I'm Buying A Pre-owned Jetski And Need Your Help

Hi everyone,
I am looking to buy the following;

http://www.sea-doo.net/units/2002/lrv/specs.asp

It is for sale for $3,500 and was wondering if someone could give me some advice on the jetski itself? It is a 2002 model, and it has been rarely used for 20 months.

Can anyone give me advice?

Thanks

 

Don't know much about jetski's but I'd for sure bring someone with me who does and will know if there's something wrong with it or anything like that.

 

Yeh I doubt anyone here will know anything about it, best to ring some-one locally and pay him a few bucks to check it out.

 

Personally, with a jetski I'd ring someone who knows about them and get them to go and check it out. If it was a car I'd give you some decent advice, but in the middle of england there isn't much room to jetski, no sea for atleast 80 miles :/

 

Nothing specific to the Jetski itself because I've got no experience with it, so you're better off looking for some reviews or talking to people on a jetski forum who know this particular type of craft.

Some general advice would be to make sure you get the engine checked over before you exchange any money with the seller. So, so, so many people buy a jetski, don't get the engine checked out and end up with it conking out a couple of miles offshore with no way of getting back or calling for help. You're paying for the engine to be honest, the jetski itself won't actually be worth very much. It's well worth making sure it's in good working order. Basic stuff like checking the gelcoat for scratches, dings, cracks etc is also a good idea. Chips and scratches are easy to fix yourself, but if you find a crack (particularly on a high stress area) then you should get it looked at by a professional. I'd take someone experienced with jetskis with me when I went to look at it too. Good luck!

 

I'm sure if you pay someone from a shop 50 - 100 bucks to come along and check it out for you they will. It could be the best 50 -100 bucks you have ever spent if something is wrong with it. Could save you hundreds.

 

Get someone who knows something about jet ski's before you go and buy it. Also test drive it before you buy it.

 

I had one a few years back, which i've recently sold since my daughter is still too young to ride with us.

With a jet ski, you're going to want to look heavily at all of the bay components for corrosion. Have them hook it up to a hose and start it up. They depend on the water that it pulls from outside to cool the engine, so you have to think about the cleanliness of the water that it's been ridden in.

If, when you start it up, the fluid that comes out of the discharge jet on the rear(usually just a little hole that is on the rear) is murky whatsoever...I would recommend being a little weary. It could be reddish from rust builtup in the cooling passageways on the block/head. It could be murky from algae built up in the block. You'll want to pay attention to this. if it's nasty, i'd run away!

Jet skis are somewhat expensive to maintain. The oils are not cheap, winterizing&summerizing it is usually about 100 bucks each time, and they usually burn through fuel rather quickly. I had a 2008 kawasaki Ultra 250x, and it could easily burn through 26 gallons of fuel in about 6 hours of very aggressive usage. Bear in mind that this was a 250-horse supercharged engine. Yours may be more efficient.

Proper maintenance and preventative maintenance is imperitive on a jet ski, as they are VERY expensive to fix. labor rates are MUCH higher on watercraft. You want to always clean it, always flush out the motor with a clean water supply, and always maintain the oil.