ads - if he wants power then the ETEC will win hands down in that division, 6 vs 4. Old 150 on mine was great but a little underpowered for the hull so went a 200 yammie. Etec is also very efficient at trolling speeds which if it is based in Exxy would make sense, not that the other two are greedy. I would say pick whichever he can get the best deal on. Yammie finance is very good, but in the 150 would be my last pick out of the above.

Some really good cashback deals on etecs at the moment too.

Trying to get a bit of an idea on prices, I guess fuel economy is the main thing (but brings up that old etec v 4 stroke debate)

Another thing to consider is if something does go wrong where is the nearest place you can get warranty work done? When we lived in Busso the closest place to get warranty work done was Mandurah. We never needed anything done but  it would be a pain in the backside if you lived in Exxy and had to tow to Ktown ar somewhere further to get it worked on. From what I`ve been told anyone can service the things but IF you need warranty work done it has to be done by an authorised agent, be it yammi,suzuki,evinrude etc so that you keep your warranty intact for the 3 or 5 years or whatever it is.

i had twin etecs on my boat an had a lot of problems. ended up putting a 250 yamy 4st on an its running a dream!! iv done 395hrs in 11 months an it hasent missed a beat. i know the boat place on the corner of south st an south tc in freo gets a lot of 2nd hand suzis. they suply all the donks for the water cops an sea rescue boats

I just bought two new Yammi fourstrokes (115 hp) to replace my old 100hp mercs (1990's) on my cat. I have only done around 15 hr's on them but am very happy so far. They use between 50-60% less fuel than my old two strokes and I can talk on the phone while doing 36 knots on the way back in!! Yamaha had a great finance deal @ 6.99% and also had $1000 cash back on each engine. think it was 1500 for the bigger engines....

I won't really get into the E-Tec Yammi debate because I am no expert, although the dealer that I bought them off had a licence to sell both at one stage and said he dropped the E-tecs due to the amount of come-backs. Obviously just hearsay but I am very happy with the yammi's on and old heavy hull so far.

My advice would definatley be to buy new if you can get a finance deal because the second hand fourstrokes still seam to be pretty pricey. If you buy new you have complete peace of mind and a three year warranty, may save you $ in the long run  

Yammy 150  4 stroke , if you get change from $ 19 k you have done well , i have seen specials on the Etec s 150   $ 15,900 and if you look at the Suzi i last heard $ 21 k 

 Adds I ve got a 250 etec and I had a issue last yaer but so did a fair few guys in town as it was shit fuel that wrecked about 9 donks all up.we all went insurance and I also spoke to BRP who had me send photos and strip down report to them as well as the insurance.BRP decided to replace my head under warrenty  as they could see that insurance was only going to rebuild the motor.I was the first back in the water with a full new warrenty .Im a happy etec owner and for the size boat Im pushing I get good economy and plenty of power.Saying that if you get a bad donk of any brand in 2011 I would be surprised.

I'm looking to bring in a new outboard from the states. Looking at a Honda or Yamaha 225. Will save about $7000. No factory warrenty but with that sort of savings who cares. The guy importing them gives a three month warrenty.

I looked seriously at the option of replacing an inboard with a podded outboard and went for a hunt on what is available. 

225HP Yamaha $27.725 plus install .( of motor on pod and repaired stern extra $6K)

Honda 225HP $25.000 plus install .

Suzuki 225HP $24.700 plus install.

                versus

235HP V6 Mercruiser bravo1 leg $23.000 installed.

In the end my original inboard  (from 1976!) is still running sweet but when the time comes another inboard will take the old girls place.

4stroke outboards are expensive plus the servicing is specialised to the point a lay man is not able to do it(expensive).

in the case of a repower the $$ side plus reliability is high on the list.

One can burn a fair bit of extra fuel (with an excisting) 2 stroke before the scales tip in favour of the new 4 stroke engines money wise.  

If you get a gutfull of bad fuel on Yammie or Zuke, the injectors can be pulled out and cleaned for about $500.

If the same happens on a ETEC, the injectors have to be replaced at a cost of $1000 each.....think about that every time your putting Norwest fuel in the boat...no thanks.

My ETEC has been fitted with twin filters on the fuel lines but I would never go ETEC again...JMO

Adam I think any 4 stroke these days are good .as you know I have the honda and I love it 400 hours and never missed a beat. Have heard the yamies are throaty and use a little more fuel.

adam

i have the 200 etec and luv it, but if i did it all over again and funds and weight were no issue, then it would be the 4stroke yammy for sure.

it came down to weight when we got the etec and that was it.

cheers

As long as it Says " made in Japan" Or " product of Japan" you can't go wrong. hunt around and see which is going to give him the best overall upgrade cost...ie including Trade in, instalation and overall purchase price/finance options.

Have had a 140 Suzi and a 150 Yami on a genesis 5.8 and the Yami wins hands down. A lot more torque to get out of the hole and economy was slightly better. Also look at availability of major parts if something goes wrong. You don't want the boat sitting on the driveway for months waiting for parts to arrive.