Scottyyy, I/O's are genrally a high maintainence item compared to inboards, each drive has three rubber bellows that should be replaced every couple of years, u joints and gimble bearings that don't really care for salwater. One I/O can keep you busy but two can keep you real busy! Not to mention exhaust manifolds and risers.
A straight inboard is less comlicated and has a lots less moving parts in the drive to give you a headache. If you want that boat pay a good mercruiser tech to go with you and look at those engines and drives, and remind the broker that at this point they are eleven years old. I dont care how many hours are on them they are still eleven years old. The rubber bellows will rot out even if the boat is sitting land. My sister in law bought a 19' boat with a 4cyl I/O last spring it was eleven years old in nice shape with only 249 hrs. this spring it needed a gimble bearing and bellows, it cost her $600. An I/O is great if you put it in brand new and stay on to of it with above average maintenance but they can drive you nuts when they start getting a little tired. I think the most trouble free Seacraft- I/O set up is a single V-8 with a Bravo outdrive, the are much bigger and take a beating. That is a good looking boat, but ask about the fuel tanks and transom, it doesn't say anything about those, and everyones definition of "restoration" is differant. Have them show you the paper work from Metan with just what the resoration included. The work that I have seen from Metan up close has been great. Make them on offer depending on how it looks and how much was done. Good luck
