Newby seeks advice of buying his first Seadoo. A 90s 2-stroke is all I can afford.

[NBF]

Hello everyone. I'm a total newb and hoping to buy my first Seadoo. Someone is selling two 1995 Bombardier Seadoos. A GTX and a GTS. He let me ride them both and they are well-looked after, with new plugs and wear rings, and run and handle wonderfully. I have heard some people saying, that 90s Seadoos are a lot of fun to ride, and I understand why. They are both for sale at under $3,000 and come with trailers. I'll likely try and buy just one...if I do it.

And here is the dilemma. Now, despite my best internet search efforts, it has been hard to come up with the general information that I seek. Mostly, how do people feel about older 2-strokes? Are they hard to maintain? Can you get parts? And, very importantly, just how bad is the pollution footprint they are making, and vs. modern 4-strokes? If the boat is maintained and is in good shape, is it not too bad? And which one would be easier, or would you recommend to get, in terms of maintenance and wear, the GTX, or the GTS?

Any help at all, will be greatly appreciated, and I am likely running out of time, to pull the trigger.

 

[RG123]

I love the sound, the smoke (part of the experience), and the size of the 90's 2 strokes. I have 2 96 GTX's and love them.
First, look at the "buying a used sea-doo" thread in the sticky section. Will help you avoid any big pitfalls if you do decide to pull the trigger.
Second, understand that unless you find a mechanic in advance willing to work on them (that knows his or her way around carbureted PWC's), expect to be doing the work on it yourself. These machines are around 30 years old, and unless you enjoy working on, troubleshooting, and learning about them, save yourself the hassle. That said, if you have an interest, and are mechanically inclined with access to the right tools, it is very possible to learn. They are not as nearly as complicated as the newer machines (less electronics, simple design, no expensive parts like fuel injection). These forums are an incredible resource for maintaining and fixing these skis. Parts are going to be mostly used OEM or aftermarket (exception being the carbs, thank goodness there are still genuine new OEM parts).
Third, if you're worried about pollution, then big 2 stroke motors like these machines have are not for you. Well maintained or not, by design, a 2 stroke pollutes significantly more than a 4 stroke.
Poke around on the forums to find out more about the two skis you are considering. It's really just going to come down to personal preference. I would get the GTX for the bigger motor.