Price of used motors

I've been actively searching CL and FB for a deal on a 14ft boat to pair with my 15hp Evinrude lately
and have seen quite a few used four stroke motors for probably less than I'd ever sell my two stroke for.
I've had no luck so far finding a hull that's cheap enough, the best one I've found so far was a 1993 Starcraft for $1,500.
Although its half of new I was hoping to find something around $600 but everything I've seen for less either has no title or is completely rotted, or too narrow. The dealer wants $3,400 for a new hull, but can't get one till the end of Sept or later.

What I'm thinking is that if I buy the Starcraft that I looked at, my 15hp will work but it'll take a 30hp. I found both a 2003 15hp Yamaha four stroke for $800, and a 30hp Suzuki for $400. Plus over a dozen larger two strokes, the best one I looked at was a 1975 25hp that looks like it was rarely used. All or any will need a water pump, so will my 15hp for that matter since it sat all last season but that's not a concern. The 25hp runs, the guy stuck it in a barrel and it started in two pulls and pumped water just fine. He said he replaced the impeller five years ago but never used it. In my mind, that means it needs a new impeller regardless.

What is a good 15hp worth?

If I buy a bigger motor, I'll need to sell my 15hp.

Depends on condition, age and your location and what someone is willing to pay. In my area ( great lakes region) they bring good money as they are in demand for kicker motors on larger boats. A few hundred miles north is an area filled with small lakes and rivers where small out boards are everywhere and fairly cheap due to their abundance. You have searched your area, so what are they going for ?

From what I've seen around my way no motors are selling, they haven't been for several years. With a building full of outboards not a one has so much as gotten a response on CL or Fb in five years or so now.
Worse yet I've been able to buy late model motors for next to nothing. six years ago I'd have said that any 15hp in viable condition without corrosion or physical damage with good compression would bring upwards of $900, but lately I doubt if one would bring $50.

I buy clean used 9.9/15hp Johnnyrudes all the time these days in clean shape for $50-$100 here. The only problem is they're basically unsellable lately. No one has any cash to spend, most people I find who want a motor can't come up with $50 let alone $500 or more for a good used motor. I suppose its also why the waterways have been devoid of boats most days over the past few years.

If I were to put a value on a 15hp outboard, I'd say the older OMC two strokes should be between $900 and $1500, a four stroke, about half that for a Mercury, unless its a Tohatsu built four stroke, and maybe $1000 or so for a good used Yamaha or Honda motor.

Things like carb or water pump condition mean nothing, I put zero weight on a seller saying either have been rebuilt or replaced as there's no way I wouldn't at the very least open the carb up and look and stick a fresh impeller in any motor I intend to use myself anyhow. I'm with the thinking that even if I put a new impeller in a motor and list it for sale, if it takes a year to sell it, and it sits all year on a stand, it still needs a new impeller again because half of that impeller has likely taken a set and will never be 100%. It may work but I wouldn't risk it for a $20 impeller and 20 minutes of work to just change it.

Motors may not be selling but there's no way I'd let any of mine go for as cheap as I've seen so many listed for. I'd rather plant them in the yard as ornaments before giving them away for next to nothing.

In our area, the late 80's thru 90's two stroke Jonnyrudes in good shape are going for 750-1500. Clunkers that run still bring 300-750....area means slot in the price..

I was kind of thinking that if I got $800 for it I'd be happy, but only if I found something better.
The motor I've got was one that a buddy of mine bought new in the 80' and its been well cared for. What concerns me is that the Suzuki may not be and I've got concerns about the added weight of a triple vs. a twin. Its likely more than double the weight. I'm going this weekend to possibly grab the boat if the weather is decent, maybe I'll take the motor along and dunk it for a quick test run on the way home.

airshot said:

In our area, the late 80's thru 90's two stroke Jonnyrudes in good shape are going for 750-1500. Clunkers that run still bring 300-750....area means slot in the price..

Click to expand...

Same around here.

I listed it over past week for $600, running and ready to go but got nothing but $25 offers and scammers saying they were going to send me $2,500 to cover shipping to Nigeria and I'd need to refund them the difference,
The only guy who sounded legit said he was interested but he's too far away, when he gave me his address he's not more than 10 miles up the road. When I looked up the address it's a wooded lot with nothing on it.
I pulled the ad after 14 days listed and no buyers because the scam emails were jamming up my inbox.
About half of the ads wanted my phone number to text me. I don't have a cell phone, I only have a landline. I simply felt that if they really wanted to buy it they'd email me with a number to call.

