For many people the decision to purchase an outboard engine is based on brand loyalty or past experience with a particular brand. For others it is from what they have heard by word of mouth, forum talk, or some opinionated article they have read. The question posed is "does it really matter which brand you go with? Is there one brand better than the other?"
The answer YES and NO.
First we will explain the "No" part: ( Is there one brand better than the other?)
So you have heard bad things about Mercury and only good things about Johnson OMC? People have told you that Chrysler engines were junk and Yamaha motors are the only motors that hold up in saltwater? You are too scared to purchase a Tohatsu or Nissan because you are not familiar with the engine? All of these propositions are typical opinions and sentiments that individual boaters have preached. None of these are concrete facts that all boaters can agree on. Lets check out the most common scenarios related to brand loyalty that we at AFA Marine come across:
If you ask a dealer from each brand they will all tell you that their motors are the best and that everyone else's outboards are junk.
The reason is obvious, they probably want to make a sale for their brand.
If you ask someone who grew up using a particular brand and has had success with that brand they be partial to that motor and put down other makes.
Well how can they knock other brands if they have never tried them? It is no different then someone who has had success on a particular fishing lure only but has never tried the competitor's lure. They could have the same or better results without ever noticing it.
You have owned a particular brand and it blew up on you or you had problems. You then curse that brand because of your one experience.
Often this happens with poorly maintained used motors. You have to attribute most of the problems you will have to the usage or abuse that the previous owner(s) may have initiated.
You read an article from a brand that states their motor is far above any other brand.
These are fundamental objectives marketers for these brands want to achieve. Funny thing is that some competing brands actually subcontract their motors to their competitors then battle it out in the advertising world.
You have only seen the particular boat you are buying have one brand installed on it.
This is most often a result of a particular dealer getting a better deal from the brand to equip these engines on their boat. Usually means that the particular brand will allow them to make bigger margins...more or less a business deal rather than brand reputation.
Your mechanic or boat repair shop usually has one particular brand in for repair more often than some others?
This is probably a result of their being more of that brand sold in that regional area than others. For example: here in Clearwater FL, there are more Yamaha and Mercury motors than Johnson or Evinrudes. Therefore odds are higher that you will see a Mercury or Yamaha being repaired in a shop.
In all honesty we don't really see any outboard motor brand has having serious flaws or should be shunned when making a purchasing decision. We often get phone calls from people who swear that they will never touch a Mercury(example) followed by a phone call from a client that will only trust Mercury. We get customers who are reluctant to purchase a Tohatsu thinking that they are a lower end motor when in actuality they are one of the best motors we have ever tested. Some people even go as far as to claim that they will never buy an Evinrude but will be happy to own a Johnson. We are often startled by this because the two motors are identical except for paint and decals.
Part 2 of brand loyalty
