First things first- I am basically a complete newbie when it comes to owning/using a mud motor .
On the other hand, I am in the market for purchasing one for my hunting needs. I will be inspecting a few within the next few days for possible purchase. What are some pointers, if any, for things to look for or inspect while looking at a used surface drive? I am trying to eliminate oversights that could costs me $$.

Thanks for the input!

Look for the obvious, bad seals, oil or grease leaks, worn joints, loose / broken / missing parts. Listen to it run, is it rough or smooth @ idle? Check the wiring, is it clean or does it look like a blind, one armed coon did it? How are the filters & the plugs? That'll get you started, I'm sure the list will grow with things I missed.

listen at high rpm also for tapping and such. like he said look for leaks if they have oil and a grease gun in the boat that might be a bad sign most people put a date on the oil filter. if its really old they pry don't care look for a water seperator. and signs of how they take care of things. SD motors don't need water to run.

Also pay attention to the yard and how they take care of their stuff, check for oil stains, make sure all switches work, look at the skeg for gouges, look at prop and see if it is beat up, look at fading of the cowling, that'll tell you if its been left outside, looking for pitting in the frame from salt water staying on the motor. Pull dip stick look at oil, fuel filter. just some things to get you started!