I'm to look at a Wizard 5 and wondered what I should look for to make sure I'm not buying a pile of problems.

Does the crankshaft/flywheel rotate? Can you "feel" good compression as each piston reaches the top? Does the prop turn also?

Remove the sparkplugs and check for spark - typically old Merc coils are poor to ng - a new pair is about $100, so be prepared.

Remove gearbox fill/drain plug - water? Visual overal inspection look good? No cracked or broken parts or castings? Paint and decals good? Dents, etc?

After all that, you just have to take a chance. Good luck. JW in Dixie

JW makes all good points. If you can get a compression reading on each cylinder (should be ideally ~90PSI on each cylinder and both readings should be within a few PSI of each other). Make sure it shifts into neutral, too.

Also, if it has ever been near salt water ... run away!