possible 97 gsx find. advice needed.

[jammin777]

found this super clean 97 gsx for $2200.00 with trailer a few weeks ago but is 900 mi drive round trip to get to it. talk to the owner on the phone the other day and he says the engine was replaced 2 seasons ago with a new complete rebuild. the original engine threw a rod through the case. says he's ridden it a couple times this year and says it runs great but once in a while a slight hesitation on hard take off, he says he has never replace the fuel lines which is a concern. i dont mind replacing them myself and possibly rebuilding the carbs but more worried of possible run lean engine damage because of the fuel lines. maybe im worrying too much? i asked him to email me some pics of more close ups and of the engine. he say he doesn't know how ( sounds like and older guy over the phone) to email pics but can get his girl friend to help with that. i asked if he has a compression gauge to take reading for me before i make that long trip but dont have one, so i thought of asking him to pull the plugs to verify the color. would that mean anything? if i do make the trip i plan on performing the compression test and look it over really good and also lake test. anything else to look for? i'm kinda excited about making the trip if i knew it was worth it but would hate being disappointed and come home empty handed. kinda risky trip if you know what i mean. i for the life of me cannot find what i'm looking for locally which sucks. i also know it is the unknown issues it has buying an older ski as my budget is kinda limited for now. besides i prefer the older light weight 2 stroke ski's. i for one am picky and want to find a clean craft and dont mind paying a little extra.
if he was able to verify the compression readings and provided more pics it would definitely make my decision much easier to make the trip. what do you guys think? thanks in advance!

 

[Ryan331]

found this super clean 97 gsx for $2200.00 with trailer a few weeks ago but is 900 mi drive round trip to get to it. talk to the owner on the phone the other day and he says the engine was replaced 2 seasons ago with a new complete rebuild. the original engine threw a rod through the case. says he's ridden it a couple times this year and says it runs great but once in a while a slight hesitation on hard take off, he says he has never replace the fuel lines which is a concern. i dont mind replacing them myself and possibly rebuilding the carbs but more worried of possible run lean engine damage because of the fuel lines. maybe im worrying too much? i asked him to email me some pics of more close ups and of the engine. he say he doesn't know how ( sounds like and older guy over the phone) to email pics but can get his girl friend to help with that. i asked if he has a compression gauge to take reading for me before i make that long trip but dont have one, so i thought of asking him to pull the plugs to verify the color. would that mean anything? if i do make the trip i plan on performing the compression test and look it over really good and also lake test. anything else to look for? i'm kinda excited about making the trip if i knew it was worth it but would hate being disappointed and come home empty handed. kinda risky trip if you know what i mean. i for the life of me cannot find what i'm looking for locally which sucks. i also know it is the unknown issues it has buying an older ski as my budget is kinda limited for now. besides i prefer the older light weight 2 stroke ski's. i for one am picky and want to find a clean craft and dont mind paying a little extra.
if he was able to verify the compression readings and provided more pics it would definitely make my decision much easier to make the trip. what do you guys think? thanks in advance!

My thoughts.. In no particular order
-Pulling plugs doesn't mean squat unless you pull them immediately after a WOT run, or mid range - no extended idling, cold starts/etc
-Compression test would be required if you're going to spend that much and drive that far to pick it up
-Gray fuel lines.. if he rode the ski a lot and used sta bil in the fuel it won't be that bad.. I just changed the gray lines on my 97 and it wasn't bad at all.. A little bit of green goo where the hose met the carb, and some at the selector
Not long ago I changed the gray lines on my 98 limited and they were screwed beyond belief
-For what it's worth, I spent barely more than that on all 3 of my seadoos + trailer (after deducting the 95 XP and trailer I just sold that came with the limited) and I've put over 200 hours on the 97 gsx alone.. At the same time, I still prefer riding the 97 over my other 2, if I had to choose between the 3 skis that's the one I would keep, I don't know why.. It just fits me best - it's more fun in rough/choppy water than the limited, it's been a lot more reliable and I like the color scheme the best of the 3..

