Which Seadoo would you pick?

[bigler]

So I have been looking hard to find a seadoo the past month. Its come down to a couple skis.

First ski is a 99 GSX limited. has 186 hours carbs cleaned last year, body in very good shape. comes with a trailer and cover. everything works on it but the owner is waiting to get a new mpem in the mail. i guess his pump went out last year and wrecked it. so he bought a new mpem and is installing it, then selling to me if i want it. has 951cc engine

second ski is a 97 XP. only 50 hours, comes with a trailer, a PWC lift and cover. has 800 engine


both skis are selling for $2800. I like the bodys on the 97 XP a lot more.the GSX is newer and bigger engine but more hours. I am worrying about having to rebuild the motor eventually on it. is this a common problem on the 951cc's?

but anyway, what would you guys pick? and why :hat:

 

[MR 01xpl]

I would look around for a newer xp. That is a good price for the 97 but they are too underpowered IMO. Look for a 98-02. You can find one for around the same price. I would pass on the GSXL.

 

[JJinSC]

The XP is anything but underpowered. Not everyone has to go 70+mph. The '97 xp is extremely well powered, it just does not have the top end of the bigger engines. Mine will run right at 60 Mph.

 

[seadoo GTS 1993]

xp for sure IMO... has way less hours, and its the same price.. even if u have to sacrifice a little speed, 60 is plenty fast for me

 

[bigler]

well i guess reliability is my main issue. i plan on getting a couple years of use out of this next ski then selling and upgrading. i would love to get a 98 or 99 xp but they are all at the $3500+ range that i have found.

 

[MR 01xpl]

keep looking. I found a few 98s close to me on craigslist for ~2800. Then I ended up finding a 2001 for 2500

 

[bigler]

so i found a 97 xp for $2200 with trailer. only like 50-60 hours. only 3 problems, a crack the size of a baseball on the seat upholstery, fuel gauge doesnt work, and it is a 4 hour drive for me.

someone emailed me and said the 951cc engine is the most unreliable engine seadoo has ever made and i should expect to rebuild if i buy a ski with one. is this pretty true? if the 97 xp is underpowered with the 800 then i am unsure. i had a 96 GSX with a 800 so i am afraid of feeling slow on the water. let me know your thoughts. :cheers:

 

[bigler]

does a 97 xp really do 60 mph stock?

 

[JJinSC]

According to my stock speedometer in the 11+ years that it worked ( stopped working last year), it read top speed at about 57-62Mph, depending on the temperature/humidity of the weather. I checked mine with a GPS last week and the GPS stated I topped out at 56.1Mph. I have heard others say that the top speed of an XP limited with the 951 only does 60mph (gps). So it looks to me like there is not a whole lot of difference in the top speed between the two engines. My nephew had an RX with the 951 in it and he could only go about 5mph faster than my XP with the 787 it it. He ingested water and had it rebuilt. Ever since the rebuild, he never could out run me again.

I heard that during the late '90s there was an associational agreement of some sort between the manufacturers to not build any PWCs with a top speed greater than 60-65Mph. Apparently, that changed sometime when the 4 strokes entered the scene. My nephew now has an rxp or rxt (can't remember which) with a supercharger and it does 70Mph according to his Speedo. I am going to ask him to check it with a GPS. If the factory speedo's are not that accurate, it stands to reason that he is probably only doing around 65mph.

So you are talking a top speed difference of only a few mphs. IMO the 787 is the more dependable engine (2 stroke-wise) and it is plenty powerful enough to have fun on. It still feels like I am flying when I crack down on the throttle.

That's my .02 .

 

[bigler]

thanks for the good info. i just love the xp body so much and the 787cc engine is proven to be more reliable. especially since this is one of the later ones im assuming it wont need a rebuild in the time i own it. all i hear is that it is 90 pounds heavier then the previous models and starters break every couple years haha. also very common is the fuel gauge not working. the one i might buy has this problem so i will be reading up on how to fix that soon.

 

[JJinSC]

Yep, my fuel gauge quit working last year too. I just finished changing all my grey fuel lines and while I was at it, I took the baffle out and bypassed the burned out fuse. It works great now.

I like the xp style too. I bought mine the first year the direct-action suspension came out in 1997. It was about the fastest thing on the river in my area. That was short lived as the following year, the xp limited was released with the 787 and Yamaha came out with their 1200 of some sort. For several years, I was wishing I had a limited, but that faded with age I guess. I am very satisfied with the 97 xp and it's performance.

Comparing a 97 to a previous model, 90 lbs or not, I raced a 96 xp that had just had it's carbs rebuilt and was running good. This was in the first couple years that I owned it. We were neck and neck until we got in to choppy wakes from other boats. I then pulled away from him.

 

[jwick86]

Any motor will be reliable if you take care of it. I have both the 951 and a 787 (diff ski's) and the 951 power is incredible compared to my 787. The 787 had more to go wrong with it, rotary gears, bronze gears, as opposed to the 951 having your main 2 stroke issues. I take well care of both my machines, and the run decent. I would not trade either, unless to get a new one. The motor being underpowered, matters on what ski its in. Mine, is a GTX, 578lbs dry, I weigh 215, extra weight, still pulls 52.8 on gps. It also out runs both friends with same GTX 787's, and they weigh less. One is 135lbs soaking wet, full of clothes, he pulls about 52.0 gps. All depends on how you care for it and pay attention to it. I constantly look over both to check everything. Water ingestion is awful on any motor. The earlier 951 XPL's have a gasket between the headpipe and mid pipe allowing water into the motor from the cooling system. The newer 2000+ style went to an oring which solved it.

 

[MR 01xpl]

No it will not go 60 stock. it will take quite a bit of mods to make it break 60. Im talking GPS not speedo. I have a close friend who has a stock 97 and I have a slightly modded 01 and he has had a lot of problems from his. Starters, intake grate fell off, carbs, solenoids ect. But now its hydrolocked and sitting in my yard collecting dust. I have not had a single problem out of my 951. Just take care of whatever you get and hopefully it will take care of you.

 

[jwick86]

No it will not go 60 stock. it will take quite a bit of mods to make it break 60. Im talking GPS not speedo. I have a close friend who has a stock 97 and I have a slightly modded 01 and he has had a lot of problems from his. Starters, intake grate fell off, carbs, solenoids ect. But now its hydrolocked and sitting in my yard collecting dust. I have not had a single problem out of my 951. Just take care of whatever you get and hopefully it will take care of you.

+1. Finally someone thinks sensibly too. No speedometer is accurate in these things. It says my STOCK 97 787 GTX does 63! I wish, and only wish. Its nothing but a wish meter. GPS is accurate and correct.

 

[bigler]

yeah well i cant find a good xp limited that is under 3k right now. i have been looking for like 2 months now and nothing. the guy with the 99 gsx is too slow and still doesnt have the mpem. im going to drive 4 hours to buy this 97 xp tomorow. he has a seadoo dealer service it every year and it has under 50 hours. i think it will be a reliable machine. maybe ill put it up for sale at the end of summer if i want something faster and then buy in the fall when people are actually trying to sell their seadoos. im sure i can find a xp limited for under 3k then. i just want to ride now. im sure anyhting will be better then my old 96 gsx with clogged carbs and fuel lines and its 380 hours.

thanks for the help guys, you all make very good points. :cheers:

 

[MR 01xpl]

Thats cool. Good luck! Make sure the trailer is good for the haul back (wheels and tires). Put tie downs on the back too!