about to buy 01 challenger 1800 240 v6

[clint m]

first off, i'm new to the site which seems to be a very informative one, second i'm about to buy a 2001 challenger 1800 with the merc 240 v6 what should i know about these boats? are they reliable? a friend of mine had one new in 01 but i don't remember if he had any issues or not. The boat is in decent shape and is owned buy a mature couple in their 50's. The owner tells me its been serviced this season and checked out ok. I'm gonna take it out for a spin what should i look for? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Dr Honda]

Welcome.


The seadoo boats, and Merc drives are reliable. But... you are looking at as 12 year old boat... so... anything can happen. It all depends on run time, and how it was maintained.

When you take it out for it's test drive... it should start easy... and restart easy. The Merc engines do smoke a little more than some others... but if it's VERY excessive... it could be a sign of a bad engine sensor. You also want to be out long enough to know if there is an over temp issue.


With that said... the merc oil injection drive gear is plastic, and is known to fail with age. So... if that is the original engine... you may consider changing over to pre-mix, and removing the oil pump.

 

[clint m]

thank you i was hoping you would chime in, i'll be testing it tomorrow i'll let you know how it goes,and if i get it i'm sure i'll have lot's more questions to ask. thanks again for taking the time to respond to my questions.

 

[bhatch21]

Get under the boat with a flashlight and inspect the intake grate and impeller. Look for broken tines that may have gone through the jet drive and caused damage.

 

[clint m]

thanks again for the info and wisdom but i have had an offer to buy a 2004 19 ft pro line centre console with merc 115 from my father in-law for less than i was gonna buy the challenger for, and living on the atlantic coast it will prob end up being the better choice for me as its better designed for rough salt water conditions, wont be nearly as fun to rip around in but in the long run will better suit my needs. thanks again and sorry to have wasted anyones time.

 

[ocod]

thanks again for the info and wisdom but i have had an offer to buy a 2004 19 ft pro line centre console with merc 115 from my father in-law for less than i was gonna buy the challenger for, and living on the atlantic coast it will prob end up being the better choice for me as its better designed for rough salt water conditions, wont be nearly as fun to rip around in but in the long run will better suit my needs. thanks again and sorry to have wasted anyones time.

Most definitely!

 

[clint m]

i know i'm making the right move but i sure fell in love with that challenger, they are pretty sweet and i have always wanted one of my own, but in the long run i'll be able to run the pro line for prob 4 to 5 years and get back what i'm getting it for so it's pretty much a no brainer. Now i wonder if there is a pro line forum with as great advise as this site lol.

 

[Thraex]

Just for info I just bought mine last week (same year, same model) and I just tried it on the lake last weekend, It worked like a charm, lots of speed (paid 9500, last owner replaced lots of engine parts tho).

Hope it helps