Which one to get, help me decide

[konon]

Hello, new to boating, long time reader, first post

I'm looking for my first boat, and came across 2 Sea Rays. One is 1994 200 5.0 and the other is 1997 190 4.3. Same price, both are in a very similar, excellent conditions, both fresh water and under 300hrs.

Please help me decide, and the reasons why one over the other. Any and all opinions are greatly appreciated!

-AP

 

[Stee6043]

Have photos or links to share?

 

[konon]

Have photos or links to share?

Here are some of 1994 200

 

[konon]

Have photos or links to share?

Here is 1997 190. The boat is stored in a garage.

 

[dtfeld]

Without knowing what you intend to do with the boat, it’s hard to tell. Condition in a 30 year old boat is going to be pretty important. All things being equal, I’d take the 5.0 small block. Torque is everything in a boat. I’m not a fan of the 4.3.

 

[Windjammer]

agree with dtfeld - not a fan of the 4.3 and have been pleased with the 5.0 in our runabout.

 

[Golfman25]

When the condition is equal, bigger is always better.

 

[Stee6043]

Oiy, they put that 94 away dirty. It's spotless in the first few photos but they wrapped it with disgusting looking sides. You gotta wonder how the rest of it looks under the wrap.

All else being equal, I'd go with the 94 just based on aesthetics (assuming it can be made to look exactly like the first few pictures again). That blue is sharp, I like it. The green looks nice too, but I'm not a big fan of green.

 

[konon]

Thank you everybody for the input, it's a great community! I ended up putting a deposit on a near mint 1987 Sorrento S24, with 5.7 and 280 original hours, always stored indoors. The price is $8500 including trailer. Is it a fair deal, or should I reconsider?