So, I have met with a man who has offered me a 1977 Chrysler boat with a 120 hp Force outboard with only 50 hours on the engine. I have checked the tilt, trim, and hull stability. The bilge pump and steering all work. He was asking 3800 and I was able to talk him down to 2850, and was first of all wondering if this deal was too good to be true. He has ran into health issues that disable him from using the boat and he stated that he needed the money by the end of the week to undergo more procedures from the doctor. This is a 70 year old male, who has several other nice items for sale from his home, and I trust his integrity. I don't know that the boat was properly winterized, however, and wanted to make sure the engine ran before taking it off of his hands. I have only owned 2-stroke jonboats, and as this is a four stroke engine, I assume there is much more to check and whatnot before attempting to run the boat and taking it home with me. If anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it. He has the receipt of installation of the new motor and all that, and stated that it had been winterized, but not by an authorized dealer. I was going to go tomorrow with the cash, but wanted to figure out how to make the boat run before giving him any of my hard-earned cash for what could easily become a project boat. Any insight would be great. Thanks.
Alan

Jesus H Christ, paragraphs!

I don't know much about boat motors, but I'd say change the oil (4-stokes have dedicated lube systems), run some water and cleaner or something through the cooling system, and spray some cleaner through the carb.

Too good to be true? Too good to be moral.
He's selling off his prized possessions for treatment because your healthcare system is the most fuckededest in the entire world, and you're happy ripping him off 50 bucks short of another grand? Have a change of heart man, spare a little bit more.

I'm not ripping into you or anything like that, just something to consider. Of course, there's absolutely no reason why any buyer should pay more than they have to, but a reduction from 3800 to 2850 is very large. Give him 3200 dude. What's an extra $350 to you when you're going to be out having shit tonnes of fun in a nice classic boat? Just kidding. So, can't you test it in a kiddy pool or put the engine in a 44 gallon drum or something?

By the way, thanks for the spelling and grammar. 23 points for you.