 

[09zkrankin]

Most auto parts stores have loan a tool programs now where you pay for the tool, then when you bring it back they give your money back. I would try to get him to do that and get comp. Readings before that kinda trip. Just depends on how much you trust his word i guess

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jammin777]

thanks for the reply's i know the compression is suppose to be 150psi on a 787 but how low is exceptable before walking away from it?
i wish i lived in an area that has the better deals but in my neck of the woods they want a lot for junk! i feel sorry for the poor saps that fall for those deals. ive made the decision that a compression test required before i make the trip.

 

[LouDoo]

Honestly it sounds high to me. To pay that much it would need to be perfect, including the compression.

I bought a 96GSX about 2-1/2 years ago for $850.00, with 74 hours, 156/154 compression, on a Yacht Club trailer. It did have a mechanical problem, a bad rectifier (cheap fix), and it needed a good cleaning. It's got about 150 hours now and runs like a champ.

Lou

 

[goofyfool]

Nice looking ski!

 

[jammin777]

Honestly it sounds high to me. To pay that much it would need to be perfect, including the compression.

I bought a 96GSX about 2-1/2 years ago for $850.00, with 74 hours, 156/154 compression, on a Yacht Club trailer. It did have a mechanical problem, a bad rectifier (cheap fix), and it needed a good cleaning. It's got about 150 hours now and runs like a champ.

Lou

all right already i dont want to hear it! hehehe... J/K! seriously i wish i was lucky to find such a deal but like i said price gouging here in these parts! 800.00 would get you a sun faded junker with a seized engine. in fact i found 2 96 gsx's with trailer for 3500.00 both need work and badly sun faded. prices are high here! sucks big time! folks here want everything for nothing and a lot for their junk!
nice looking ski btw. wanna sell? ill pay shipping ha ha!

 

[LouDoo]

Sorry, I guess I misunderstood I thought you wanted advice about the ski, and I think $2200.00 is overpriced. Since you don't mind driving 450 miles maybe you should look east.

Lou

 

[Strizzo]

if you're into long trips to pick up skis, heres one for 1600 http://collegestation.craigslist.org/boa/3889894276.html

 

[Skidoodle]

Hey Goof, can I borrow your girlfriend for a week-end? LOL

 

[jammin777]

Sorry, I guess I misunderstood I thought you wanted advice about the ski, and I think $2200.00 is overpriced. Since you don't mind driving 450 miles maybe you should look east.

Lou

don't be sorry, its all good. i was kidding about not wanting to hear the great prices back east when it is impossible locally. i really don't like the idea if having to drive long distance only because of the trust issue of not knowing who i am dealing with for example, last weekend i called a guy 4 hours from me about a 99 gsxl for 2500.00 and asked him about the condition, he said it was nearly flawless, got him to email me pics and it was all scratched to hell. Ive been scouring locally for a couple years now with not a single deal! which is why i began looking else where which is a huge risk of wasted gas and time in it self. plus being over priced! so i guess the advice im really after is about mechanical concerns that i mentioned in the first post. unfortunately, back east is 3 or 4 times further than 450 miles. i just live in the wrong part of the states.because of my situation, i don't mind paying a little more as long as it's near perfect. i want to get to riding. thanks for your input.

 

[jammin777]

My thoughts.. In no particular order
-Pulling plugs doesn't mean squat unless you pull them immediately after a WOT run, or mid range - no extended idling, cold starts/etc
-Compression test would be required if you're going to spend that much and drive that far to pick it up
-Gray fuel lines.. if he rode the ski a lot and used sta bil in the fuel it won't be that bad.. I just changed the gray lines on my 97 and it wasn't bad at all.. A little bit of green goo where the hose met the carb, and some at the selector
Not long ago I changed the gray lines on my 98 limited and they were screwed beyond belief
-For what it's worth, I spent barely more than that on all 3 of my seadoos + trailer (after deducting the 95 XP and trailer I just sold that came with the limited) and I've put over 200 hours on the 97 gsx alone.. At the same time, I still prefer riding the 97 over my other 2, if I had to choose between the 3 skis that's the one I would keep, I don't know why.. It just fits me best - it's more fun in rough/choppy water than the limited, it's been a lot more reliable and I like the color scheme the best of the 3..

thanks for the reply, yea it make sense about the spark plugs reading. you got a way killer deal on your skies which are nice btw.
interesting that you like the 97 best. i bought one brand new which i loved but had to let it go in 04 to buy a house, (closing cost) funny thing is at closing i found there was no out of pocket closing cost!! kicking my self!