I like what Quinc said, all of the suggestions are good advice really. One thing you could keep in mind too is that for the most part the engine/electrical is the important part. But if the hull looks kinda blah because of sitting outside all the time, heavy oxidation on the gelcoat or paint chips, use that as a price adjusting leverage point. When I bought my ski (96 SuperJet round nose with 701) a couple of years ago, the ski was totally stock. For me, it didn't matter if it ran or not because I do all of my own work just as many, if not most here do (it is actually very easy to work on these machines). The hull on my ski was really dried out looking and chalky from oxidation, I mentioned that to the owner and that he said it needed a battery...I picked up the ski for $1950.00 Just remember, external appearance is the number one eye candy selling point, if the ski looks a little rough it doesn't reflect how the engine runs. When I put a new battery into my ski it fired up in an instant and ran totally mint all season...several hundred dollars later and a boat load of aftermarket parts and my ski is a blast. From my experience, I believe it would be best for you to look for a totally stock 1996-2007 701cc round nose SuperJet. There are parts everywhere in abundance for this ski, they have plenty of power in their stock form to get you used to riding without being too peaky and have great resale if you find that the sport is just not quite what you thought. I let a buddy try my ski after I modded the crap out of it, he said it was too hard to learn with because the powerband was set up to be all off the line, he couldn't get a handle on it to actually ride. It just kept shooting out from under him when trying to board it, or hit too strongly for his expectation when blipping the throttle throwing him off after he did manage to stand up. Getting a great deal on a ski loaded with parts is nice as it saves you from buying all that later, but it could be what makes or breaks your experience from having too peaky and unpredictable of a powerband. I know that when I was a kid, 2-stroke dirtbikes had no place in my life because each one had a different attitude of when the powerband would really take hold and how aggressive it was. It made learning nearly impossible for me and I ended up hating 2-strokes on land use applications for a long time. The stock SuperJet however was designed to be well balanced so all levels of rider can get through the learning curve and have a great time doing it...and one last thing...Welcome to the X! May your experience here be awesome and the tray time on you new ski be addictive =)
