I am not saying that Merc is perfect. No motor will run forever without
doing maintenance and repairs.
I just personally have had great experiences with my local Merc dealer. As
I said earlier - dealer is the most important issue.
I don't normally mention it but I am actually OMC certified as a mechanic.
I went to their school in Atlanta back in 1987. The older ones are great
and have very little problems.
Reason I say don't buy DFI of any brand is not based on the fact that every
one of them is junk. There are a lot of engines out there that are great.
My dad has an Optimax 135 on his pontoon and loves it and has never had a
problem. He bought the Optimax because he wanted the HP and that was the
only good option in that size at the time. Don't buy DFI is based on
resale. As you can see from all the posts - most will tell you the horror
stories and tell you to stay away. There just is no need at this point to
buy one. You can get a 4 stroke or 2 stroke EFI for the same price (or
less) in any size you want so why bother with the DFI.

As for the original question. Figure out who has the best dealerships and
service departments in your particular area. Then find a boat you like w/
that brand 4 stroke or 2 stroke EFI engine in the correct HP for that boat.
Just be aware that Evinrude / Johnson resale will probably be less (and
harder to sell) than the other brands due to corporate problems and
reputation.

--
Tony
my boats and cars at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:43:12 GMT, bo jangles wrote:

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:18:11 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 00:08:19 GMT, "tony thomas"
wrote:

Yamaha: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. I personally like the EFI better than
the
carb since they crank and run like a car (no choke or throttle
required).
Don't get Direct fuel injection. Make sure you have a local dealer that
has
a good reputation.

Merc: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Again, EFI is better. Don't get Optimax.
Best dealer network. Best for parts. A good local dealer will take
care of
you and you won't have the warrenty issues that Short Wave talked about.

Wanna bet? :) Do we need to bring out the receipts and prove the
point one more time?

Suzuki: 2 stroke or 4 stroke. Again, EFI is better. Local dealer and
dealer network may be an issue.

Honda: 4 stroke (I like the least personally due to dealer network)

Evinrude / Johnson: Stay away from Period. Older ones were good in a
carb
2 stroke but I don't think you want to go that old.

Karen - is that you? :)

WOW! Only a few "meaningful" responses into the thread and no
agreement at all from people that know much more than I. No wonder
I'm confused. I may just scrap the whole idea and continue to rent
boats and let someone else take care of them.

ROTFL!!!!!

You will never actually get a straight answer if you ask an open ended
question. Everybody knows somebody who knows somebody, etc. :)

Everybody agrees that Karen is...well...very negative about 2 stroke
outboards. It doesn't mean she doesn't have knowledge and can't
impart experiences that are meaningful - she can and sometimes does.
It's just in this area, she is extremely biased.

Tony is a Merc guy and is very knowledgable about Mercs. We've been
over around and through this Merc warranty thing - he refuses to
believe that anybody can have a negative experience with Mercury.
That's fine - his belief. He is a valuable contributor to the group
and we disagree on Mercury. I never said they were lousy engines - I
said their warranty policy sucks.

I completely disagree with anybody who is negative towards DI two
stroke technology. My experiences have been positive and I know a lot
of folks who have also had similar experiences. I'm so confident that
I just spent a lot of money on purchasing two E-TECs. Take that for
what you will.

There is an easy way to figure it all out. Take what the responses
have been and take a look around at the different engine
manufacturers. Make a point of going to different sales organizations
and ask questions - what is the difference between 4 stroke and 2
stroke? What is the per hour gas consumption rate? How reliable are
the engines? What is the warranty? Compare emissions figures engine
for engine. Once you have a little product knowledge, get the
technical information and make some comparisons.

Of above all, don't let personal opinions get in the way of the facts.
If you find that you are comfortable with Mercury and the Mercury
dealer, then that's the engine for you. Same with Yamaha, same with
Evinrude - anything.

Owning your own boat is fun. Don't let us with strong opinions ruin
the boat comparison and shopping experience for you.

Good luck.

Later,

Tom