i/o vs outboard??

Hi Everyone
I was looking for all you experts opinions. I have owned boats with outboard motors, but not i/o's. I am looking at a nice boat now that has a mercruiser 3.0 in nice condition. I have no experience with i/o's and am a little scared to buy one based on what I have heard about maintenance and difficulty in repairing them. I see a lot of people with cracked blocks also the maintenance on outdrives ie: gimbel bearing, bellows. Should I stick with outboards. Any feedback would sure be appreciated, I just do not want to buy a i/o and find out that the maintenance cost is expensive.
thanks in advance

I've owned both. I prefer outboards for various performance reasons. However, there is little difference in performance and longevity if both are maintained rigorously. IMO the problem with a lot of I/O's is that the owners do not maintain them properly - it is an "out or sight, out of mind mentality." Where most I/O owners fail is maintaining the bellows and the cooling system, thus the cracked blocks.


Also, they often fail to check the anodes on the outdrive allowing considerable corrosion. I understand that Mercury now has a system for applying a low voltage electrical charge to all engine and outdrive components which greatly reduces corrosion.

In general, I think the Mercruiser 3.0 has a good reputation, especially the newer ones - 2006 and later. I've never owned one.

Thanks for the feeback chawk-man. Thats what i figured about the cracked blocks on i/o's is lack of draining for winterization.

most of the "cracked blocks" are due to improper winterization....and many bellows failures are due to improper storage (put the drive down when not going down the road). Due the maintenance and the outdrive should last as long as an outboard....