D-Drive Vs. V-Drive maintenance costs

Well, my older d-drive ski boat met the bottom of the river this summer, so it is now time to upgrade to a newer boat. The one question that I still have, is what the difference in the cost of ownership between a d-drive and v-drive is? Just wondering things like maintenance costs, repairs, etc… I don’t have any questions about the wake differences, I have ridden both, and am really only trying to justify spending the extra 5-8k. I have narrowed my choices down to a 95+ Nautique Super Sport, or a MC 205V if I go for a V-Drive, and pretty sure about just a plain 205 d-drive if not a V. If you could let me know about your experiences with keeping up with repairs between the two types, I'd really appreciate it.

I have had both, and I don't think there is a big difference in overall maintenance costs, but the v-drive is tougher to work on. It's harder to get to the shaft-seal for instance. A V would be more expensive if you ever had to have the transfer case (the actual v-drive unit) repaired or replaced).

Re-sale value may be better with the V, but that doesn't help you buy it or pay for it while you own it.

What happened to your old boat?

My old boat, what didn't happen with it. Short version:

Out on the river this summer, and going into a turn I felt the steering go out. Started emptying the sacks in the rear to access the shaft and rudder area, and noticed that as I was emptying the sack, the back end kept sinking lower.

Needless to say, by that point, it was a gonner. Whole boat was submerged in under 10 minutes. Luckily I had a friend out there on his boat that came and saved us. I have some pictures I can post from when they lowered the river the other week.

Please don't buy a boat for that.. Think about what layout works best for your needs and wants??? Is this a pure wakeboard boat or cross over for ski & wake. How many people and how much stuff and equipment do you normally take out. Are you going to spend most of your time enjoying your boat or working on your new boat??? How many times are you going to say, "I know it doesn't have much storage or ballast, and the motor takes up most of the cockpit, but the mechanic will thank me when he winterizes her."