I must of gotten a dozen guys who wanted to pay me $10 a week and then let me have it back when the season was done if they hadn't paid it off. A few said they could pay if I'd take PayPal or a Credit card because they were broke. One guy wanted to trade me for a stuck 40hp even up, and tried over five emails to convince me his blown up 40hp was worth way more than my 15hp. I finally blocked his email.

I'll just keep it and forget trying to sell it. I'll be like my old neighbor where I used to live, he had over 2,500 outboards in his basement and garage that he just bought to 'look at'. I'd venture to guess every one of them ran when he quote 'pickled' them for storage. Many were near new when he built stands for them and hung them up for safe keeping. From what I heard it began in the late 50's and he kept it up till he died in 2020 after falling down the stairs trying to carry a 25hp four stroke he just bought as a new 'left over' model down into his basement at age 84. My 15hp came from his collection as payment for clearing some trees there before I moved.
I got the boat and trailer too but the boat had no paperwork so I sold it there and only brought the trailer and motor with me when I moved.

Around here most of small to mid sized outboards will sell rather quickly (5-70hp). If it's electric start and power trim, even better. The little bitty ones, and anything bigger than 90hp can be a little harder sell. I'd say the 50-70hp range is the hotspot here, you just don't see many that size for sale, and they sell quick when they do come up.

I've sold a dozen or so from 5.5-90hp and never sat on one for more than a couple weeks, and they certainly weren't priced cheap.

Missouri is also odd in that we require titles for outboards, so anything that has the paperwork is more desirable by default, that helps.

The OP is in NJ, they only allow gas motors on a few lakes and those have a 10hp limit. Outboard larger than 10hp are limited to the rivers and tidal saltwater.
As far as I know, OMC never put T&T on the 15hp, at least not in the good years, (74-92).
Newer motors are a rare sight here, most motors I see on small boats are older two strokes or new four strokes.
The younger crowd is only after four strokes, the older guys want older motors that don't break down and go faster. The problem is those old guys are cheap, like me. I get most of my motors from the trash pile or estate sales.
Most guys can't do their own work either, so if its older, they're afraid of it with shops charging upwards of $175/hr these days. A water pump job can run you $600 if they run into frozen bolts. A few minor repairs and they've paid for a good part of a new motor. Lately though I find more newer motors in the trash or out for the scrap man than older motors, most are not fixable or not worth what the parts cost to fix.

Most people want the 15hp motors here, they just stick a 10hp hood on them and use them as 10hp motors on the restricted lakes, no one bothers so long as your not doing anything to make them want to check your motor. Other than the tag, there's no way to tell the two apart unless you measure the carburetor throat.

There's still a good many 9.5hp motors on the water too, but lately the water has been a bit devoid of boats. Part due to the weather and part due to the cost of living being so high. The first thing to go is their hobbies. If its a matter of paying the mortgage or rent or fishing, most will park the boat. The cost of gas and oil doesn't help much either. At nearly $4/gallon and with oil being $7.50 qt, or per tank of fuel for the cheapest oil at Walmart, that means over $5 per gallon or $30 per tank of fuel, and most will burn two tanks per outing, so at $60 for a day on the water only to maybe not find any fish to eat, most just opt to eat cheaper or buy the fish, (or in reality, eat hotdogs or something cheaper).
None of which takes into account the cost to tow the boat to the water, and if your like me, the truck gets about 11 mpg and the water is 30 miles away. It makes for an expensive day.

For me, I've got all the motors I'll ever want or need and only add one to the collection if I get it for pocket change or free. With a barn full of motors that I basically bought for under $10 each or less over the years I'm set. Selling wise, they're never worth selling whole, I learned a long time ago that the best way to sell an outboard is piece by piece on fleabay. Any one part will bring more than they will locally.
I just shipped the bare 15hp engine block from a 1975 model to Nebraska for pretty much what that motor would have brought whole here lately.

In a normal economy, with the cost of new motors being so high, the older motors should have good value but with no one being able to afford to fish, the demand is low and has been for years. It started to get bad around 2008 or so, it was starting to get better around the time the pandemic started, and after they closed all the ramps and parks, it died and never came back around here.

