'Tis the season for shady deals

First priority we suggest when buying a second hand jetski, is to:

a. Make sure the servicing is up to date

b. Ask the owner for a copy of the service history

In reality, often the buyer gets to the sellers place for viewing the jetski, asks about the service history, the buyer says "yeah its all up to date" and that's that.

We've now had two confirmed instances where our service sticker has been altered to look like the service is up to date. In one of the those cases, the sticker was taken from another jetski entirely. We had never serviced the ski at all.

The buyer would have got around this scam by insisting on viewing the service records. If the owner says they don't have them, just ask which company did the service and follow up with them. Although the company might not be able to give you the details for privacy reasons, at least you can confirm a service was done (or not), and get the owners permission to access the records from the service agent (a fee may apply).

It sounds like such a basic thing, but the service records can tell you quite a bit. For every year of age of the jetski, we would expect an annual service record. If it has this, it's a very good sign it has been cared for.

If the service is due, it is an economical way to by-pass a pre-purchase inspection by simply agreeing to get the service done instead, noting with the service agent that you will be purchasing it if everything looks normal.

Ideally when looking at the service records, you want to see the oil, oil filter and spark plug change. On our service notes, we also let the customer know if any issues will be due for repair next season or in the near future. These are the notes you want to look for.

Recently, after our encouragement to get the history, a buyer was given a 'service record' which was actually a significant repair, noting corrosion issues. Excellent honesty on behalf of the owner, and needless to say it gave the buyer something to think about as far as risk of purchasing.

So, in review; If buying a used jetski, always seek out the service history. It can tell you so much for very little effort and cost, prior to going further down the track. We are currently in a "Buyers Market" so take your time and get it right.

More tips like this in the online Buyers Guide.