trading boat motor question?

[mrpike1973]

hi all. well i rowed again today with my 77 25 hp evinrude i was able to fix it at home but since i bought this thing i almost have double in to it what i paid. well i think i'm going to trade it it off at the dealer i go to. however they usually dont take trades but consign it for you. so what is a fair price for it i paid about 800 for it but i notice smaller motors 6 to 15 hp seem to be more why is this? also they have a 1976 6 hp johnson motor for 650 this sound ok. i had a 6 hp on it to start with at this point i really dont care what size it is just so i dont have to row. also the 25 is elec start so i wouldnt need a battery added weight to the boat any insight would be great thanks ps not posting this for hinting at selling it. i want it sold at a marine place so i dont have to deal with it. starting it etc weird people etc thanks

[pinkfloyd4ever]

Just a suggestion. Video your motor running with a time/date stamp then maybe you can cut back on having to start it up all the time.

You'd probably be better selling it outright then through a dealer, more $ to you. Wouldn't you have to split some of the $ with the dealership?

Just maybe, you should take the motor to a mechanic and have them look it over. I'd hope someone could tune it up for you and it last quite a few years, but maybe you ended up with a clunker. I think we've all been there

[Down Deep]

My recommendation would be to sell it outright. That way your motor isn't at the dealer competing with all the other motors sitting there. I like the idea of having a pro look at it. My experience with the older motors was that they were usually easy to fix. If the pro finds a something seriously the cost to fix may exceed the value of the motor so you might end up a motor worth whatever parts value is. I would imagine the dealer will require you to have it looked at by their people.

[Ufatz]

I think the guys make a good point. Take it to a real outboard shop and have them take a look. It might well be that a few more little tweaks and you'll have a nice motor, that you KNOW all about, that will last for many seasons. After all, you say you have a pile of money in it already, why not go a little more.

Then a pro finds major terminal troubles you can try to sell the parts, haul it to the landfill and lick your wounds, or offer it for sale clearly stating what the problem is.

We have all been through the maverick outboard motor nightmare. I have always said outboard motors are a creation of the Devil.

[SkunkedAgain]

Years ago I had a '79 Evinrude 35hp motor. I loved that thing. I'd bought it for $700 off a retired WWII vet who rebuilt motors in his spare time. After years of use the clutch dog went. The repair shop wanted about $700 to fix it and I couldn't find the number for the old vet. Eventually, I sold the motor to the shop for parts. In retrospect, I wish that I would have just popped it open and fixed the clutch dog myself. Ended up with a new motor but it cost me a bunch more.

My point in telling the story is that a shop may push the repair bill up so be wary. You might make off best selling the motor as-is to a 3rd party willing to fix it up.