I hope this guide helps! If it does, please indicate so by voting below. Thanks!

As a former service advisor at one of the largest boat and personal watercraft dealerships in the country, I have picked up a few things that may be helpful to the masses out there looking to purchase used pwc's. Here are the most important things I've found:

• Inspect the hull for cracks and chips. It may sound obvious, but, if someone beats on their machine and doesn't care for it well, it is a sign that it may not be cared for mechanically.
• Inspect the intake grate and the impellor for damage. It is one of the most popular places to damage on a pwc, by ingesting rocks or sand through the intake and out of the impellor. Average cost to repair: $350 to $675 dollars.
• Check compression. Most older pwc's are two strokes, and may still run, even with a hole in a piston. A compression check is a good test for a healthy motor. The piston below would probably still move in the cylinder and produce enough compression to run (poorly), but would fail a compression test due to the severe etching of the cylinder walls.
  

• Take it for a test drive, if possible. Most motivated sellers won't object if you are a serious buyer.
• Avoid discontinued brands. Arctic Cat Tigershark and all Polaris models are out of production, and all repairs are getting costly. Most reputable dealerships won't touch a Tigershark, because new parts are generally unavailable.
• Many older pwcs have wiring issues. Electrical equipment in a marine environment only has a limited life span, and connections corrode more readily than on a land vehicle. The picture below is of a pwc that suffered damage as a result of a fire caused by corroded battery connections.

• Ask a local dealership about any recalls a particular machine may have. Be sure that they are up to date. These days, all they need is the hull ID number, and they can look it up on the internet. And remember: Safety bulletins very rarely expire, no matter how old the machine is.