Re: What is the Best Brand of PWC? What Should I Avoid?
I've had Jet Ski's since 1984, with a hopped up Kawasaki 550 stand up machine, 1990 Sea Doo , 1999 Sea Doo XP hot rod and a 2010 Waverunner VX Cruiser. My 1990 Sea Doo still runs great--due to our not running it full throttle all the time.
Yamaha absolutely took the market by storm when they came out with the 4 stoke VX series that provided great performance, great features and a smooth ride at a very low price. I think the largest two selling PWC's in the retail market are the VX Cruiser and the VX Deluxe. These are 54 mph machines capable of 10 mpg and almost a 150 mile range. Most PWC riding is in the 20-30 mph range.
Yamaha is also #1 in dependability, acceleration and fuel usage. Their new FX Cruiser HO appears to be essentially the VX with a non-supercharged version of the 1800 cc engine--and, it's a rocket for a fair price.
You can go to the top end 200+ hp supercharged skis, but you can get into the $14K price range pretty fast. These machines are like Suzuki Haybusta's--more of when you're going to get hurt than if you're going to get hurt. A 68 mph PWC in the hands of a 16 year old kid is just putting too much responsibility in the hands of someone not up to making proper decisions.
I wouldn't be afraid to buy a Sea Doo, but they're expensive and dealers are few and far between. Honda's apparently ride rough, and they're often sold at bargain basement prices when dealers cannot dump them on the retail market. Kawasaki's appear okay, but the dealer base is also not good. Yamaha dealers are about everywhere. I try to buy close by for parts and service, but I drove 1 hour to save $750. My local dealer has Yamaha, Sea Doo Honda and Kawasaki PWC's, but he sells much more Yamaha's.
If you'll wait a couple of months, you might could get a better deal, as dealers don't want to sit on old inventories all winter. Prices at boat shows in January are also low due to intense dealer competition. These machines have a 12 month warranty.
Good luck in your hunt.
I've had Jet Ski's since 1984, with a hopped up Kawasaki 550 stand up machine, 1990 Sea Doo , 1999 Sea Doo XP hot rod and a 2010 Waverunner VX Cruiser. My 1990 Sea Doo still runs great--due to our not running it full throttle all the time.
Yamaha absolutely took the market by storm when they came out with the 4 stoke VX series that provided great performance, great features and a smooth ride at a very low price. I think the largest two selling PWC's in the retail market are the VX Cruiser and the VX Deluxe. These are 54 mph machines capable of 10 mpg and almost a 150 mile range. Most PWC riding is in the 20-30 mph range.
Yamaha is also #1 in dependability, acceleration and fuel usage. Their new FX Cruiser HO appears to be essentially the VX with a non-supercharged version of the 1800 cc engine--and, it's a rocket for a fair price.
You can go to the top end 200+ hp supercharged skis, but you can get into the $14K price range pretty fast. These machines are like Suzuki Haybusta's--more of when you're going to get hurt than if you're going to get hurt. A 68 mph PWC in the hands of a 16 year old kid is just putting too much responsibility in the hands of someone not up to making proper decisions.
I wouldn't be afraid to buy a Sea Doo, but they're expensive and dealers are few and far between. Honda's apparently ride rough, and they're often sold at bargain basement prices when dealers cannot dump them on the retail market. Kawasaki's appear okay, but the dealer base is also not good. Yamaha dealers are about everywhere. I try to buy close by for parts and service, but I drove 1 hour to save $750. My local dealer has Yamaha, Sea Doo Honda and Kawasaki PWC's, but he sells much more Yamaha's.
If you'll wait a couple of months, you might could get a better deal, as dealers don't want to sit on old inventories all winter. Prices at boat shows in January are also low due to intense dealer competition. These machines have a 12 month warranty.
Good luck in your hunt.
