Advice for buying a used Scarab

[David23170]

Hello, I'm looking to buy a used 2015 Scarab 165 150 hp base model. I could use some advice with the following:

1. Purchase price is $15,200, does that seem like a good deal in the South?
2. Should I ask for any additional equipment or add-ons now? Depth Sounder? GPS? Top? Anything that is a must have that would be difficult to install later or on my own.
3. Any idea what to look for when checking it out or taking it in the water for testing? What should the compression be?
4. Do dealerships ever give a short warranty or is it normally as is?
5. Any other advice?

 

[David23170]

Can anyone offer some advice? Engine has about 90 hours.

 

[swatski]

@David23170 Welcome to the community. I must tell you that not getting any replies withing few hours of posting is unusual. I am not familiar with the Scarab 165, but the price (for what it is, and with basic engine) seems high, at least to me.

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[ALAN MANN SR.]

Welcome. I do not know about buying used, but yes that sounds high to me also. I purchased a 2015 165 HO for 27,500 June 1 2015, have 80 hrs. on it now. Still owe 21,320 2/4/2017. So that is high for a basic 165.

 

[Ronnie]

With all of the mixed reviews on the initial scarabs I would probably stay away from it completely but if I didn't I would be sure to test drive the hell out of it before closing the deal. I mean offer to pay for a half tank of gas, the launch fee and 30 to 60 minutes of the dealer tech time (assuming one will be present). I'd then proceed to take it though all the motions and press every button to be sure they all do what they are supposed to. With the power to weight ratio that thing has it should perform a lot like a modern day pwc and with 80 hours you should not be worried about poor performance during the break-in period.

Compression tests are great but nothing like a sea trial. Besides, a compression test won't reveal driveline problems that some have experienced. Even if it all checked out I'd would be reluctant to squeeze the trigger unless I was confident that the dealer or a nearby shop had the right personnel to fix any issues that could come up.

Price wise I'd check for comps online and with kbb or nada (forgot which one prices used boats).

 

[swatski]

@David23170 Most issues we have seen with the Scarabs have been quality control for the most part, and dealership knowledge issues. These have progressively gotten better as they get used to working with the power plants.

I would also like to point out that for majority of those cases a water test would reveal nothing wrong with the boat.
Engine overheating can happen anytime and chances are it will not be when you do your test drive. Same with O2 sensors, carbon seal, ignitions issues, radio malfunction, cup holders falling out, decals peeling off etc. While it may all be covered under warranty, you may get crappy service (such as MarineMax), each time taking weeks to fix anything.

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