2007 Donzi 27 Zr
 

I am about to order a 27 zr donzi over the next few days-----My question is ------do I man up and cop the 525 for the extra 25 grand or will the 496 HO cut the mustard just fine??????
Also any feedback I get will be greatly appreciated. Thanks from the great south bay in NY.

How fast will it run with each engine package?
What's the total price for each boat?

525. You'll never look back. You get the XR drive as well. I thought about one with a 496 HO, sell that engine as a zero hour take out for good $$, buy a Chief 575 or 650 put that in for about the same total $$ as the 525 package. The only problem is the XR drive upgrade then raises the price to somewhat above the 525 package price. Lots of work too, and it would probably hurt resale. Stock 525 with the XR seems the way to go. High 70s, maybe 80 with dialing. Enjoy, its a cool boat. Great size, low profile, flat deck, good cabin and cockpit space, nice dash. Only minor things I dont like are the rear seat headrests and the flimsy roll up cabin door thing.

That pretty much sums it right up!
Although I like the headrests.:D

You should not be paying 25K for a 525EFI upgrade over a 496HO. It is about 16K!

On the 27 ZR MSRP is: 496 Mag/HO is $97,831 On the 525 th MSRP Is:$130,134 thats a little more the $16,000 there is a little more involved then just changing the engine on a single boat. Instead of trim tabs the 525 comes with K-Planes, full hydraulic steering, headers, my thought on this is how fast do you want to go and can you run the speed in the water.
The 525 package on the ZR will run 10mph faster then the 496/HO thats runs 72-74 mph. Kevin it all comes down is it worth the extra speed.

Remember that the 525 only has a 1 year warranty. I've read you can buy an extended warranty for some big$$$. The 496 can be warranteed longer for less and all the new Merc engines run off of 87 octane now (I was at their website recently). The 525 will have a whole lot more fun factor though once it's out of warranty, it's expensive. I know. I ended up buying a boat with a messed up engine to begin with(unbeknownst to me) and 8000 dollars later, it's still not running. (almost done) Also, valve springs should be replaced every 100 hrs, it's the one weak link. That is usually a 2k+ bill as well. Just do the research on how much it costs to own vs the 496 and see if your yearly budget fits the bill. That's my recommendation. Keep us updated with the boat!!!

George the dog sez!!! 525!!!:D

I was just talking about what Mercury would sell the 525EFI package vs 496HO.

I think the answer is simply money. If you got the bucks for the initial outlay and additional maintainence, go blue. I mean, who wouldn't want a 525/XR/CMIs? HOT!!!!

Having said this, I've read everything I can find on this site regarding blue motors and the 496 HO. Most threads have indicated that the 496 HO will go twice as many hours before a refresh is neccessary. The new Blue EFI motors have improved value train vs the older blue.

For me, hours before refresh is important.