It is interesting to see how the different answers in this thread assume different contexts. Have I sailed that particular brand of boat before? Am I buying new or used? From a reputable company or a stranger? I can see that the answers to these questions, and possibly others, strongly affect the answer to my main question.

In my specific case, I am talking about a make of boat I have never sailed before, it's used, and I'm buying from a stranger. The owner says that the wheel bearings need repacked and the trailer isn't even usable until that is done, so if I were to buy it, I wouldn't even be able to drive it home that day. The owner also says the hulls need to be pressure washed.

I'm supposed to go see it this weekend. If I don't see any reason to reject the boat outright, I'm planing on telling the owner that she will have to repack the bearings and get the boat to the nearby sailing center for me to test sail it (at least to make sure there are no nasty leaks.)

The boat is a Mystere 5.0 XL...