buying outboards from U.S.A

[ranga7]

Hi all,
I'm in the market for a 175HP 4-stroke suzuki. Was looking at a getting a second hand one for money reasons. i could be wrong and someone please fill me in but i looked at some dealers in the US and a new one seemed to be the same price i was going to pay for a second hand one. i understand theres shipping and prob other fees but it seemed pretty good. I'm pretty sure i read a thread on here not long ago about another member looking at getting a motor from the US because it was so much cheaper.
Has anyone purchased an outboard from the US? What was the process? And is it a money saver?
Thanks for your help. Ranga.

[dnej]

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=128589&highlight=importing+motors

Try that ausfish link for info.
David

[brisbane]

Looked at same thing. Here is what I found. Firstly they are way cheaper but you need to add in freight, GST etc.Freight costs vary greatly so you need to look hard The manufacturer [Yam, Suz ]will NOT honour any warranty but you can buy a fair bit of repairs on saving and your second hand one would not have any???
lastly the manufacturers have made it difficult for US retailers to sell to Aust, They have basically told them not to. You can get around this by buying it from a US address[if youy can find one] then on shipping.You will also find shipping more than 1 motor is more economical--get your mates interested in doing same.

[testlab]

Call Watercraft Mix and ask them if they have a customer near you who may have some empty container space. They will combine shipments and probably buy the motors on your behalf too.

[castlemaine]

Know someone that did that. A generic problem with the engine and they insisted he send it back at his cost to the USA to get the upgrade part installed. Australian distributors walked away. Sorry can't remember what brand. When it is good ,it is good, when things go wrong you may have to work a bit harder for your warranty. Cheers!

[Moonlighter]

Also be careful about prices - US website prices in many cases do not include a rigging kit/harness, gauges, engine controls, prop, so make sure your prices include everything - that waw you can compare apples with apples.

Also very carefully check the model numbers - lots of left-hand egines being offloaded wihout beins specifically identified as such

Cheers

ml

[Flex]

good friend of mine Imported a 175 suzuki from florida for a smidge under $14000 in Jan last year. Runs fine and no dramas at all.

The hard part is finding someone who will actually sell you an outboard. But its a matter of a few emails and phone calls and you can end up saving thousands.

Just make sure you do your homework, ad even if your outboard does have a major fault. the money you saved you can often fix it and still come out on top. just dont tell anyone you imported it. I made that mistake with my evinrude and got the cold shoulder alot

[Jarrah Jack]

One bloke on here OPTI is about to import two motors for his 233. No prizes for guessing what sort.

[OPTI]

yep i have a good friend over there thats a merc dealer ,wont mention his name on here ,for a suzuki try eds marine super store,theres plenty of importers that sell container space its about 600 per engine plus customs and gst.
i laugh at all the recent ads in the boating magazines telling everyone to avoid grey imports as they arnt made for australian conditions etc,what a load of crap.warranty is the only problem as you will need to freight the broken part back to dealer of purchase,which is no big deal as freight is quick and reasonable.
my 225 optis are 10 grand cheaper landed than if i bought locally [at dealer cost],its a no brainer really.

[deckie]

What they said ^^^

Dont let the scare and guilt trip campaigns rip your own money into another bloke's pocket.

Until something is done about removing the barriers to sensible pricing in this country its a viable and sensible alternative...and despite the selfish whining and guilt trips imposed on us it is actually doing the country a favour in the long run. Just do your homework assuming its a well trodden road.

Understand that by buying locally at inflated prices that price difference is not staying in Australia anyway.

[Steeler]

yep i have a good friend over there thats a merc dealer ,wont mention his name on here ,for a suzuki try eds marine super store,theres plenty of importers that sell container space its about 600 per engine plus customs and gst.
i laugh at all the recent ads in the boating magazines telling everyone to avoid grey imports as they arnt made for australian conditions etc,what a load of crap.warranty is the only problem as you will need to freight the broken part back to dealer of purchase,which is no big deal as freight is quick and reasonable.
my 225 optis are 10 grand cheaper landed than if i bought locally [at dealer cost],its a no brainer really.

Gee Opti you need to get on here more often, i also looked into this several months ago with the ship costs putting me off.If i had of known i could have achieved something around the 600 plus associated costs that would have been real handy to know.

Keep it in the short memory bank for now and PM you next time.

Go Mercs Go Well.

Cheers

Steeler

[ranga7]

yep i have a good friend over there thats a merc dealer ,wont mention his name on here ,for a suzuki try eds marine super store,theres plenty of importers that sell container space its about 600 per engine plus customs and gst.
i laugh at all the recent ads in the boating magazines telling everyone to avoid grey imports as they arnt made for australian conditions etc,what a load of crap.warranty is the only problem as you will need to freight the broken part back to dealer of purchase,which is no big deal as freight is quick and reasonable.
my 225 optis are 10 grand cheaper landed than if i bought locally [at dealer cost],its a no brainer really.

Thanks opti, who did you use to import your mercs?

[OPTI]

im getting mine next month ,im using peter leahy imports ,in labrador.ive used him before,not sure if he is the cheapest but he is local to me and a stress free guy to deal with ,he has containers leaving LA EVERY 2 WEEKS ,he quoted me 600 per engine plus customs charges.
i know eds marine will sell suzuki and mercs to us guys in australia,not yamaha though,there are some good deals on new motors on ebay occasionally as well ,just remember that internal freight in the usa is expensive so try to buy near the state that the container is leaving,otherwise you will waste a few grand on freight,big savings to be had atm