I know there is someone on here that

that can tell me about a 1986 model 120 mercruiser thats in a 18 foot starcraft boat I'm looking at. I have owned probably 20 boats over the years,but never a Inboard/outboard. I want to know the good and the bad about a rig this old [looks like its been garaged its whole life] . I'm not too worried about the hull [aluminum] It's mainly the engine and the outdrive I would like to find out the info on. Do the give a lot of trouble as compared to a outboard? Less trouble? Gas comsumption? Do they have a transmision? How about the foot [Outdrive]? What do I need to look at or checkout while trying it out? Any and all info welcome.
Thanks:confused:

The "boot" that connects the motor to the outdrive outside the transom dries out, I sold a 82 modle last spring and it is still going strong,I bought it new and put a new points in it each spring. It was a Mercruse 140.
Rowdy

Make sure you winterize it well. The inboard motors are bad about popping the freeze plugs out when you don't get all the water out. A local marina should be able to tell you all the things to check for and plugs to remove.
Just a heads up for ya!

Do a compression check. Check the oil for water. If it hasn't been ran in salt water, thats a big plus. No transmission. And like mentioned, check the boot real close. A leaky boot is not good.

Mercruisers run great and are great engines when well kept. Check the engine block for any cracks, and anything stated before. I would ask if you can take it for a test run to make sure it functions properly. I/O engines are great engines when they are well kept. My grandpa has a Mercuriser 325 or 350 I think.

I thought the hardest thing about an I/O was working on them.

Yeah as Sac-a-lait said some things can be a pain to get to them on such as oil filters and such. You have to have a pump to pump the oil out when you change it. Have to be careful not to hit anything with the out drive. If you do you will bust the boot and its not a good thing.

Very dependable engine, not to mention economical to run.Very few things can go wrong with this engine.A few things to check.If you live in a cold region, you have to drain the block and the manifold before a hard freeze, people in the south dont have to worry about this.Things that can go wrong are water pump impeller(general maintence) u-joint, exhaust and shift cable bellows can dry rot and crack.U-joint and gimbal bearings if not greased or if water gets in them can rust and go bad.As far as the boat goes make sure the floor is good.If I remember right thats a blue boat with a white bottom and red pin stripes.They did have some issues with the floor around 84 to 86 era, but if its been stored inside you should be fine.Good luck on your decision.PJ