which do you prefer. Mercury Optimax or Merc Verado? You dont see near as many Verados out there as the Optimax or EFI.Why? Most say the extra cost is it. Ive got a 250 Verado and love it. There has been no problems/ no bugs or holes. My gripe is you have to change the oil with the 4 stroke. Every guy is see with a Verado says they love it.

I think weight is the only issue with the Verado, otherwise its a great engine.

got 2 friends with big verados and they say gas mileage sucks.wish they had kept 2 stroke.
just hearsay cause it ain't mine!

I have only seen a couple of them around here. They seem to be great engines. They are rediculously quiet! I have heard though that the Opti's get better fuel consumption. I would not hesitate to own one

They were too heavy. Yamaha has gone to the front of the pack on 4-stroke with the lighter SHO.

Our SHO has been perfect for 6 weeks and counting.

yeah but i beat that an equal hp Opti on the same hulls would pass you up like you were sitting still, the SHO has no top end, I ran one on a ranger Z520 and liked the hole shot but was let down by the top end performance

I have a 2008 250 Verado on a Z21. Best outboard I have ever owned. Fuel economy is great. Since I have owned been averaging 4.4 mpg. If I keep it around 40, I'll get over5 mpg. The engine will use more gas over 6000 rpms/62 mph than a optimax Below 6000 rpms it is better or at least the same. it blows away my previous engine, 250 hpdi which was 3.25 mpg. Everyone is amazed at how quiet the engine is. I have 200 hours on it and have not had a single issue. I run at wot 69.5 to 66. I have not messed with props to optimize top end speed. Only change the oil once a year, so oil cost are much less than a two stroke. I would expect the optimax to be 1.5 mph faster. You can't wrong with either engine but you may have better resale with the optimax because of bad press on the first generation Verado's fuel economy and the extra weight. My next boat will have a verado.

Get the opti!!!!

I love my 250 PRO XS. Sips fuel and oil. I would definitely buy another.

Well I would go OptiMax myself,very easy on gas there still 80lbs.heavier than a older EFI motors,however again close to twice the gas milage.My problem with the 4 strokes are the weight and the fact if you dont warm the engine up properly you get gas blow by,in other words you have 6 quarts of oil in it that turns into 8 quarts of thinned out oil.So you must keep the oil changed regularly.I Love my OptiMax and would buy another one in a heart beat.I have made my living with Mercury motors for the last 21 years,if they were not dependable I would not have been in buisness that long. Im sure the 4 strokes will get better in time just like everything else.

I love my 250 opti as well!!

BW.............. nice ride

Preferences... The newer Verado 6 cylinder engines are much better on fuel than the older series, and the oil costs are different also as you burn no 2 stroke oil. The engine went through a revision a few years back and some of the little gremlins apparently got taken out of the block.

The four cylinder 150 through 200 Verado engines are really nice products. They are not as fast in 200 as the Pro XS Opti, though they are very good engines. They do not have the electric throttle, and power steering also. Thus they are more cost competitive to 2 stroke. Anyone using an engine for simple fun fishing should consider a 4 stroke in the 150 to 200 ranges.

If you have a Verado, then you have the experience more than most of those on the board here as to the comparison on 2 stroke. There may be a resale situation as the Verado does not resale as well as the Opti, though we feel it should resale better with the mechanics and firing on a four stroke for those used boat owners.

We like the engine, though the weight is a factor on bass boats unless you have a large boat as you do.

Dirty old motor oil in an engine...yuk !

Optimax for sure.

If I could get a 2 stroke in my Jeep, I'd do it in a heartbeat.