Thanks everyone for your input. Is there a rule of thumb for average hours on an engine per year? (kind of like 12k miles/year for a car). I've been told that the boat was sold to the 1st owner new (so not used for testing or boat shows), but I may try to contact Catalina to see if they have any records.
Is there a good thread in here or other resource on what to look for in a used sailboat? Questions to ask the seller, things to look for, etc. When I asked the broker that showed me the boat to crank on the engine, he said he couldn't do that without the sellers permission - is that typical? Before making an offer or paying for a survey, I should probably check as much out as I can first, right? (enginge, water pressure/heat, a/c,
rigging, electrical, etc.)
I'm hoping that a bit of diligence will show that the apparent neglect was only limited to cleanliness/cosmetics - and that the important stuff is sound.