Quite often when I surf the threads on this site I may come accross prospective buyers of 2nd hand PWC and quite often the question asked is "Should I buy it man??!"
Here are a couple of tips that WON'T garuantee that your're buyin something hot but at least will give you some hope!! Please bear in mind these are tips I look out for, there are guys on this site much more experienced than me, so give them a yelp if you need more advice.
from my own experience:
TIP 1
QUESTION, QUESTION, QUESTION!!!!
Ask the seller how long's he had it, have they had work done, how often it's serviced? Ask about the jet pump-has been serviced? ASk about the motor- how many hours? has it had a rebuild and if so TOP END ONLY OR BOTH BOTTOM END AND TOP?? Can they give you reciepts for work done? do they have records? a history of the thing?? Have they done any modifications?? whats the name of the place they service the machine at?
Now this might seem like alot of stuff to ask BUT if you're payin good money and the seller expects good money then the seller shouldn't have a problem answering these questions.
From my experience if you get vague answers to any of these questions or a reluctance to answer from the seller -warning bells!!!
If they answer the questions EVEN if it's not the answers you're lookin for at least they are being half way honest and have given you something to consider and weigh up.
TIP2
Do a compression test!
As others will tell you on this site, sometimes not the most accurate guide but at least you have some idea! Check with others on this site or the manufactuerer for comp reading and what they should be.
TIP3
Check the look of the thing-probably not the best guide but you can see how well it's been looked after.
TIP4
Buyer beware, be realistic you're buying 2nd hand so be prepared. Don't buy 2nd hand if you haven't got any cash saved to fix the thing if it goes bad. Better to save your money and buy new with a warranty or if you can't wait have money in reserve to help you out for repairs.
Finally one thing that really pisses me off is the "GUY DOWN OUT THE LAKE" who says that Seadoo is rubbish and that Yamaha is best and don't buy a Kawasaki blah, blah, blah!! To anyone looking to get onto this great hobby...all PWC ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME-IT COMES DOWN TO HOW THE OWNER USES, TREATS AND LOOKS AFTER THEIR PWC!!! Throw away comments by users that this brand is better than that one etc, etc, etc makes me laugh because mobs like SEADOO< YAMAHA and KWAKA put MILLIONS into research and development into producing the craft!!! So why would they do this just to produce a heap of crap.
DON"T get me wrong there are exceptions where we hear the bad stories of products not being covered buy warranty and breaking down etc....but rightly or wrongly thats the nature of the beast ANYTHING manufactured will have the odd bad one slip through!!!Fortunately for the majority of us this happens very little for the most part!!
So be wary of friendly if not miss guided advice. Make your own decision!! After all I have never seen someones PERSONAL OPINION take preference over decades and millions of money into research and development.
Don't bag a product just because you bought it 2nd hand with 1000 hrs on it and paid too much. Its a mechanical machine it needs to be serviced and will at some point break down!!
Hopefully I have given some advice that you can only consider NEVER take as gospel, that might help those who are looking to get involved in this great past time.
Remember have fun!!!!
Here are a couple of tips that WON'T garuantee that your're buyin something hot but at least will give you some hope!! Please bear in mind these are tips I look out for, there are guys on this site much more experienced than me, so give them a yelp if you need more advice.
from my own experience:
TIP 1
QUESTION, QUESTION, QUESTION!!!!
Ask the seller how long's he had it, have they had work done, how often it's serviced? Ask about the jet pump-has been serviced? ASk about the motor- how many hours? has it had a rebuild and if so TOP END ONLY OR BOTH BOTTOM END AND TOP?? Can they give you reciepts for work done? do they have records? a history of the thing?? Have they done any modifications?? whats the name of the place they service the machine at?
Now this might seem like alot of stuff to ask BUT if you're payin good money and the seller expects good money then the seller shouldn't have a problem answering these questions.
From my experience if you get vague answers to any of these questions or a reluctance to answer from the seller -warning bells!!!
If they answer the questions EVEN if it's not the answers you're lookin for at least they are being half way honest and have given you something to consider and weigh up.
TIP2
Do a compression test!
As others will tell you on this site, sometimes not the most accurate guide but at least you have some idea! Check with others on this site or the manufactuerer for comp reading and what they should be.
TIP3
Check the look of the thing-probably not the best guide but you can see how well it's been looked after.
TIP4
Buyer beware, be realistic you're buying 2nd hand so be prepared. Don't buy 2nd hand if you haven't got any cash saved to fix the thing if it goes bad. Better to save your money and buy new with a warranty or if you can't wait have money in reserve to help you out for repairs.
Finally one thing that really pisses me off is the "GUY DOWN OUT THE LAKE" who says that Seadoo is rubbish and that Yamaha is best and don't buy a Kawasaki blah, blah, blah!! To anyone looking to get onto this great hobby...all PWC ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME-IT COMES DOWN TO HOW THE OWNER USES, TREATS AND LOOKS AFTER THEIR PWC!!! Throw away comments by users that this brand is better than that one etc, etc, etc makes me laugh because mobs like SEADOO< YAMAHA and KWAKA put MILLIONS into research and development into producing the craft!!! So why would they do this just to produce a heap of crap.
DON"T get me wrong there are exceptions where we hear the bad stories of products not being covered buy warranty and breaking down etc....but rightly or wrongly thats the nature of the beast ANYTHING manufactured will have the odd bad one slip through!!!Fortunately for the majority of us this happens very little for the most part!!
So be wary of friendly if not miss guided advice. Make your own decision!! After all I have never seen someones PERSONAL OPINION take preference over decades and millions of money into research and development.
Don't bag a product just because you bought it 2nd hand with 1000 hrs on it and paid too much. Its a mechanical machine it needs to be serviced and will at some point break down!!
Hopefully I have given some advice that you can only consider NEVER take as gospel, that might help those who are looking to get involved in this great past time.
Remember have fun!!!!
