Help me out

[rick5572]

I am in the market for jetski'd I have never owned any. I have found 2 97 seadoo gtx's for 5000 with trailer. Was wondering if these are a good ski or if there are other ski's that are better. I will be using these in lake erie may upgrade later just need some to start out with thank you Rick

 

[Jeepster04]

Re: Help me out

Its hard to tell you if thats a good price. Dont know how many hours they have on them, what shape they are in, were they always winterized? If they have low hours and you know they were taken care of then 5k isnt too bad.. If you do not know much about them I would get a shop to check them out real good. Maybe even get the compression checked on them just to be safe..

We got a 2006 sea doo GTI a year ago for not much more than that. Given it was just one jetski, but still...

 

[rick5572]

Re: Help me out

sorry the one has 60 hrs the other one has 96 both a have a few scratches. I need to know more if this is a good make or model?
Thanks rick

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Help me out

the price is a bit high,, in todays market they are worth about 1600 each the trailer is worth about 500,the hull design is a good one, and they ride pretty nicely, but I am not a fan of the 787 engines,, I owned several and had many issues with the rave valves snagging rings and got tired of replacing engines.

 

[jafo9]

Re: Help me out

sounds high. there is a huge learning curve to buying a used jetski. i got to learn the hard way with my 96 seadoo. 2 most important tips. check the compression and test ride. if it stutters, hesitates, dies, stalls, etc., be very wary.

you will probably have to redo the entire fuel system in each ski as the "grey" tempo fuel lines from that vintage seadoo tend to break down and leave some really nasty stuff in your lines and carbs. carbs also probably need to be rebuilt on both. on the plus side, the 787 is pretty easy to work on and many folks seem to like it better than the newer seadoo 2 strokes. i think those ski's also have VTS trim which can be troublesome and expensive as well.

you didn't say if you need 2 skis or not. for 5K you could easily get a nice 4 stroke with trailer.

 

[arks]

Re: Help me out

I have a '97 SeaDoo GTI- essentially the same as the GTX, but without the VTS. Nice riding machine with enough power to slalom ski (if that's your thing). I agree that $5k is on the high side- especially if they aren't spotless.

Be aware that even on a well-maintained machine, maintenance can be expensive....believe it or not, per year (on average) I spend as much on the GTI as I do on my twin-engine 34 footer (not counting fuel of course.). The reason: the SeaDoo is serviced exclusively by a dealer, while I do my own wrenching on the big boat. For me, the PWC is just too much of a hassle to work on. I'd get rid of it but the darn thing is soooo much fun, and the GTI satisfies my occasional "need for speed".

 

[rick5572]

Re: Help me out

Thanks for all the input, I am going to look around a bit more before I make a decision. I just need to know if these would be a good jetski to start out with I spend most of my time on the lake just looking for a few new toys.
Thanks
Rick

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Help me out

Those hulls are the same but the gti is a 720 85hp engine and the gtx is a 110 hp 787 engine,, neither has a trim system.
If you only need 1 ski, look for a 4 stroke non supercharged or turbo charged ski.
a 2 stroke goes hundreds of hours but a 4 stroke will go thousands of hours.
honda isn't in the running so stick with a kaw, sea doo or yamaha.
it's a buyers market so look on n a d a for the low retail value of a ski and start your offer 1000 below that.
You should be able to find a decent 4 stroke with a few hundred hours on it for under 4 thousand bucks.

 

[fishinfill1]

Re: Help me out

I think in todays market it would be pretty simple to talk down the price. Also if its not absolutely neccesary for you to have two skis i would deffinetley look into getting a 4-stroke. The 97-s are good skis to start with, but never ride a freinds newer supercharged jet ski or you will want that. Just take your time and do your research and you will be greatly rewarded