i forgot, this a miami ski,,, take a real good look at the wiring no tears, or corrosion,.... open the rear electrical box, make sure its dry and no corrosion (the black box) check for two beeps, is the prop all dinged up....does the pump have a bunch of white spots from sitting in salt/barnacles ? does the gas smell good and fresh ?
first thing, b4 u start, is the engine cold or luke warm, (ie : did he start it 10 minutes before you got there)
make sure he shows you the oil he used.
ask him to run thru his post ride maintenance routine, if any.
look for grey fuel lines of course.. and do the carbs look rusty or corroded ? (only takes a couple of minutes to take airbox off)
does the engine wiggle on the engine mounts or is it very tight.
don't wear a hoodie, your too close to sanford & might get shot.
go during the day, not near sunset.
inspect trailer well, tire tread, is tag on trailer current ?
is registration current
is the title in HIS name ? IE is this really his ski and not a flip ski ?
rips/tears in seat reduce value.
ask him specifics of where he rode and how often.
do all gauges work,,, all of them ?
don't be embarrassed to low ball, no matter what he's asking, offer much less and actually bring & show the cash.... cash talks !!!!
i've sold quite a few ski's and let me tell you, guys love to lowball and negiotate but half the time they don't actually have cash, i've told guys "no friggen way am I taking $1500" but if he actually shows me $1500 cash, i'm more inclined to take it.
there's a good chance the seller has had 4 offers, accepted 3 of them, only to find out the buyer doesn't have it with him, can get it, and come back tomorrow, etc, and they NEVER come back.... show the cash...if he say's no, add $100 bill, if he says no.. pick up the cash, put it in your pocket, and continue to discuss (sellers hate to see cash go back in pockets) (don't negiotate over phone, only face to face)
look around the house, garage, is it full of ski parts, stands & tools, or other ski's, (signs that he's flipping ski's) (sometimes a flipper is ok, but i'm very leery of them, i've even had a flipper pretend his name was joseph, (name on title) but the property appraiser website for his address said his name was Steve...
why is he selling it, does he sound believable ?
ask about top speed & fuel range, find out if he's bullshitting., because NO, ski's can't run all day on a tank of gas,,, what octane is he using...
how old is the battery, is it a sealed agm battery or an acid battery (replace it)
nickle and dime the price down with everything you find wrong... nickles add up.
if you can't come up with an agreement, tell him you have others to look at, say you have a nice one in orlando thats a little cheaper and fresh water only. then bump your offer up another $100 and say. "boy i'd rather make a deal right now, cuz if I drive all the way to orlando, i'm probably going to buy that one)
is this a family guy or a late teens, early 20's guy that looks like he rode the ski hard, WOT, all the time.
phew... thats it.