Last update:
Put a couple hours on them today and they ran great:



Update 2: They are in my driveway. Pictures and more in my post at the bottom of the third page.

Update:
I’m all set, but they guy says he has the titles at his other house in Naples.

He wants to give me a bill of sale and mail the titles to me.

This is a no go, correct? I can verfy the titles online, but there’s no way I should paying for them with out getting the titles at the same time, correct?

I haven’t driven out there yet. I’ve asked if he can get duplicates or alternatively, I could follow him down to Naples to retrieve the titles.

OP:
They are on a lift and the guy has offered to run them around himself, so I can hear them run. I’m saying I should be able to run them myself to feel how they run. I’m not looking to go joy riding, just run them a few minutes apiece to see they run right.

They are 2020 Yamahas with 100 hours each and one of them is supercharged.

What do you think? Should I insist that I ride each one or not?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

Would you take a ride if they were cars?

I have a couple of Yamaha jet skis, I think mine are 230-240 hp. they will accelerate very quickly and are a lot of fun. I would be worried about the liability letting someone test drive.

Yamaha is a good brand, mine have 300 hrs each and run well, I have had no maintenance issues at all.

The most important feature on my jet skis that I use the most is cruise control.

I'm purely taking a guess here. They could be started and heard run, but how would you know the jet pump (which provides the actual propulsion) works?

I would not buy without a personal test drive. Like a previous poster said, if it was a car... no difference. If he's nervous that's his problem. Good lord.

quote:

the guy has offered to run them around himself,

If there are two, why don't you ask him to ride one while he rides the other?
That way he's assured you're not abusing them, and you get to ride one.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chellim1,

I wouldn't buy anything that floats w/o a sea trial. In this case: Both of 'em.

Watercraft with small engines and drives like that can be trouble--more so than other watercraft, which can be troublesome enough.

Question is: Do you have experience with small, overpowered boats? If so: Then a jet ski won't be particularly challenging. If not, well, it's easy to get in trouble with them real fast.

Never bought or sold a jet ski.

However, the general rules of thumb when selling a motorcycle is cash in hand gets you a test ride, and if you crash it you own it. Of course, clearly stated in the ad. If someone shows up without cash they don't get to test ride it.

That'd be a pretty fair way to buy/sell a jet ski (i.e. you hand them a wad of cash, you test ride it, and if you don't like the jet ski you get your wad of cash back).

I have never owned any type of watercraft, but I would consider buying a used one the same as a car or motorcycle. I would insist on a trial to ensure it works. I would also 100% agree with Tatortodd to expect the seller to only do it with cash in hand in case you destroy it.

Perfect example was when me and my older brother were kids and he was getting his first used small engine motorcycle. My parents gave cash up front, my brother having never ridden a motorcycle in his life took it for a test ride, and crashed straight into a wood pile not knowing how to stop. My parents and him were the proud new owners of a damaged motorcycle whether they wanted to or not.

Test drive. Or no deal

I offered to bring a cashier’s check.

Other than our 2005 SeaDoo RXT we’ve owned since new, I don’t think we’ve had any boats that would be considered overpowered. Our current 26’ Formula is the fastest boat we’ve had. It does almost 60mph with the 375hp 8.1 liter. The SeaDoo did 72mph on the GPS when new and did that again last year with a new wear ring and freshly rebuilt supercharger.

The consensus seems to be I should get a test ride or no deal, which was what I figured.

With a mirror on an stick and flashlight, I should be able to get a good look at the wear rings and impellers in the jet pumps. Riding them should tell me everything else I should need to know. Either they reach the speeds and RPMs they should or they don’t. They should idle smoothly and run smoothly all the way to WOT. The supercharged one should pull a lot harder than my dad’s FX Cruiser HO which has the same engine but without the supercharger. They shouldn’t overheat.

Offer him less without a test drive, much less.
And if he says that's unreasonable, you reply, now you understand.

quote:

FX Cruiser HO which has the same engine but without the supercharger.

I had one of those. Good machine.

If you let him drive and ride behind him would that satisfy both of you?

Tatortod has it right. He does not know your ability to ride. And it is ride, not drive. This is not the same as an automobile. Meet at the lake cash in hand, give the seller the cash and go on a test ride. It is also a lot more effort involved for the seller in a test ride, so it shows that you are serious.

Cash, not a cashier’s check?

When I bought my Formula, we went a mile down the road to the boat ramp, launched the boat, and drove around for a bit before and money changed hands. That’s the only experience I’ve had buying a used vehicle from a private party. In that case, a bank had a lien on the boat, I paid the bank, the bank gave me the title, and gave the remaining amount to the seller.

Let’s pretend I have no clue how this works, mostly because I don’t. I show up in a somewhat remote part of Florida with 185 $100 bills and do what? How do I protect myself? Get a copy of his driver’s license, verify it’s his house, as well as his name and address on the titles? Sign and have him sign some sort of paperwork that I’ve given him the cash and he agrees to give it back if the Waverunners don’t work as advertised or if they do, he keeps the cash and agrees to sign the titles over to me? Take pictures or video of the whole process, so he can’t just say I never gave him the cash?

supercharged ski= no sale
any modifications= no sale
left outdoors (even on a lift)= no sale
don't expect a test drive, there are far too many idiots in Florida.
cash in hand will get you a test drive with no-one to talk to when you return.
skis in Florida are a toss up you either know the person or roll the dice.
personally I have owned 6 skis and I always buy new. Yamaha is the way to go but ALWAYS buy new.
number one thing to remember... there is a reason they are selling this ski. just like firearms, buy the ski not the story.

I’d allow an inspection, you want a test ride, put full price cash on the barrel. That way, you wreck it you own it. If after the test ride you can articulate a reason or problem with the ski as to why you don’t want to buy it I’d offer a refund. This is the same way most people selling motorcycles handle test rides.

I have a 2019 FX SVHO. What you need to do is have them towed up to your local Yamaha powersports dealership. Let a mechanic check them both out. I just went through this same discussion with a friend looking to buy a 450 MX bike. Take them to a Yamaha shop and let their ski mechanic inspect them up and down. They will inspect the hull as well. If you can afford a couple of skis you can afford to drop a few hundred to make sure they are legit. If you’re lucky it was some clown who bought them during Covid because they were bored. Seeing a lot of this. 2019 and the years before it, ski sales (and boat sales), were both down here, hard. Same goes for MX bikes, etc. Covid hit, and my dealer couldn’t keep anything on the floor. So hopefully it’s someone who bought them thinking it was a good idea at the time, and is tired of paying for them or wants the $ to buy something on impulse. Good luck.

Jump on back with him if an FX. You don’t have to ride in the middle spot. I have a FX HO.

Did either have the Yamaha YES warranty?

I’d be more concerned about hull damage on the Yamaha.