Swapping from Evinrude ETEC to Suzuki

[TackDriver284]

Today I have dumped Evinrude, and opted for Suzuki for saltwater fishing. I have been using Evinrude and Johnsons since 1994, and Mercruiser inboard on a Cobia before that. I am a die hard Evinrude fan until today. I have had a 175 ETEC on my bay boat since 2015 and had issues after issues. Many times its quit on me after driving over 4k rpms and engine quits due to overheating, I even had a new water pump installed and thermostat as well and I got tired of thinking " Am I gonna make it back to the dock with my family? " I do have a membership with BoatUS which will help you on the water or on the road for trailer assist. They will tow you back to the dock safely, just a call and they will be there in 30-45 minutes, even offshore assist. My boat bogged down on us half a mile from the dock with my family on board, and Towboats was called and we got towed back in in under an hour.
Been at several dealers looking for a price on a new 175 Suzuki 4 stroke, and no one wants to trade in that ETEC that I have right now, because they call it junk. There was lots of issues with Evinrude that the company no longer makes ETEC or Evinrude motors, went out of business and no longer in production and resale value on Evinrude engines are very very low. Lots of dealers quit servicing on Evinrude engines, and my old dealer advised me to look for a new service dealer to work on my Evinrude a couple years after I bought that boat because they no longer work on Evinrude and they parted ways with Evinrude. My old dealer who built my boat and I had a chat after 8 years, they did offer to trade in, to use my ETEC for parts, ordered me a new Suzuki 175 4 stroke and to install my new engine, control box, cables, gauges, install a new jack plate assembly and new seat covers. Should be ready in about 2 weeks, engine is on order and I caught that Suzuki promotion in time that offered a 7 year warranty on the engine, it expires on March 31, 2025. Has anyone had any reliability issues with Evinrude and Suzuki these days? Almost everywhere I see people with Suzuki and Yamaha engines.
I feel I'm on the right track picking Suzuki due to excellent reliability, performance, low fuel consumption and the 7 year warranty promotion offer.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Has anyone had any reliability issues with Evinrude and Suzuki these days? Almost everywhere I see people with Suzuki and Yamaha engines.
I feel I'm on the right track picking Suzuki due to excellent reliability, performance, low fuel consumption and the 7 year warranty promotion offer.

Seeing as Evinrude stopped making engines in 2020, I doubt that anyone is really buying them any more. I have one of the Johnson outboards (9.9) from when Bombardier made them for a short time in the early 2000s. Other than the fact that the carburetor has rotten out twice despite using only non-ethanol fuel, it has been a fine engine for me.

All I see is Mercury engines around here.
One of my friends is a boat manufacturer, and he is Mercury's largest client (by $). He has nothing but good to say about them.

 

[FNWhelen]

I have one or more of all the major brands and feel like they all make good stuff today. So the dealer is what makes if I buy brand X or brand Y. Around here I feel the Suzuki dealer is the best so that is what is on the boat I use most. My 200hp is about six years old and has been flawless. I use a 9.9 on the same boat to troll with and it is around 15 years old with a ton of hours that has also been great. I think you will be pleased with your new engine.