Engine Hours VS Resale Value

[CJL]

I have a perfect Merc 135 Optimax on the back of my boat. It starts everytime, is religously rinsed through, used every weekend in fresh water and on occassions in salt.

It was last service 2 years ago but I've cleaned the plugs regularly, changed the plugs as appropriate, changed the oil in the gearbox, greased everything and it runs and runs and runs.

The hours on the clock say 600 but I'm wondering if this number really affects the value of it.

How many hours is reasonable before you start making significant reductions to its value??

I mean I rather have an engine that has got a respectable number of hours instead of a 4 year old engine with 50hours on the clock!

Anybody got any ideas?

Chris

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by CJL

I mean I rather have an engine that has got a respectable number of hours instead of a 4 year old engine with 50hours on the clock!
Chris

You not having a dig at me are you?

[CJL]

Nope.

I'm trying to illustrate my point thats all!

C

[Mollers]

Personally, I'd rather buy a well looked after engine that had done a few hours than one that had sat around doing nothing for years.

[Hugh Jardon]

it is a bit like miles on a car, we all prefer low milage cars dont we but we are happy to have higher milage ones if looked after and the price is right


i would expect the same human logic to apply to outboards

600 hours might be deemed high ish for a 2 stroke outboard but it is a fair amount of hours anyway

the killer is some really low hours examples out there that sway peoples views

i prefer late low milage examples really but that is my preference but i will buy a brand new engine as i want the warranty and piece of mind

[Mollers]

The difference is that a car that doesn't do a lot of miles generally wont deteriorate due to it's lack of use, whereas a boat engine will. It runs in a nasty hostile enviroment and is cooled by stuff that is trying to eat it. If the marine engine isn't put through a storage proceedure prior to it's periods of non use, it'll suffer. The car will just will just be worth more.

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by Mollulnan

Personally, I'd rather buy a well looked after engine that had done a few hours than one that had sat around doing nothing for years.

With you on that!