Should I buy this jet ski without a key?

[jameslloyd285]

Want to buy this Yamaha jet ski at auction:

https://abetter.bid/en/30757629-2017-yamaha-waverunner

Ran VIN report check https://www.epicvin.com/en/check-vin...5ed4ac65374160 and seems like jet ski doesn't have any problems. The auction looks reliable, they have a lot of jet skis for sale https://abetter.bid/en/car-finder/type-jet-ski . So is it worth getting a secondhand ski with no key?

[K447]

How would they know it runs properly without a key to start it?

Until it has been properly inspected and water tested, you would not know if it has a significant problem.



In this photo, looks like some retaining bolts are missing from lower left ignition coils. That suggests someone was working on it, attempting to repair something, and did not finish (or just gave up).

Who knows what the actual problem is, or what work it may still need

[trckdrvr]

"Should I buy this jet ski"..



No.

[raven007]

[raven007]

I mean.... if you wanna learn how to spend a buttload of money, rebuild a TR1 from scratch, and generally get your phd in hard knocks and bad luck, you should totally buy it.

[Myself]

"Should I buy this jet ski..........for less than $200 ?"

Yes.

[gprdanny]

You can find a bunch of skis from that seller on miami craiglist. Keep in mind this unit was a rental and you can use any yamaha key as the ex model did not have a security key option that i recall. You can find a much better deal then that. Find only local that you can test and see in person. Not everyone gets lucky on internet finds.

[grumpy_steven]

Reminds me of something I read on one of these forums:

You can buy a new JetSki for $10,000 or buy a project for $1,000 and spend $9,000 making it as good as new.


There are some good deals on fixable JetSkis, but you need to know what you're getting into before taking the plunge. I usually spend no more than a few hundred dollars and stick to models that I've worked on before and have spare parts for. And I know when to ditch the project and just sell off the parts to re-coup my investment.

Rentals tend to be pretty beaten up and damaged. I prefer to get a clean hull and do mechanical repairs. It's tough to get a ratty hull to look good.