Re: 4.3 Volvo 2003 Stingray vs. 4.3 Mercruiser 05 Stingray
Here is some anecdotal info to consider.
When I was looking, I compared a 190 lx and 190 ls. The ls had the 4.3 carb volvo and the lx the 4.3 carb merc. The basic difference between the two was that the volvo would hold a plane at a slower speed, but the merc was a couple of MPH faster. I went with the merc due to the seating arrangement.
Stingrays are fast hulls that do not do as well at slower speeds. Because of this, a lot of owners end up adding trim tabs. From my read of the Stingray forum, most under 22 feet prefer the nautics smart tabs, which have a pre-set shock that handles the adjustment. Most with bigger boats like adjustable trim tabs.
The factory installed smart tabs seem ineffective and lots of people remove them.
If the 03 has a good install of the smart tabs, this would be a tipping point to me, with most other things being equal. If it had the factory installed smart tabs, this would push me towards the volvo.
Then there is always personal preference -- would you rather see a gray outdrive and a red engine, or black outdrive and a black engine.
In terms of the volvo versus merc, Stingray has gone 100% volvo. Personally, I think that has more to do with merc's parent corporation (Brunswick) pushing Stingrays off the showroom floor than with reliability or quality -- but I can't prove that.
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