Suzuki or Yamaha? And why?

[Kracker Jack]

Lost my motor Sunday and I'm gonna go brandnew. I want everybody's opinion. I know quite a bit about both but I want yalls opinion. Are yammy a really worth the extra money? And go!

[spareparts]

The prices Ive gotten(and sell for) are not that much difference between the two. i'm a huge fan of the Yamaha 150, IMO its the best engine in its class available. Suzuki has a good engine, but they have to prove they've addressed the corrosion issue and start honoring their warranties. At one time there were 5 dealers in our area selling Suzuki engines, now there are none, all based on warranty issues and how Suzuki handled them. By comparison, every dealer in this area sells Yamaha(12), 5 sell Mercury, Only one sells Honda(they aren't price or weight competitive, and corrode worse than Suzuki's). Our lone Etec dealer(long time OMC dealer) finally threw in the towel and stopped selling E Tecs(too many issues with them). Personally in salt water, it would be between Yamaha and Merc. One major choice for you is which dealer are you buying from, that will have a big influence on your choice

[phatdaddy]

You didn't say what hp your looking at.

I went with the merc 150 4S. 360 hours and 30 months later, I'm happy. Our local merc dealer is outstanding and this was a big factor in my decision. All of the reviews I've seen on the merc have been good. Super easy to work on, very simple engine. I think i had $13000 out the door, new prop,controls , wire harness, cables, smart guage, platinum extended warranty.

[Kracker Jack]

140 was great on my boat but I'm looking for a little more giddy up so the 150 Suzuki is really what I'm eyeballing. I have 2 fishing buddy's pushing me towards yamaha 150

[Blue_Runner]

Yamaha but only because for me it would be plug and play with existing controls, guages, prop, etc.

But Spare brings up a good point. Suzuki really left a skid mark on their reputation with the corrosion fiasco.

If I'm not mistaken it was an aluminum plug (bolt) that caused the problem and was supposedly addressed some time in 2008. Does anyone know - were some 2008 models impacted? Or was it just up until 2007?

[THEFERMANATOR]

I HATE saying it, but I would go for a YAMAHA. I LOVE SUZUKI outboards, but they are PLAGUED with corrosion going all the way back to the beginning. They have tried adding in all kinds of zincs to combat the issue, but it still boils down to they use cheap aluminum. YAMAHA on the other hand uses decent aluminum AND proper zinc placement to combat the issue so long as you do your part and keep up with your maintence. The YAMAHA 150 is a heck of an engine from what I've heard. Theres a member here who had one, and had nothing but positive to say. You could also look at there new 175/200 as they are nearly identical in weight to the 150 if you want some extra giddyup for the calm days.

If I was looking for the perfect match, I would have to say a 2.5L OPTIMAX would get my nod though just to throw a monkey wrench into the equation.

[Kracker Jack]

Here is the plug in question. Steel plugs were used......not very smart. This is my motor

[spareparts]

Originally Posted by Kracker Jack

Here is the plug in question. Steel plugs were used......not very smart. This is my motor

there are other corrosion issues with Suzukis, Ive got a 115 on the rack in my shop that is making milky oil, runs great otherwise. General consensus is the cylinder head is corroded thru. I'll add to what Phat Daddy said, the newer Mercury 150's are getting great reviews.


Friends of mine, 8700 hour 150's http://yamahaoutboards.com/yamaha-advantage/reliability

[SkunkBoat]

Originally Posted by Kracker Jack

Here is the plug in question. Steel plugs were used......not very smart. This is my motor

I have a post or two addressing that problem (search DF140) so I won't repeat it all. If thats the same plug as mine in the exhaust it was fixable. Mine is an 2003 that I bought in 04. It now has 1200 hrs. Yamaha had a similar exhaust housing problem in the 2003ish vintage four strokes so there you go... Four strokes were relatively new in 2003 and I think all mfgrs have worked the problems out...except Verados...

I agree there are way more dealer/service guys for Yamaha and that's a very valid consideration. resale is probably much better also. Yamahas are great motors.
I haven't priced them in a while but it used to be $2k difference at least. That means you might be able to get the upgraded instrument package with the trolling rpm control, fuel burn, etc... or get a 175 for the price of a Yammie 150

I like that the Suzukis have timing chains not belts and I like the offset shaft that puts the weight closer to the transom. I would replace my DF140 with a new DF150 without hesitation... unless I somehow got a really great deal on a Yammie from a highly regarded dealer. Did I say Yamahas are great motors?

Oh and stay with four stroke...end the blue smoke!

[Kracker Jack]

Just got a great price. 150 Suzuki, new prop,gauge,binnacle, harness and hydraulic uniflex steering installed all for $13,775.