For me, I'm perfectly happy to just look at my four rooms full of motors while I wait for prices to come back down. Until then, they can all sit. I certainly would never sell one for less than it should be worth. To me, its the same as accepting two quarters in change for a dollar. I'd rather have a building full of motors than to only get paid scrap weight for perfectly good outboards because everyone is broke.
Meanwhile, I'm adding to my collection one free motor at a time.

I don't know many people here who run newer motors, most tried four strokes, and went back to the older OMC motors.
Of course, they've all had the same motors now for decades. My most run motor is the one that came new on my boat in 1977, it still runs as it did new so I see no reason to change it.

9.9/15hp Johnson/Evinrudes are likely the most popular motor here but lately there's been no one out and about on the water, both due to the season we're in and due to likely a lack of money.

I listed a clean 15hp last fall and got zero emails on it off CL, other than a few scammers who wanted to send a money order or such the ad fell on deaf ears here. I watched dozens of good used four stroke motors go unsold as well.
Most people who want a boat or motor can't do their own work, they want turn key and a lifetime warranty for $100.
When they call the dealer for a quote for 'servicing' an older motor they get told either that they don't work on older motors, or they don't work on anything they didn't sell new. The few that will work on them want $200+ per hour in labor.
To me, this just means keep what you own, because you likely won't be able to replace it in a few years. If its not worth anything, there's no sense in selling it. Take the deals that come your way and hang on to those you know are good motors for future use.

The only motors that do seem to still sell are the larger motors, big motors, 150hp and over seem to find homes fairly easily if priced cheap enough but that's mostly because the cost of new larger motors has gotten even more expensive and out of reach of most folks and they have no other choice.
The typical buyer is one who picked up a free boat out of someone's back yard, full of leaves and rot, and they need a motor for it. Most of those though will never see the water, or if they do its not for long.

I think I'd rather have the 15hp OMC than a four stroke performance wise, and the 30 Suzuki will weigh the boat down more than it improves performance. I had a three cylinder 30hp Suzuki about four years ago, it was problematic to say the least. The carbs were finicky, the thing weighted nearly 200 lbs, size wise it was close to that of an older 70hp OMC. I was on a 16ft open boat some guy had been using for duck hunting. It would nearly sink and took water over the transom when coming off the trailer and anytime you let off the throttle too fast.
I sold it and hung an older 35hp Johnson instead that I had taken in trade when I sold the 30hp. The two stroke Johnson ran circles around that 30hp Suzuki.

I agree with Freeisforme. If you can get an 80's Evinrude 25 or 35, you will be happy with the performance. You can typically get them for less than $950. Here is the one I ran for many years that I got for $200. Just needed the carb cleaned and some fresh fuel line:

I did go look at the 30hp Suzuki, but it weighed 225 lbs. two of us couldn't pick it up off the stand without struggling. The boat I'm looking at is rated at 30hp but no 14ft aluminum boat is rated to take a 225lb outboard. My 15hp is about 70lbs or so. I figure anything more than about 120 lbs is too much, and even that would be pushing it. I can't picture any 14ft boat taking the weight of a motor, battery, fuel, and me.
The boat I've been looking at is rated at 30hp, its an open hull with a fore and aft bench seat, and I'll likely add a clamp on padded drivers seat or maybe a rear pedestal. The tank will sit opposite me ahead of the seat. If I went with a big motor, I have to go with electric start and I'd rather not. I like the idea of just a motor, a small fuel tank, a fishing rod or two, and me in the boat. The 35hp is over the limit on the placard, and likely a bit on the heavy side to put on and off the boat every time I want to take the boat out. Besides, finding a short 30hp Evinrude might be tough, most that I've seen have been long shaft, remote control motors.

I did look at a 1972 25hp that was supposed to be a short shaft but it turned out the seller couldn't read and his pictures showed the boat and motor in the water. I almost took it anyhow but figured the $40 was best spend elsewhere other than a motor that will only cost me more money to make it fit my boat.

I've also contemplated the fact that only gaining 10hp over my 15hp may not gain me all that much speed since its also added transom weight. A buddy went through that with his jon boat and he sold a perfectly good, easy on gas, 9.9hp to buy a new Mercury 15hp four stroke and he ended up only doing 2 mph more and having a tough time getting up on plane without adding weight up front.