So I'm working a deal on a 2008 diesel 400SS (D-370/ DP-H drives) that needs some items repaired. I've asked the seller to address the items in bold/red while I would deal with the rest. He wants to cut the price a little to let me deal with it. I've never owned a diesel boat nor have I paid a marina to do repairs in many, many years. What should I expect these items to cost to take care of (I kow it will be a regional guess, I'm just trying to get close here!)

I imagine the Volvo parts are a little on the expensive side, changing the cooler should be an easy job, call Volvo and see how much the part is. For the noisy engine I would make sure it is only a tensioner before you buy the boat.

The leak in the helm could be just a new hose or new/rebuilt helm or it could take quite a bit of labor to track down the problem.

Did or will you sea trial the boat? Don't buy it without one. A steering problem or leaky fuel cooler is a great way for the seller to skip a sea trial and hide bigger issues that would show up in a sea trial.

Boat = Bat out another ten thousand

I had 500s in mine but I was told that the diesels are extremely tight to work on. If I were to do it again I would go with the diesels and hard top. My cockpit ice maker cost me $450 to repair.

mine had a squeal on STBD. Turned out to be a belt and retention.
The fuel cooler is above heat exchanger/oil cooler. Is a hose clamp loose?

This list is the surveyors report and I've been on/driven the boat. The steering leak wasn't obvious at the time. The pulley squeal is really just that.....and found the owner recently replaced the same pulley of the other motor. There was water in the bilge.....now we know where it was coming from (surveyor took a closeup pic while underway showing the water leak). Engines ran great, IR temp gun confirmed both running exactly the same and I'll get oil/fluid sample results back tomorrow. This is a freshwater only boat being sold by the original owner. It was regularly used/kept up for the first few years.....then they bought a house on the ocean and spend all their time there so that boat has very little use the last 3 years. He had a problem with muskrats or something getting on the boat and I fear the electrical problems could be chewed wires.

This is the one in GA and it is a hard top........certainly packed in tighter than the gas models I've already looked at!

Any way to get in touch with that guy Robert in Alabama that sold a bunch of these? He seemed to be a guru of all things Formula


Well strike that:
We lost a member today. RIP Robert Nelems aka 'MagicFloat'

Yeah, I bought my previous 382 from Robert....great guy. Too bad he passed a couple years ago.