Re: Whay to look for in a used jet ski
Frankly, 500 hours n that motor is NOTHING if it all checks out. I know rental places that put 2000 hours on these in one year.....the motors will last.
BUT, why get one with 500 hours, when you can get one that has under a 100. I have a 2002 with 100 hours on it. Depending on where you live, there are a lot of used skis with low miles. Frankly, the only valid reason for not buying ths one is that some day you will want to sell it and the potential buyers will be asking the same questions.
If the price is right, though, and the compression is good, you might have a winner.
500 hours on a 4 stroke might be like 100k miles on a modern car. Today, modern cars will go for 200, 300k miles on them and never, ever, have an engine issue.
reminds me.....I neeed to get mine out and check the compression. I do it every year. It's a two stroke and i get funny numbers sometimes. If I check it cold, and at the start of ther season it can be low....around 100 or 110. If I check after I ran it for the day, 130. All cylinders are the same. And, it always starts right up. If you start looking at a two stroke, compression test is a must. One sign of low compression is tough starts.
I have two strikes against me, carborated and two stroke. A fuel injected four stroke is so much nicer. I can easily see that in my 2012 Yam outboard. With a two stroke, it is not a question of "if" but "when". With a 4 stroke, it is more like "likely never" will you have a problem.