Advice on buying used 1999 Challenger 1800

[OsageRiverRat]

Wife and I are looking at a 1999 Challenger 1800 on Craigslist which I can probably buy for around $6,000. The boat and trailer appear to be in good shape and per the ad the boat has approximately 270 hours.

Being new to jet boats(have owned many PWC over the past several years although none of them seadoo) I would appreciate any advice you could give on the 110 Rotax powerplants and the Challenger 1800 in general.

Other specific questions I have for other 1800 owners
-Does the steering wheel tilt?
-Does the helm seat move forward and back or adjust in any way(i'm 6'2" and wife is 5')

We have access to a variety of larger boats for other uses but want something fun and nimble for the "fun" factor. A couple years ago we looked into a Speedster 200 based on advice offered by you guys but it was too much money so we gave up, but now starting to look again but for something in the $5K-$7K range.

I have not looked at the boat in person or run it yet just looking for info and things to look for when we do go look.

Thanks.

 

[grinditout]

that is a lot of hours, I would not give the money asked, someone else might though.

 

[Cheap Engineer]

I have a 98 Challenger 1800 that I bought two years ago. I have to agree the price seems high and the hours seem high too. Also selling a boat at the end of the season usually results in a lot lower sale price. I would check the compression of the engines to see how healthy they are, mine was 150 across the board. I bought mine for $4250 and had to clean out the carbs and replace wear rings and some other driveline parts and clean the RAVE valves. Just had it out on Lake Michigan last week and it ran good. Ask to see any receipts for work that has been done on the boat. I don't think the seats changed from 98 to 99 so the seats will adjust forward and back and will also turn. The steering wheel does not tilt. I'm only 5'10" and there is plenty of room for me.