Serial Numbers??????

[payloan]

As some of you may know I am in the market fo an outdrive (standard Bravo) I have been bidding on E-Bay and I am loooking real good on one, bid ends tonite. Only qeustion is in the picture the drive has no stickers. the guy says he repainted the drive and didnt put any stickers back on. I asked if at least the serial #'s were still visible for future reference and he says "you know I dont know?" My question is is there a place to run serial #'s to make sure there clean and second should the serial #'s be legible even without the sticker. And last do I push the guy to give them to me before I buy? I just dont want to piss anyone off and lose out on a good deal.

[Scream]

Well, You're the customer. If your unsure, you need to "ease" your mind. Kaviat Emptor (sp?) or let the buyer beware. contact Mercury Marine and see if they offer help in the serial number arena, otherwise I would think an authorized repair facility would have access to the database for that drive...
Otherwise, how good of a deal would it be?

[payloan]

thats the same thing I was thinking. This whole E-Bay thing Ithink just has my "chonies" in a bundle you know what I mean? Sending off a good chunk of change in some cases so many miles away to someone you never even see is all a little bit weird to me. I just cant find one at a good price around here I,ve called a few shops but I may as well buy new!

[Dave C]

you can type in the serial number on Mercruiser's website to tell you what model it is and order parts.
other than that... don't burn your fingers........ouch... why's it so hot.;)

[twistedpair]

No serial #?:confused: I would definitely worry about it being stolen. The paint makes me nervous also. Kinda like if you see a street bike advertised with 'fresh paint and graphics', you can pretty much bet it has been wrecked.

[payloan]

It just through me off when I saw the picture because it had no stickers on it , and I know that the serial # is on the sticker so I wasnt quite sure what to make of it. And remember were talking E- Bay here. The guy has been reg. with E-Bay for a little under a year with only a few feedbacks (all possitive) if that matters

[RiverToysJas]

Ask the guy if he has any Lifeline jackets, and maybe a quad-whipple for sale!!!! ;)
RTJas :D

[payloan]

thats what through me off. Either its really old and hes trying to throw me for a loop is what I am thinking, thats the main reason I want to see if I can run the #s to see what year it actually is. He says its a '97 what do you think.

[payloan]

and by the way you guys are not making me feel any better looks like I am back to the alpha search again, the only thing is I am the hi- bidder and i have allready retracted a bid last week I probably will be banned from E- Bay after only being a member for a couple of weeks (got to be a record) SOMEONE OUTBID ME PLEase

[phebus]

If you retract your bid because the seller couldn't provide you with a valid serial number, I would think that ebay would accept it without a change in your bidding status.

[payloan]

I have been searching for somewhere on E-Bay that will let me describe the situation but all I come with is a part that says "seller changed description" but before I do that I "PMed" the guy so Im gonna see what he comes back with. Who knows I may be totally overreacting for nothing..... It happens from time to time around here.

[Debbolas]

I don't know if this will help.................but, I bought an autographed photo of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) from e-bay for $20. They let me send a check.
Be carefull, you hear all the time about people getting ripped off. If it is too good to be true, it probably isn't.
;)

[Boatcop]

A drive without serial numbers is probably stolen. Especially if it is at a "really good price", and sold on something like eBay. That's the common method to dispose of "hot" parts.
The problem with no serial number, is that if it needs service, any reputable Merc mechanic wouldn't touch it. There are several changes in design and parts throughout the years, and even in model years. The only way they know exactly what they're working on, and what parts (seals, gears, etc.) is through the serial number.
If you have the serial number your local Merc Shop could check to see if it's listed at Merc Warranty, which could also tell you the history of the engine (warranty repairs, service, etc.) If the numbers provided even come back to a proper year Bravo, AND who the original purchaser was.
Serial numbers "May" be listed in the National FBI stolen article computers and/or reported to Mercury warranty as stolen, but for that to be done, the person reporting them stolen would have had to tell the police the numbers. He would have had to put them in the report, and they would have had to be put into "the system" by a secretary. I've found that few stolen engines/drives have been properly entered, so there's no record of them.
This is especially true if the entire boat was stolen. Usually just the boat is entered, and the associated stuff (engine, drive, housing, etc.) goes unreported.
I can't run stuff like that, without a genuine law enforcement purpose, as in a case I'm actively working. So unfortunately I can't be of any help. Someone like "BoatPI" at Todd and Associates, who have other resources to draw from than I have, could probably check for you.

[payloan]

Thanks boatcop for the info. Like I said earlier I have "PM" out to this guy I still haven't got a response I'll just have to wait it out a little while longer.

[BoatPI]

Chances are it is stolen or part of an insurance fraud. the issue with e bay is the location of the part. I can trace all Merc numbers, but the seller may not give that up. If you are still interested in shaking this down e mail me at BoatPI@Verizon.net. I will need the item numbers and what communications you have had with the seller.

[payloan]