Damn, 200 posts and I dont know **** about this sport. I need a life :rolleyes:

My boat is a 78... granted the engines are new, but the tranny, outdrives, and other connected parts are original.

I can go down to my local merc dealer and get any part i need... from a 22 year old boat.

try that with a ford motor that needs a marine version transmission interconnector discombombulator...

:eek: :eek: :eek:

....Because....oh , never mind, I dont want to bash anybody elses stuff...but it seems that they just work well...until someone else gets their fingers in there...this could come back to haunt me after this winters rebuild ???? I'm not justifying the high prices but it seems most of the good "other guys" are pretty expensive too! So far... all of my merc motors (12 so far) have been very trouble free...some others guy's have had problems ????? Maybe I should just stick with ....I dont want to bash anyone elses stuff !! :D

Why do they charge so much for a Merc Motor? Because they can! Try buying just a new Merc drive without the engine. The cost of the drive is not proportional to the cost of buying the package. It's much higher. The same with Merc replacment parts. There is no reason why they should be that expensive, but they have this market cornered and they are going to keep it that way. I wish someone out there could keep them honest.

Nickslick, I understand what your saying but thats a hell of a price for product support. My boats a 93 and has an OMC engine/drive. I can go to my local NAPA auto parts store and buy most anything from their marine catalog.

The real answer here is that companies will charge whatever the consumer is willing to pay. Very similar to Harley Davidsons approach. Both companies have had a niche that they have exploited. I think that is now coming to an end.

Whitenuckle...you typed what I was thinking

[ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: Intolerant1 ]

I wont even make the Microsoft analogy. Not like Merc ever forced any of its competitors out of business :rolleyes:

Easy, it's a production engine. Every sport has the production manufacturer. People need this, it makes everything easier. Cars/Boats etc. You want an easy setup, merc 500s and Bravo(whatever XR,etc). Just remember, every sport needs a production product, merc just happens to slap everything together with warranty and you pay a hefty premium. Heh, just look at the 900SC....

I think the comments about the drive requirement and merc having you by the short hairs are close to the mark. If you look at ski boats with inboards and v-drives as well as production jet boats there are a variety of other engine manufactures and in house brands- in these markets there is likely a higher percentage of "other" than there is Merc.

On the other hand I like my 454 Mag- once Mr. Whipple came thru. The price to upgrade to a HP and higher is ludicrous. :eek:

So now with the BPM drives now available and seemingly working well, why not ship the boat manufacturer the engines of your choice and let them rig the drives?

I think the problem is that the name Mercury sells to the novice and these are the type of people that want to write a check and get a boat with little to no hassle. I bet any manufacturer would work with any engine and drive package you sent to them.

because people pay it!