'05 Optimax Out Of The Crate--Any Concerns?

[4fishys]

Looking for a motor to put on a new boat(see "boat show next weekend" thread for that discussion on boat). I've got a line on substantial savings on a 2005 Mercury 150 Optimax, still crated, and with full current 5 year warranty. My question is this---what concerns are there with a motor, even though never run, that is 4-5 years old? The motor is basicly the same according to a few folks I've talked to, but it's still 5 years of sitting. I realize that it would be under warranty, but don't want to spend half of the next 5 years of boating season having it fixed, even if it's free! I'd love to get the skinny from some of you very knowledgeable folks on this subject.

Thanks, Bill

[mosouthpaw]

shouldnt be a problem.

[fishinwrench]

Have a tech run the serial number for updated service bulletins, they should be covered if you are aquiring it with full factory warranty. There were several "covered upgrades" (Merc refuses to use the term "recall") around that time I think. One was the alternator....and you DO NOT wanna get stuck with that one out of your own pocket if it can at all be avoided. And I believe they have a better spark plug for that application now, vs. the ones that came stock in '05

Swapping out the impeller would be cheap insurance because they take a permanent set after sitting unused for awhile. And make sure the rigging is done by a cert. Merc dealer to avoid warranty red-tape later on.

There IS quite a growing pile of blown 05 Opti's out there.....so take that for whatever it's worth.

[4fishys]

Have a tech run the serial number for updated service bulletins, they should be covered if you are aquiring it with full factory warranty. There were several "covered upgrades" (Merc refuses to use the term "recall") around that time I think. One was the alternator....and you DO NOT wanna get stuck with that one out of your own pocket if it can at all be avoided. And I believe they have a better spark plug for that application now, vs. the ones that came stock in '05

Swapping out the impeller would be cheap insurance because they take a permanent set after sitting unused for awhile. And make sure the rigging is done by a cert. Merc dealer to avoid warranty red-tape later on.

There IS quite a growing pile of blown 05 Opti's out there.....so take that for whatever it's worth.

Fishinwrench,

With that name I guess you probably got it covered!! You mention service bulletins, and that they should be covered. Does the dealership get reimbursed from Merc for this work, or just expected to perform them on his own dime as a cost of doing business? Gotta say your "growing pile" has me freakin' a bit. More so than other years, 04, 03 etc? Any thoughts on the main cause of this seemly early demise? Really looking to make informed decision, and helpful / knowledgeable folks like you are wonderful for sharing your info.

Thanks, Bill

[gitnby]

I did a similar thing in 98. bought a 95 Johnson 200 that was new in the box.

Still running well today. No problems.

Good maintenance is the key!

Good idea bout swapping impeller, though!

I imagine all other fluids and grease are put in fresh by the dealer? (lower unit,steering,trim piston, etc)

[fishinwrench]

Fishinwrench,

With that name I guess you probably got it covered!! You mention service bulletins, and that they should be covered. Does the dealership get reimbursed from Merc for this work, or just expected to perform them on his own dime as a cost of doing business? Gotta say your "growing pile" has me freakin' a bit. More so than other years, 04, 03 etc? Any thoughts on the main cause of this seemly early demise? Really looking to make informed decision, and helpful / knowledgeable folks like you are wonderful for sharing your info.

Thanks, Bill

The factory does pay the dealership for warranty work BUT they do not get paid their usual shop rate, and they miss out on the parts markup, so as a dealer you kinda get the short end of the stick IF you get bombarded with warranty work and have other non-warranty work waiting. There were some "issues" with the Opti's during that time period, but the bulletins should cover the important ones. It's my opinion that Mercury Marine tends to rush things, trying to get thier cutting edge products on the market fast.... and then they attempt to correct the short-sighted glitches as they surface. 2006 was the deadline on emission standard compliance, and Merc had their engines running REALLY lean coming into 05-06. Then as powerheads began to meltdown by the thousands all you heard was them blaming it all on poor quality fuel. Well, That is darn hard for a customer to control! And while that excuse might save their reputation, it doesn't help the owner of that engine one iota. Even the ones that had failures inside the warranty period were without their boats for months waiting on a replacement powerhead.

My "growing pile" statement was kind of generally speaking to be honest. It simply won't be uncommon at all to see alot of 03-06 engines going down in 2010. You can be sure that at least half will be the result of lack of maintanence or lack of USE. People that use their outboards on a regular basis have far fewer problems than those that only run thier boats 6-10 times per year.

[fishinwrench]

I did a similar thing in 98. bought a 95 Johnson 200 that was new in the box.

Still running well today. No problems.

Good maintenance is the key!

Good idea bout swapping impeller, though!

I imagine all other fluids and grease are put in fresh by the dealer? (lower unit,steering,trim piston, etc)

That 95 200 Johnson is a darn fine engine. Take care of her and she'll be good to you.

Keep an eye on your voltmeter and tach though, and if either of them starts acting differently get it to a shop ASAP. Rectifier/regulator fires are somewhat common, and when the regulator gets too hot it will take the stator and powerpack with it.

[4fishys]

The factory does pay the dealership for warranty work BUT they do not get paid their usual shop rate, and they miss out on the parts markup, so as a dealer you kinda get the short end of the stick IF you get bombarded with warranty work and have other non-warranty work waiting. There were some "issues" with the Opti's during that time period, but the bulletins should cover the important ones. It's my opinion that Mercury Marine tends to rush things, trying to get thier cutting edge products on the market fast.... and then they attempt to correct the short-sighted glitches as they surface. 2006 was the deadline on emission standard compliance, and Merc had their engines running REALLY lean coming into 05-06. Then as powerheads began to meltdown by the thousands all you heard was them blaming it all on poor quality fuel. Well, That is darn hard for a customer to control! And while that excuse might save their reputation, it doesn't help the owner of that engine one iota. Even the ones that had failures inside the warranty period were without their boats for months waiting on a replacement powerhead.

My "growing pile" statement was kind of generally speaking to be honest. It simply won't be uncommon at all to see alot of 03-06 engines going down in 2010. You can be sure that at least half will be the result of lack of maintanence or lack of USE. People that use their outboards on a regular basis have far fewer problems than those that only run thier boats 6-10 times per year.

I'm rethinking the '05 and looking at something newer, '09-'10. Are those substantially better in regards to "corrected glitches", or is it just the same glitches on a newer motor? If it was you, would you correct the service bulletin items on the '05 and save about $2,500, or go with the newer.

I really appreciate your replies.....this is the best board out there! I've asked the same question on a few other sites, and replies just get folks entering the Merc vs. Evinrude vs. Yamaha, etc fight going.

[fishinwrench]

I'm rethinking the '05 and looking at something newer, '09-'10. Are those substantially better in regards to "corrected glitches", or is it just the same glitches on a newer motor? If it was you, would you correct the service bulletin items on the '05 and save about $2,500, or go with the newer.

I really appreciate your replies.....this is the best board out there! I've asked the same question on a few other sites, and replies just get folks entering the Merc vs. Evinrude vs. Yamaha, etc fight going.

Myself, I would go the extra 2,500 and get a fresher outboard. You are going to gain at least that much in resale value. And in the event of an insurance claim that 05 will be depreciated...regardless of how "new" it is to you.

[Sam]

Personally, I think you guys oughta quit fooling around with those noisy, old-fashioned eggbeaters and get a 4-stroke outboard. I did, two years ago.

Now I get three times the gas mileage, there's no oil in the gas, it runs smooth at all speeds including trolling, there's no smoke or stink, you can carry on a conversation while running, and people a mile away don't have to put up with my noise. Just my $.02 worth.