Regarding the OP.
Don't give up on your
2 stroke. The problems you are having are not because it is a
2 stroke.
My little Merc 2.5 was one that someone had given up on. It was still shiney new when someone laid it down with
salt water in it. The
salt water ran up to the cylinder and locked it up tight.
I didn't even need to disassemble it. I simply pulled the
plug and the carb and dumped some gas/oil mix in. Then I got the piston broken free by working it back and forth just a little until it spun. I then re-installed the spark
plug to see how the
compression felt. For some stupid reason I connected the plug wire before pulling the start cord. I didn't put it in
water because I didn't plan on it running. It started on the first pull with NO carborator until the residual gas was gone. I still didn't even replace the impeller and have been running it for years now. I don't think I've ever remembered to properly run it out of gas and it may take 2 pulls to start if I let it set for a couple of months.
Point is, my badly neglected little weed whacker 2 stroke starts first time/every time. Yours is supposed to as well.