Re: 1982 mercury 25 hp good or bad ?
$500 US is too much. That motor is more than 20 years old and among the first years of that motor. For $500 I would expect it to be in top condition with good compression, a fresh water pump, and fresh gearlube. I gather it comes with the remote but no cables? For $500 it dang well better have the remote! Cable lengths depend on the boat, so no big deal there.<br /><br />If you can, check the compression first. While you're under there, smell the carb. If it smells like fresh gas, I wouldn't worry about that. If it smells really bad, it'll need a rebuild. Look over the fuel lines. They're easy enough to replace, but if they look bad it gives you a good bargaining chip. Check the gearlube. If it's black, that's an indication of lax maintenance, but as long as there's no water or metal in it, it should be okay. Give the prop a spin. If you see end of the propshaft wobble, you might want to leave it. Also listen as it spins. If there are any bad bearings you should hear noise. Otherwise it should spin fairly silently. Those are the quick and easy tests. But in the end there's no substitute for an on-water test. For that much money on a motor that old I'd be a brick wall on the subject. If you can't hear it run, don't buy it. Simple as that.
