whats it worth?

[Zehn0004]

im thinking about buying a 1990 25 horse mercury long shaft outboard motor. It runs very well according to the owner. It was in a rollover accident and was the only thing that survived, but it looks to be in mint condition. He wants 1200 for it and i want to make sure its worth it.

[New Yankee]

$500 to $700 tops, (IMO) at best.

[Tom Linderholm]

Here is a glimpse at the value from the NADA site

Used Pricing 1990 MERCURY 2-STROKE SERIES 25EH

April 04, 2007

Outboard Motors

Model: 25EH

Motor Type: Gasoline

Volts (Electric Motors): N/A

Thrust (Electric Motors): N/A

Horsepower: 25

Cylinders: 2

Start Type: Electric

Dry Weight: 112

Power Tilt and Trim: No

Low Retail $365

Average Retail $410

Your friend won't like it, but thats what it books for.

[Valv]

Price as stated above is correct, check it out very well, if it's a "rollover" it should have some cowl (hood) damage since the OB is the tallest part on a boat. Check compression using instructions on first thread.

[JohnMickish]

One thing to keep in mind is that "book" value is what the banks use and dosen't always translate into the going price. On boats in MN the book value is usually considerably low. A quick search on the internet revealed that one particular dealer has 3 1989-1990 25 hp motors (not mercs but evenrudes and johnsons) and the asking price is between $1338-1495. Now just to make things interesting the NADA "book" has one of these motors listed as having an average retail of $275. Does that make things cloudy or what?

[CatManLee]

Definitely don't go by NADA for this stuff. They price it way low, and aren't even close to what the "real price" is or would be. I would check out dealer websites and stuff like that and see what they are selling similar motors for. Then I would take a little off that, like a couple hundred bucks or so, and that's probably pretty close to what it's worth.

I would say it's priced a little high, it's probably worth more like $700-$900? That's if it runs good and still looks good, if it's absolutely mint, maybe more. Outboard motors seem to hold their value pretty well, but $1,000 bucks or more from a private party is pretty high for that motor. Remember a dealer can get more because that's what they do! They can sit and wait for a buyer to come along, most times they don't "need" to sell it instantly. Could this guy get what he's asking for it? Sure maybe, but he might have to wait a lot longer than he wants to, to find a buyer.

I would say if it's in good condition overall, offer him $500 bucks for it and see what he says. He might tell you to go to h-e-double L, or he might try and meet you half way! If he does come down, you know you have someone you can work with and you can start the "price war" and see what his bottom dollar is. Have cash on you, sometimes it helps to sway the sellers price and make them come down lower than they wanted too when you have the cash in hand. If he won't come down on the price, oh, well...start shopping around for another motor. I'm sure You can find one somewhere for cheaper than what he is asking.