www.iFourWinns.com

Are there any pros or cons to owning either of these engines and drivetrains. Would it be a deal breaker if a boat had one or the other?

As stated in previous posts, I'll be a newbie once I make my purchase.

I refering to a v-8 I/O setup by the way.

Looking forward to your opinions,
Dennis

Just search a little... we have more Volvo vs Merc threads than almost anything (except props)!

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Walt B
"Debt-Charged"
Black '07 H210SS
6.2L Bravo One turning a 21P HIFive
Wakeboard Tower with Perfect Pass Stargazer version
Missouri River; Kansas City, Mo.

Yeah, search to your heart's content on this one. Here's a summary: they both use the same GM engines and both drives are great. Assuming availability of the boats is the same, go with the one that's going to have the most accessible service in your area. In some areas it can be hard to find Volvo mechanics, and/or parts if you don't want to buy them online.

I really like my Volvo but wouldn't think twice about a Merc if that's what the boat I wanted had.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

+1 to Mikes comments.

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

So similar, you might as well choose based on liking the color black or grey.



(I think the grey ones shift smoother on the older ones though)

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H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum

Ok so the color choice is not the only reason. I will just give you my personal experience. I wanted to get a merc because people told me all the time that its easier to fix a merc because the parts availability is easy and everyone work on it. I was a bit scared of the volvo but after having it I must say I like it. The volvo is not vulnerable to overheating as the merc counterpart. Just do a internet search they even make water jets to cool the drive. The volvo drive has a easily removable raw water impellar. If you boat somewhere that you think you may suck something into the intake and need to replace it then I strongly recomend the Volvo drive. The merc drive you need to remove the lower end on the outdrive to replace the impeller. (This should be done every two years) Replacing the Volvo impeller take a total of 5 minutes. Even if you only know how to use a simple screwdrive replacing the volvo impeller is easy. Owning a direct drive boat before and it not being a deep V the bottom was further from the bottom so I never ran into this problem. Then moving into the fourwinns I got mud into the intake once that I had to remove alot of engine hoses right there on the water and clean it all out. Boy I was glad I had the volvo. As far as repairs really there isn't much to repair and I see ALOT of old volvo's on boats and I don't really here of too many catastrophic, or overly expensive repairs. The parts are a little bit harder to get but they are obtainable especially with help from this board.

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Four winns 180 horizon

Brent,

Or black or red in the case of the engines (and even then, for a few years they were both black!)

Graham

Yep, Black Volvo (350 Chevy/GM) engine in our 2000 268 Vista.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

My engine and outdrive have a similar setup. This may still be true on the Merc Alpha I or Bravo II, not sure about that.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Guess I should have been clear, I was talking about the outdrives.

& my impeller couldn't be much easier on my Merc Bravo1

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H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum

OK, I think we can end this thread. I've followed advice and searched this site for existing topic
Thanks, Dennis