4 Stroke Outboard Motors for Sale: Buy New and Used 4 Stroke Outboards Online
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Shop 4 stroke outboard motors for sale across every brand we carry
Buy a 4 stroke outboard from Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki or Honda and have it freighted to you rigged and ready to hang. A Mercury 4 stroke outboard and a Suzuki 4 stroke outboard at the same horsepower will both move your boat, and the price between them differs more than the engineering does.
Suzuki 4 stroke outboard motors undercut the market leaders by a wide margin for the same output, and their Lean Burn fuel management gives back more at cruise than most buyers expect. Mercury 4 stroke outboard motors buy you the widest dealer network in the country and the Command Thrust gearcase, which is what a loaded pontoon actually needs. A Yamaha 4 stroke outboard costs more and sells on again for more, so the premium comes back at trade time. Honda 4 stroke outboards never built a two stroke to move away from, and the range shows it.
Send your transom height and hull model before you order and we will confirm which of those engines fits. Shaft length rules out more 4 stroke outboard motors than horsepower does, so every 4 stroke outboard for sale is listed with its shaft length, along with the 4 stroke outboard engines for sale and 4 stroke outboard boat motors for sale in the same size.
Used 4 stroke outboard motors for sale
Buy used 4 stroke outboard motors and you are buying the strongest case for going secondhand. A serviced 4 stroke outboard engine runs past 3,000 hours, and what shortens one is neglect and standing unused rather than hours on the clock.
That means a ten year old engine with a service book is a better purchase than a three year old one that spent four seasons on a trailer. Used 4 stroke outboard engines for sale carry the same quiet running, clean burn and economy as new stock, at a fraction of the money, and the depreciation has already been taken by someone else.
Get these four before you pay for any used 4 stroke outboard boat motor:
- ECU hours, not the dash gauge and not the seller’s estimate.
- Compression on every cylinder, written down rather than described over the phone.
- Photographs of the midsection, transom bracket and trim rams, where salt does its damage first.
- Confirmation of what is included. Controls, harness, prop and gauges cost real money when bought separately.
Used 4 stroke outboard boat motors for sale ship the same as new stock, so searching used 4 stroke outboard motor for sale near me or used 4 stroke outboard motors for sale near me limits you to local floor stock when the engine you want may be two states away. Any used 4 stroke outboard for sale here is quoted delivered.
Buy small, portable and lightweight 4 stroke outboards
Buy small 4 stroke outboard motors on weight before horsepower. A portable 4 stroke outboard motor has to come off the transom and into a car boot without two people, and at this end of the range a few pounds decides that.
Four strokes carry more mass than the two strokes they replaced at the same output, so shopping the lightest 4 stroke outboard means comparing dry weights across brands before anything else. Suzuki and Honda both build small 4 stroke outboard motors that come in under their rivals at the same horsepower, and small outboard motors 4 stroke buyers should weigh those two first. A lightweight 4 stroke outboard at the top of its band is often a worse buy than a smaller engine you can actually carry alone.
Check the fuel system too. Integral tank models are lighter and simpler. Remote tank models run longer between fills. On a tender that gets carried more than it gets used, take the lighter one.
4 stroke outboard prices
Hours, shaft length and rigging set the price. Model year barely moves it, which is why 4 stroke outboard motor prices on two engines a decade apart can land within a few hundred dollars. A 25 inch shaft fits fewer boats, so those engines sell below an equivalent 20 inch unit, and that is free money if your transom takes one.
Cross shop the brands rather than one at a time. Yamaha 4 stroke outboard prices sit at the top of the market, Suzuki at the bottom, Mercury between them, and the gap is wider than the difference in what you get. The best 4 stroke outboard motor for you is the one that fits the boat at the budget you have, and the best 4 stroke outboard engine at one size is rarely the same brand at the next.
An engine sold complete with controls and harness carries a premium that still works out cheaper than sourcing those parts afterwards. A bare powerhead costs more than it looks once rigged, whether it is listed as a 4 stroke outboard engine for sale or a 4 stroke outboard motor for sale.
Shop 4 stroke outboard engines for sale by brand
| Brand | What you are buying | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | Strongest resale, offshore range to 425HP, VMAX SHO high output tune | Yamaha outboard motors |
| Mercury | Widest dealer network, Command Thrust gearcase, Pro XS tournament tune | Mercury outboards for sale |
| Suzuki | Cheapest per horsepower, Lean Burn economy, Selective Rotation for twins | Suzuki outboards for sale |
| Honda | Four stroke specialist from the start, strong small engine range | Honda outboard motors |
| Johnson | Four strokes built by Suzuki, sold at a dead badge discount | Johnson outboard motors |
Why buy a 4 stroke outboard engine
4 stroke outboard motors now outsell two strokes at almost every size, and 4-stroke outboard motors are quieter, cleaner, cheaper to run and worth more when you sell. You do not mix oil into the fuel, there is no smoke at the ramp, and they idle low enough to troll on.
You pay for that in weight and up front cost. At equal horsepower a four stroke is heavier, which matters on a small tender and is irrelevant on a bay boat. If the boat does real hours, fuel savings close the purchase price gap inside a few seasons. Four weekends a year and it never closes.
Buy a two stroke if weight is the deciding factor or the budget is tight. Buy the four stroke for everything else.
Shopping the alternative: 2-stroke outboard motors and portable outboard motors.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours will a 4 stroke outboard last?
Past 3,000 comfortably when serviced, and plenty run well beyond. Service history matters more than the number. An engine that sat unused for years is a worse buy than a high hour engine that was maintained.
Are 4 stroke outboards better than 2 strokes?
For most buyers, yes. Quieter, cleaner, better economy, better resale, no fuel mixing. Two strokes still win on weight and purchase price, which is why they persist on light hulls.
Which brand makes the best 4 stroke outboard?
There is no single answer. Suzuki wins on price per horsepower, Yamaha on resale, Mercury on dealer coverage, Honda on small engine range. Pick by what you need rather than by badge.
What is the lightest 4 stroke outboard motor?
Weights vary by several pounds between brands at the same horsepower in the portable range. Compare dry weight directly and check whether the model uses an integral or remote tank.
Is it safe to buy a used 4 stroke outboard?
Yes, with compression figures and ECU hours in hand. Four strokes are more complex than two strokes, so a documented service record carries more weight here than on an older engine.
Do 4 stroke outboards need more maintenance?
Different rather than more. Oil and filter changes on a schedule, which two strokes do not need. No fuel mixing and far less carbon in exchange.
How much does it cost to ship an outboard motor?
Freight is quoted by weight and destination. Outboards ship curbside on a liftgate truck rather than by parcel carrier, and larger engines go crated.