need advice on used outboard purchase...

[THEFERMANATOR]

In the 90's it could have been 2.0L's or 2.5L's. They offered both in 150HP from around 91+. The switch boxes can give some trouble, but aren't normally that bad. No worse than OMC's powerpacks. All of them pretty well used the same electronics though if they were carb motors. Normally when they give constant problems with the electronics like you describe, there is a problem somewhere else that is actually causing the problem. Many times a stator will fail constantly from a bad rectifier or battery, but thet stator will get replaced and the other actual problem overlooked and then it happens again and again. Or switch boxes fail from the wrong stator flywheel combo or a bad coil, yet the switchbox is continually blamed when it is actually working fine but getting burned out by another problem.

As for what this engine is worth, I wouldn't go to high on it. These engines do pop-up from time to time with better options on them for fair money. I believe RM sold a nice one last year for $3400 on Ebay that was a 2.0L 150 25" shaft.