They could be talking about the ignition spark box or coil pac (these are
around 450.00 US for a Merc 9.9 hp motor)

I assume a Merc 9.9hp motor is around USD $2,000. This means the
controller itself is around 1/4 of the total cost of a motor.

Sound like a motor that is missing a controller is not really a good
deal afterall.

Thanks for the info though.

Jay Chan