[SoCalEDC]

If you are looking to buy your first kayak and you may sell it within a year or two go and demo a few kayaks you are interested in at a demo day to get an idea of what you like/dislike and then shop around on the used market accordingly. I like to check the hull by shining a flashlight inside and seeing if there is any bleeding light where a crack or hole could be. A for the drive they are fairly simple mechanisms with nearly no internals, everything that makes the drive go is externally visible. If the cables or pullies look shitty and old like they've been baking in the sun you mat have to replace them but that's not a huge deal.

With all that said though, if this is going to be a long term investment I think buying new is the way to go. You get a warranty and you get the backing of the dealer who you purchase it from. You also get the piece of mind of knowing that what you get **should** be safe and sea worthy without having to worry about other considerations that typically come with a used kayak.