What About This Line of Thinking??

[buckstop108]

I just had my carbs rebuilt and while talking with the tech I mentioned that I had enough with this motor and that it seemed like every time right before a long awaited fishing trip something went wrong with the motor. I told them that if the Evinrude Dealer could have had the 90 ETech hanging on the back of my boat by Tuesday I would have been the owner of a new motor. He stated " I would think twice and hard before buying a new motor. If your power pack goes on the '92 Evinrude your looking at $300. plus labor. If that (I forget what he called it, I guess what would be the power pack.) goes your looking at $1500. just for the part and a challenge of finding someone qualified to do the repairs. " He then went on to state " It's rare that anything goes within the three years but as the motor gets older things tend to go." He also stated " With the '92 a lot of the work you (me) could do or it will be a lot easier finding someone that knows a little about motors could fix it." If that is the case then why would anybody buy new. He stated that the new motor would be close to 10,000. and that the '92 could be rebuilt to almost new for $4,000. This really got me rethinking my planned spring purchase. What do you think?

 

[Mike722]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Sounds to me like he is not the Evinrude dealer and does not want to lose you as a repair customer.

 

[buckstop108]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Good point. Why would he at $85.00 an hour?

 

[dingbat]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

His $10K new E-Tec is more like $7,300.

A new yamaha 4 stroke is $6,100, a Zuke 4 stroke is $5,600 and a new Yamaha 2 stoke would set you back $5K.

Why would you spend money to rebuild a 25 year old motor with a 1 year warranty when you could buy new with a 3 year warranty for $1K -$2K more?

 

[buckstop108]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

I the price I got was actually $9,987.03 out the door. That was with the tiller option , sending unit for the oil, brackets for hanging the motor, and a new tach and key. Then of course TAX. But I do understand what your saying. I think his point was that repair costs on the new motor would be considerably more due to new technology compared to the old technology that many people other than myself can work on.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Why would anyone buy new? Look at it from a different angle: With autos, the good old days were not so good. Change oil every 3,000, plugs every 10, tune-ups with points and condensers. Then try to start them in the winter. Start and keep foot on pedal for 5 minutes to warm-up before driving. Busted axles, busted springs, brakes lasted 10,000 miles etc. Today you start your car from inside the house, go out and drive away. More expensive--yes but how much were you earning 35 years ago (If you're that old) More complex and difficult to repair? yes. But still better technology. And with newer alloys and manufacturing technology, I'll bet repair ratio is less. Remember when cars had a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty? Hell, you get more than that on a used one now.
I like old outboards. I get a lot of satisfaction out of keeping them running. But the new ones also have their place. Depends on the person.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

I agree with Frank and would add the following. Age by itself is almost always the weakness in those "great engines" that have gone by the wayside. The most important thing in an outboard engine is it's reliability. The older it is the more likely it will be to have "SODS". When your stranded out on the deep blue the last thing you will be caring about is the cost of repair.

 

[buckstop108]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Two more very good points. "SODS" ?? I also have the green light from the Boss, she is telling me togo ahead and buy it. I just don't seem to be able to make the leep. That is a lot of hunting and fishing tackle.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

"Sudden Outboard Death Syndrome"

 

[Dhadley]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Which 1992 90hp has a $300 power pack?

 

[buckstop108]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

I don't know. I think he just threw that number out there in an attempt to make his point. How much are power packs?

 

[cougar1985]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Jump at the new e-tec you won,t regret it.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

Age by itself is almost always the weakness in those "great engines" that have gone by the wayside.

That's just wrong. Age doesn't kill engines, improper maintenance/attention kills engines.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

There is an overriding factor when it comes to deciding whether to rebuild an old motor or buy new. Carbed two strokes will eventually be banned totally so it doesn't make sense to spend a large amount of money on an engine that you may not be able to use in the near future. Otherwise, I tend to agree that problems on a carbed two stroke are far easier to diagnose and correct and are generally less expensive than on the new technology. Just like your new car, the first step in troubleshooting new technology is to connect the scan tool and that will set you back well into three digits the moment the engine enters the shop.

 

[SeaKaye12]

Re: What About This Line of Thinking??

So; you're saying that the '92 needs a rebuild??? Before next season you'd have to fork over at least 4k to keep it operable??? (Note...I said "operable"....not "reliable".....)

If that's the case...I'd favor buying the E-tec if I could afford it.

Of course; if your '92 is in good shape, sheesh.....just the bucks you'd pay in sales tax on the E-tec would buy you a few seasons of maintenance...especially if yours is a fresh-water application.

Also not previously discussed: what about the trade-in that you'd get on the '92? Even if it needs an overhaul you should be able to part it out and nick away at the overall outlay to go new.

It's not just about the price. If that were the case, we'd all be driving rust buckets with aeresol can paint jobs covering up the Bondo we bought on sale at Walmart.

Thanks for reading, Chuck

PS...if you get the e-tec.....drop me a line and let me know how you like it!