Motor Condition

I am looking at an 2003 Air Warrior Elite with 120 hours? I am going for a test drive this week, but I had a few questions about the motor. How clean should the motor be? If the owner never specifically cleaned the motor, should it still be very clean? There is just a little oil residue on parts of the motor. I would never question this on a car, because it is a fact of life. Also, there are one or two small pieces in the engine compartment that are rusty. Should anything be rusty? I should mention that this is a v-drive with the 350 Mag.

Any thoughts.

Thanks,

Darin

Generally boat engines stay cleaner than car engines. With 120 hours should be very clean, If stored outside with no cover could get some dust and dirt in there but would show more wear on the boat interior. Some people spray rust/corrosion inhibitor on engines for winterization, could that be the source of oil residue. Get a compression test and take a good long test drive, watch temp, oil pressure, and performance at all speeds and loads.

The marine environment will cause some rust when paint gets chipped. Shouldn't be a problem if the boat was used only in fresh water.