Model Advice

[TSmith]

Hello all, new member and very near term owner here. I am considering 3 models, all of which are local. I'd like some advice on the three models if anyone has any to give. We are looking for two, one 3 seater and one two seater or possibly 2 3-seaters. Want one to pull kids around on tubes and the other for riding and playing on.

1. 2001 GTS - New top end, new pump, rebuilt carbs. Does not have hour meter, Tach or Speedometer. Otherwise great shape and being sold by very reputable shop owner. $2250 without trailer - Water tested today as drove great. Good basic ski with no frills.

2. 2000 GTX Millenium Addition (Fuel injected) - Great shape, never any major work. 131.5 hours. Engine very clean. Being sold by local shop who has been servicing for past five years. $2,500 without trailer. Going to water test tomorrow morning.

3. 2003 XP DI (Fuel injected) - Fantastic shape. Very well taken care of, 2 owner boat. 54 hours. Engine immaculate. Said he always used seadoo oil. Doesn't know of any major work done. Being sold by individual who has a nice shop and works on his own equipment. $3,500 with trailer - Going to water test tomorrow afternoon.

I'm leaning toward buying options 2 and 3, but buying 1 and 2 is not out of the question, as $'s is a big consideration. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[AdamXP800]

All great skis and sound like they are in good condition. The DI fuel injected ski are great when running good but a nightmare to diagnose and repair. Also I would consider the XP a 1 seater ski with an option for the brave to ride 2 up


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[AdamXP800]

Also in 2000, there was a 2000 Gtx DI and RFI. Which one are you looking at


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[AdamXP800]

I believe the RFI was orangish and white and the DI was blue and white


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[TSmith]

Thanks for the quick reply/s. It's definately Fuel injected, and its orange, so I would say RFI. It's a nice looking ski and I think it may be a bargain for the price, but I'm worried about the hours. I read on hear to expect rebuild at around 200 ours, so its nearly 2/3 of the way there. I have good reason to believe it's been rather gently used however, and we are on very deep clean water.

 

[AdamXP800]

That would be a 787 Rfi. On a 951 I would say you need to worry about hours. I've seen the 787 engines run 400+ hours without a rebuild. Just make sure you go over the ski great, check compression, ask about maint and test ride. The XP DI is a 951 engine, not the most reliable and direct injection(not easy or cheap to work on or diagnose) the GTS has the bullet proof 717 that will last forever with good maintenence


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[TSmith]

Thanks Again! I am test riding the GTX tomorrow morning. The GTS I drove today and short of not having a tach or speedo I loved it. Not sure if thats a deal killer, but it might bother me a bit. The XP Di is the wild card. It is in such great shape, and I'm sure is fun to ride. I have two kids, 11 and 14, and the wife and I will like to all go out together, so if it's not truly a 2 seater then might be an expensive toy.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Yeah the XP is a one seater. Plain and simple. Very fun one seater....and the fastest two stroke seadoo ever made(excluding RXX).

The GTS was the bargain base model. You can add a RPM gauge fairly simply, Speedo would take a little more effort but its possible. They werent very accurate though.

The RFI is a real good machine...but the GTS with the 720 motor will last longer than the other two if well taken care of.

 

[TSmith]

OK. Went to test the 2000 GTX RFI this morning. Started up fine but just under way the red light on dash starter blinking and info center said 12v Low, so battery no good. Was able to jump start with a little difficulty. Seemed to run ok, little rough at idle. Plenty of power, but also noticed that the speedometer was not working. It looked like it wanted to for a second, but then went to 0 and stayed there. both digital and analog. Tach seemed to be working, but didn't really look for that till I was back in no wake zone.

I like this machine and the price, but I don't want to start off my first Seadoo experience with electrical problems. Any thoughts?

 

[AdamXP800]

IMHO this being your first Seadoo, I would be looking for a 787 or 717 carbed ski. That is if you are only looking at 2 stroke skis


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[Minnetonka4me]

No the stuff you are having issues with are typical for that machine. The rfi needs a top notch battery to work correctly, and if it's still blinking after a new battery the rectifier is likely the issue.

On the speedo very normal for them to flake out. Used sender is around $50

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

[Spimothy Leary]

gts would be fine for first ski in the 2K price range

my first ski cost $1000, comparable to that model, and old clunker Yamaha 760, 50mph on a good day with the wind behind me.

I was happy as a lark ! So don't worry about no frills, unless the budget allows frills.

I like to see you pay less for a starter ski, but if its reliable, who cares in the end. 1 season of riding w/o a visit to the mechanic is an A+ season.

buy the cheap reliable one, beat the crap out of it all summer, decide at the end of the summer if the whole PWC thing is for you.

If it is "YES, this jet ski stuff rocks", upgrade, if its "maybe this is for me", ride that ski another season, if its "no,i'm bored with it already".... then sell it for a loss and move on.

I would not recommend a RFI (with possible issues) or a DI as a starter ski.

GTS is your basic, putt around PWC, but it will help you make a rather cheap and fairly bullet proof investment into the PWC world and find out if its for you.

