New skis are generally more luxurious, but those GTXs are nice skis. Especially the '97. The newer skis are smoother, more quiet, and better on fuel. Also better in the chop, as they weigh more. That also slows them down though, and they will use additional power to be as nimble. The supercharged models require pricy rebuilds every 100h or so (roughly $300 for parts alone). The new skis aren't very complicated either. If you've worked on a car, you can work on a 4tec. They're fairly reliable too, depending on what model you get. I think you could be very happy with any 4tec GTI. They're great skis with lots of amenities and very reliable. They are commonly used by rental companies and can handle tons of abuse and tons of hours. They have closed circuit cooling systems, which further prolongs engine life. I have a 4tec that I got with 200hr on the clock. It's supercharged, and ~200hr later, the charger is leaking oil. Time for a new rebuild kit. Other than that, it's been very trouble-free and reliable. My 2 strokes always had issues with this and that. Some of it was because of age, some was due to oversight. Like I had sand in one of my cooling lines (the one that comes off the T-fitting at the back of the cylinders). That ski ran, but I'd go through AT LEAST one motor per season. Had a hell of a time with RAVE caps melting too. I ran the shit out of it though, I'm very hard on my toys. I'm down to one 2 stroke and 2 4-strokes. I found myself constantly working on the 2-strokes to keep them going. Wife made me put an end to it, allows me just the one now. She's right. The X4 is the only 2 stroke worth owning. The rest can easily be replaced with 4strokes. No real benefit to having a big ski with a 2-stroke.
Happy New Year !!
