pay $500+ for a 70's Mercury outboard. If I was desperate for an outboard I might pay that amount for a late 70's JohnnyRude. That Merc motor might sell for $300 in my area.
Just because outboards might be listed for $500+ on Craigslist doesn't mean that's what their worth. Most outboards in my area are listed for a ridiculous amount but they never sell. Week after week month after month the same fools list these outboards and rarely drop the price. The outboards that are listed at a good or fair price sell fairly quick.
I would wait for a newer outboard to pop up in your area. 80's merc or Johnnyrude would be my choice. If your patient a good deal will come along.

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

YOu received some excellent advice about the wiring being bad about deteriorating. I am also with whoopbass on the price. The 70's mercs can be money pits, so you'd better start off low.
Good luck,
JBJ

Re: What is a fair price to pay for this motor?

Thanks for all the advice. Very helpful to avoid a bad decision. Looks like the seller isnt gonna budge on price so I'll probably be moving on. and for the better it might seem.