Never allow a used boat motor purchase to turn into an Outboard Motor Repair
. Read below for a few basic checks you can do yourself. There are a couple steps you could take to prevent getting ripped off as well as lower the odds of buying someone else's problems.
When looking for second hand motors it is important to get them inspected before you buy them. It's not a huge expense to get an outboard repair shop to check them over. The cash saved in the future is well worth it. I have found time and time again people buy used motors in good faith. The prior owner swears that they are in decent shape and running order. As soon as the new owner brings the outboard in for a tune up or service, more often than not there is something wrong with it. I have witnessed a lot of outboards purchased in good faith that are in fact very badly damaged and will need an high-priced rebuild. An outboard motor repair may be extremely pricey.
A workshop will inspect the motor from top to bottom. They will test the motor mounts and bushings, the propeller and gearbox condition. They will also run the outboard and try out the tuning, gear shift operation, charging and have a close listen to the hum of the outboard, listening for any inner bearing racket or excessive piston slap etc that would require an outboard motor repair.
A compression test can be carried out on the outboard and most shops possess the capability to look in the outboard by means of a small flashlight or bore scope. The condition of the cylinder bores or liners will be noted, and this gives a very important indication of piston and ring condition. The time required to do an inspection is about 1-2 hours. With shops charging just about $75 dollars an hour, it's a very cheap and prudent move to take to safeguard yourself against possible unexpected expenses.
But please remember- there is no guarantee that the repair technician can notice everything that could possibly be wrong with the outboard. There is only so much they can test to preclude an outboard motor repair.