My brother purchased a used Nissan 8 hp (1996) for $800 last summer. The
seller said to give him $600 up front and the last $200 in 30 days. The
seller stated he'd cover up to $200 in repairs for 30 days.
My brother put the engine through it's paces on no less than six
outings. The engine seemed fine. Six weeks after he had the engine, the
water pump went bad. Cost about $150 to repair it. So now he's got $950
in a seven year old motor. For less than 1/2 that price he could have a
new motor. I'm certain other problems are on the way. Only time will
tell if it was worth buying used. In this case, I'd bet not.


RB wrote:
If I decide to buy a used outboard, is a dyno run at full power the best way
of assuring myself the engine is OK?

If I wanted a seller to have a dyno run done on a candidate engine, I assume
I would be obligated to pay the associated costs. Is this normally the
case? I would like to set it up to where I wouldn't pay costs if the engine
failed the dyno run.

Is it something reasonable to ask of a seller, assuming I say I'll pay the
cost unless it fails?