Feeling guilty

[jts32]

Went to look at a very clean 96 GTX tonight. Owner said it didn't run and the local power sports dealer had diagnosed it as needing a new "computer". I threw a battery in to see what it was doing and check compression. No power to the gauges, so decided to jump the solinoid to test compression. Touched the posts, got one little jump from the starter, then nothing. Grabbed the ground wire, and it pulled right off the starter. Owner looked at me and said "just one more thing to fix I guess". Held the ground wire to the block and did comp check. 150psi both holes. Bought it for $400, brought it home, 10 min to change ground, and runs like a champ! Dealer wanted to charge him close to $800 to repair it, and only needed a $5 part.

 

[jts32]

Feel bad for the previous owner for selling so cheap because the dealer did a sh*t job of diagnosing

 

[Matt Braley]

If you didn't get it someone else would have. Congrats on your score.

 

[Mekanix]

Just be proud your experience and skill's found the problem.
This is just a step in the po's learning process.
We've all been there, it either needs a ground cable or a battery/piston/crankshaft/piston/jetpump... Never really know until you've spent the time on it.

 

[benjilafouine]

Still a 96 year model. IMO, they are worth next to nothing for the buyer. Good or bad, run or not run. Not a steal at all. You took the risk and you got rewarded. You could have been unlucky as well. 50-50 chances. This is why they sell new ones for 15K$ as well (to eliminate the risk).

Benji.

 

[Mekanix]

Next to noting machines like that still go for 1500-2500 around these parts. And people still pay it like its a steal :willy_nilly:

 

[Spimothy Leary]

ya, I think its an excellent buy given the description i'd say that I would gladly buy 3 or 4 just like that every Friday morning, more if the guy takes credit cards.

They still routinely sell for anywhere between 1200-1600 around my area but south Florida probably has some of the lowest average pricing in north america.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Compression test = good, good cosmetics etc., another fantastic little ski back on the water, what's not to like? Definitely worth rebuilding the pump or whatever if need be, some kid or grownup will use this thing for tooling around so it's good!

Call the PO back and sell it back to him?

 

[jts32]

Still a 96 year model. IMO, they are worth next to nothing for the buyer. Good or bad, run or not run. Not a steal at all. You took the risk and you got rewarded. You could have been unlucky as well. 50-50 chances. This is why they sell new ones for 15K$ as well (to eliminate the risk).

Benji.

You talking apples to oranges. Huge difference between $15k and $400. Knowing that the motor had great compression before buying meant the ski was worth all of the $400 price tag whether it ever made it into the water again or part out. Even if I would have had to get an SBT replacement for $1200, I would only be $1600 deep into it. Still a far cry from $15k and a machine that would give as much enjoyment.

 

[benjilafouine]

What I meant to say really is when you buy used, you buy used. When you buy used, you take a certain amount of risk. You never know what to expect unless you buy it from someone who just rebuilt it (and even then). I bought mine from a distant cousin and I thought it was in pristine condition but yet it failed one month later and ended up costing me a fortune. And it was probably not a compression issue, most likely a hole in the muffler causing water ingestion.

If I had to buy used again (I rarely do), I would be way more careful and I would negotiate a low price because, hey, if it doesn't have a warranty, anything can happen.

Benji.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Here's the thing. You have and most people here have a great set of skills that are tuned and honed to be able to find deals like this. This is the way we get paid for having read this forum and done lots of maintenance on these old machines. A non running machine isn't worth more than $500 and this was non running. You have nothing to feel bad about. The previous owner obviously didn't care too much or he would've noticed this simple problem.

 

[XP 787]

You saved the PO from throwing away 800 bucks

 

[WhiskeyD]

Still a 96 year model. IMO, they are worth next to nothing for the buyer. Good or bad, run or not run. Not a steal at all. You took the risk and you got rewarded. You could have been unlucky as well. 50-50 chances. This is why they sell new ones for 15K$ as well (to eliminate the risk).

Benji.

Thats funny because I would take that GTX over your GTI LE any day. 720 in a 3 seater is a joke

 

[benjilafouine]

[MENTION=33499]WhiskeyD[/MENTION] "720 in a 3 seater is a joke".

Yeah, I kind of agree: my ski is fast as a snail! But it served me well this year. It was a good snail! No glitches at all except for a change of spark plugs at mid-summer.

Wish I had something a bit faster. And somehow, at low speed, water always spills above the front on my feet. Like if this hull was made for two people to sit on it.

Benji.

 

[AdamXP800]

Here's the thing. You have and most people here have a great set of skills that are tuned and honed to be able to find deals like this. This is the way we get paid for having read this forum and done lots of maintenance on these old machines. A non running machine isn't worth more than $500 and this was non running. You have nothing to feel bad about. The previous owner obviously didn't care too much or he would've noticed this simple problem.

Yep, nailed it

 

[Ankeneyou]

Great score. My wife had a 97 gti and I sold it this year because it was just boring to me. She was kind of mad until I bought her minty 97 gtx because I needed more power. She had a huge grin on her face coming back after her first ride. Best part is the upgrade from a pretty good condition GTI to a mint GTX cost me $300.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I'll freely admit that my first ski which was a big slug xl760 yamaha gave me literally 200 hours of pure unadulterated joy. It topped out around 48 and took forever to get there and I couldn't have been happier. I had absolutely no idea at the time what I was missing.

Te problem is that once you get a taste of some real pull on the bars or a core ripping turn, its really hard to continue to settle, its so addictive.