Should I buy this boat????

[shute420]

I have an opportunity to see and buy today a 1994 Four Winns Horizon 190, its in really good condition, its got 213 hours, interior is decent, some of the seats need to be resewn/stiched here and there but over all the seats are all decent.....

now heres the deal, its got a 5.0, which i believe is a Ford and attached to that is an OMC Cobra outdrive. The guy said he hasnt had any major issues with it, did all the regular maintanence himself. Did the gimbal bearing last year I believe though.

It is exactly what I am looking for as far as the set up, its got the captains chairs, the bench seat in the back with a big sunpad and a swim platform. Its got some decent power with the V8....I am just unsure about the motor and especially the outdrive. This will be my 3rd boat, one was a volvo motor and outdrive, the other was a mercruiser and I am capable of doing all regluar maint myself.

I guess my question is......Should I not buy it based on the motor and outdrive?? Ive read mixed opinions about them and also have read that they are just as reliable as others from the same year. Am I to assume that something will go wrong with it and itll be extrememly hard to find parts??....

Any feedback anyone can give me would be great.....gotta decide to leave in a few

 

[gcboat]

Re: Should I buy this boat????

If you have the ability to have the vessel surveyed by all means do so. It is a small price to pay for your peace of mind.
Now, the Cobra drive is just as reliable as any other piece of equipment if maintained properly. Their biggest failures arise when the shifting cable gets out of whack - then they will eat gears. Probably the only drawback to them.
As far as parts are concerned they are still available. Now the King Cobra is a different story. Avoid them like the plague.
There are a lot of pro's and con's concerning that drive and I suppose you'll get a lot more negative than you will positive - but so be it. Ran a Cobra drive ( X2 ) for almost seven years without the slightest problem. Again, it's all up to prior and ongoing maintenance.
Good luck with your purchase and hope you have many fun filled times on whatever you decide on.