This particular GTS might not be the perfect one, but if I was going to make a list of perfect starter ski's in the 2K range, the GTS/GTI models would be on it quite often and quite high, the other two,, much much further down the list. (although i'm not as negative on the RFI's as I am on the DI's) but I still rank a 717 a couple of jumps ahead of 787RFI and 951DI as far as reliability, although they surpass the 717 as far as performance, especially the 951, its pretty powerful, and night and day vs the 717.

when the budget hits 4K,5K, then your talking significant upgrade but don't do that until your serious about ski's

 

[TSmith]

Thanks all! Really appreciate the advice. We have not pulled the trigger yet, but leaning toward the GTS based on comments and because I trust the guy I'd be buying from. I did test the DI yesterday, and the previous comments about it being a 1 seater were right on. I could handle it fairly well by myself, although it would take some getting used to, but when my 11 y/o son jumped on back with me we promptly tipped it over. Needless to say, even down here in Alabama the waters not yet warm enough for that, so my 1+ hour ride home in wet cloths gave me plenty of time to reflect on "priorities" for this purchase.

Thanks again for the input. This forum is fantastic.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

Thanks all! Really appreciate the advice. We have not pulled the trigger yet, but leaning toward the GTS based on comments and because I trust the guy I'd be buying from. I did test the DI yesterday, and the previous comments about it being a 1 seater were right on. I could handle it fairly well by myself, although it would take some getting used to, but when my 11 y/o son jumped on back with me we promptly tipped it over. Needless to say, even down here in Alabama the waters not yet warm enough for that, so my 1+ hour ride home in wet cloths gave me plenty of time to reflect on "priorities" for this purchase.

Thanks again for the input. This forum is fantastic.

I had a 2002 XP for a short while, its the ONLY ski i've ever fallen off of right at the ramp, reaching out for the dock pole and, plunked myself right into the water...its a tippy little bugger. had the same ride home in wet clothes lol, but you do learn to ride it, I remember a couple years ago at the ski fest two guys in their 20's rode 2 up on a XPL during a 20-30mph mangrove run w/o incident, (I was seriously impressed) so it just takes time to learn its little nuances.

 

[brutal]

I believe the RFI was orangish and white and the DI was blue and white


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

I have a close friend with a pair of Millennium Editions. The 2000 RX DI is all Silver/Grey/Black with a red bump stripe. The GTX DI is Blue and White, Silver seat.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Didn't I have a post on here from yesterday?

 

[Minnetonka4me]

They had multiple colors for the same model in those 2000-2003 years...but that Orange one is def a RFI.

 

[KyleB]

Ohhhhh PWC model. I thought you were talking...well never mind. Being an old dude I still think Christy Brink:thumbsup:ley is pretty hot at 60!

 

[TSmith]

Well, having decided to pass on the XP Di for reasons mentioned earlier, I have now lost out on the others I was considering. I am talking to a guy about an 07 GTI SE 155. Any thoughts on this model? I know its a different breed, being a 4 stroke vs. 2 stroke.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Didn't I have a post on here from yesterday?

I had one on here as well that simply vanished....

 

[Coastiejoe]

Well, having decided to pass on the XP Di for reasons mentioned earlier, I have now lost out on the others I was considering. I am talking to a guy about an 07 GTI SE 155. Any thoughts on this model? I know its a different breed, being a 4 stroke vs. 2 stroke.

Generally speaking, 4-stroke skis cost more than 2-s-stroke skis. The 155 engine is well proven and very reliable. There was an exhaust valve issue but I think it was resolved on 2006, I need to check on that one. If you test ride this ski you will find it to be larger and considerably more stable than the other skis you were looking at. The one downfall is that the 155 engine costs more to repair compared to the 2-stroke if you find you need repairs. However, super easy ski and engine. Put gas on one tank and make sure there is oil in the engine, good to go. No oil injection or mixing concerns. You can easily get 400 hours on the 155 and more if you do oil changes at the end of each year. I won two 4-stroke skis and LOVE them both.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I had one on here as well that simply vanished....

Yea, I'm getting a little sick of that. If I (or anyone) says something inappropriate, and it's reasonable to, let them know privately, or in the thread.

Deleting my posts means I won't be coming back. It's very childish and tech centric to solving a human issue.

I don't come here for my health. I offer my time and help where I can because I was helped years ago on this very forum.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

If your posts are constantly being removed, maybe take that as a sign that you should kinda watch what you are saying. Lol. There is a forum already where the forum members bicker back and forth and make snide comments all the time, it's called PWC today. I like seeing that this is a very clean site without that stuff

 

[TSmith]

Hey guys, how would a post get deleted? I assure you I would not have done so, as I value all the advice I can get from folks like you who know more about this stuff than I do.

 

[Coastiejoe]

I don't think anyone actually deleted the threads. Being a moderator, I can see them and see if and who deleted a thread.

I think it was just a freak thing as this is the first time I have seen it happen to me. Just thought it was strange that it happened within the same thread...

Anytime I delete a thread I leave a note for the OP...