Looking to buy 96 SPX. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[dcjar]

New poster here,

I am currently in touch with a seller of a 1996 SPX.
Is there anything in general I should be careful of? I will request compression specs and take it for a test drive on the water before buying it. What Psi should I be hoping for?
Asking price is $1995 with trailer

Ad info is below below. Let me know if you have any thoughts on what to look out for, problem areas you've had.

Seller: "This machines runs amazing. Nothing wrong with it, moving off the water and have no time to ride. 1 Owner machine, always dealer serviced from new. Comes with Trailer (Not as shown single), and just have a complete service and is ready for the water. Had it out last weekend runs great!
VTS TRIM WORKS, FUEL GAUGE WORKS! Everything works!"

 

[Jetskigoodies]

Welcome to the forum!

The seadoo you are looking at has a 717 motor with 85 horsepower. The price for that in Michigan would be around $1200-$1400 in great condition. I see a couple of issues right off the bat. 1 it has grey fuel lines which MUST be changed right away. The fuel lines were not made to hold up to ethanol, so they break down internally and gum up the carbs which will cause a lean condition which will lead to engine failure. At this point it would be a great idea to go through the carbs to make sure they are clean and not filled with green goo from the lines. 2 It also has seen alot of sun, this is just a cosmetic issue but if the hood is that faded then the handlebar pad will most likely be gummy and next to impossible to clean.

When going to look at it. Make sure you do your own compression test. 150 is perfect in each cylinder and at that price Under 140 psi might be a deal breaker. It is important to water test because it may run great on land but in water it may not.

At that price everything should work, so check and make sure the gauges work. Check the vts(trim) make sure that it moves all the way up and down. Look and see if there is oil on the bottom of the hull under the engine. I also look at the bottom of the cases and bottom half of the gas tank for lots of dark yellow and black spots. Those spots indicate if it had water in it for long periods of time. I also would open the grey electrical box located next to the gas tank, make sure that is nice and clean, with no signs of water inside.

Check the oil and make sure it is not blue oil. If it is, the oil must be drained and replaced with the correct oil, the oil filter will also need to be replaced.

But if everything checks out, those engines are reliable and that is a fun hull to ride.


If you look around though you can probably get a 96 xp or a 97-99 spx for about that price and it has much more power from the 787 motor in it but still has the same hull design

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Couple things, It looks like it has the gray lines. so expect to at minimum replacing those, the fuel selector and rebuilding/cleaning the carbs.

Also about the blue oil, just by the looks of the oil lines, it looks like there is no oil in there AT ALL. That makes me nervous.

 

[kennster]

Im from Toronto as well...$1995 seems a bit high for an SPX...i just bought a 96 XP last year..and a 96 GSX this year..for around 2200-2300 each...With trailers....When i bought my first seadoo back in 96...i got the 96 SPX....was fun..but sold it after a month to get the XP...the difference between 85 HP and 110 HP is amazing..you will kick yourself in the ass if you get the SPX...look for a good XP....well worth it...thats just my $0.02

Like CReynolds says....No replacement for displacement...

 

[AdamXP800]

Do the 717's run mineral oil? Does it have a color? I can't remember

 

[dcjar]

Turned it down. Too much to question. Hopefully the future buyer is happy with it.

Thanks for the help, ya'll.