New Member - Getting ready for first Mariah purchase
 

Hi all,

I'm heading out today to take a test drive in a '98 Shabah 222. It has a Volvo 7.4Gi / DP with 400 hours on her. Second owner. From the pics it looks pretty clean. I'm not new to boating, but I am new to Mariahs. Is there anything I should look in particular while checking it out? The only things that I know of that are wrong with it is the trim gauge doesn't work (hoping its the sender), and the lift for the engine bay is toast.

Please give some advice as I'm heading out in 8 hours and would like to drive it home tonight if it checks out. If its really clean is $15,500 a good price? Being that they're so rare I just don't know what to expect come resale time.

Thanks!
Shane

Shane,

Sounds like a decent deal. Some things to check... especially if it's a "Z" package (docking lights, power seat, defogger, etc.) check that all switches work. Mariahs have so many electronics and gadgets that you can't help but run into a few electrical gremlins once in a while. Usually it's just a corroded connector. Check that all plastic and vinyl pieces are in good shape (can't get them anymore). Besides the regular engine items like temperature, volts, etc., I'd ask for service records. Listen for odd noises. Mariahs are well built, solid boats and should show well if it's been taken care of.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!

Thanks Ryan,

Yes it is a 'Z' series. (Just found out, which books for higher :-)

What is the defogger? I asked the owner and he sounded confused. Just said it had wipers on it. Unless its a feature he overlooked. Is it a blower, or hear strip? It sounds loaded to the gills. Power seats, anchor light, hatch...

Glad to hear I'm not getting hosed. Its hard to compare price with all you east coasters as our boat prices are CONSIDERABLY higher over hear. I think its all the big fresh water lakes.

Also how accurate ore the speedos on these? Are they GPS or just water pressure like everything else? I'm just curious on what the top end really is.

Thanks!

The defogger is a blower built into the dash on the drivers side. It's got a vent that faces the windshield, and when switched on, it blows air onto the windshield to keep it it from fogging up.

The speedos are water pressure based. If it doesn't work, we can help you fix that!

With a 7.4L DP in a 222, that thing should easily run in the high 50's, possibly low to mid 60's!

Good luck, and let us all know how it turns out!

Speaking of the Speedo
 

We bought our 1992 1900z and the guy had a 5 fin prop on it. Well the speedo was not working on it at the time and we were having listing problems while on the lake. So we decided to change to the original 3 fin prop and now the speedo is working and the boat doesn't list nearly as bad.