Cheap boat advice.

I would like to get myself a new boat soon but my bujet for a boat is limited at this point. I want to stay under $10k. Am I better off with an old V-drive or a newer I/O and upgrading later?

Must be an open bow.

You will be hard pressed to find a V-drive for 10K. I follow the used boat market kind of as a hobby and I have seen about 3 or 4 V-drives under 10K in the last two years (and they were rough). You may find a Nautique Excel, but they are rare and usually around 12-15K. You may be able to get into a nice Direct Drive inboard around that price if you are patient and look diligently. Sport Nautiques, Pro Star 205 and Malibu Sunsetter LX's may be within reach. I have had I/O's, direct drives and V-drives and I prefer Direct Drives or V-drives. It depends on what you are going to be doing the most. If the boat is in the water, we are wakeboarding, surfing or wakeskating. So an inboard makes more sense. I also like the option of being able to wakesurf, and you can't do that behind an I/O.

Sounds like my choices are a direct drive with no room or a I/O with no wake.

Direct Drives don't necessarily have no room, it is just distributed differently. It depends on how big your crew is. I should have also mentioned Supra Sunsports and Saltares. All of the ones I mentioned: Sport Nautique, Pro Star 205, Sunsetter, Sunsport are all open bow too. The Mastercraft Maristar series may be out there for a reasonable price and some of those have some room.

I'm with Steve 100%. Check this one out...

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=507154

If you wait until winter many of the above-mentioned boats will be more in reach.