Buying a snowmobile

[ramminghard]

Looking to pick up my own sled this year. I am looking at used sleds but have no idea what to be looking for on them and have some questions.

-What are some things that should be checked when looking at used sleds?
-Is it worth having a mechanical inspection done before buying?
-I have seen the mileage range vary from a couple hundred to 3,000k. Should the higher mileage ones be avoided or are they just as reliable?
-Is it cheaper to buy in the US and import? If so what would be some good sites to look at sleds for sale.

I am looking for a mountain sled, 800cc's and at least a 151" track. So far I am leaning towards an 07-08 summit 800 but I would not be against an Arctic Cat. Any recommendations or advice would be great!

[firebane]

My dad owns an older summit 700 I think and that thing is crazy for power! Its a fun sled and does well in the mountains.

[pyro]

Just bought one as well, id stick with anything 08 and newer for the summits and under 2k

[ramminghard]

Originally posted by pyro
Just bought one as well, id stick with anything 08 and newer for the summits and under 2k What did you get?

[pyro]

i bought a 154 08 summit xp with 1200kms at the start of summer. Just make sure it has all the updates done as the 08 had some problems not as many as the 07 though.

[strawberrydouch]

The summits chew a belt for every tank of gas you put in them. My best advice would be to buy the newest M8 you could and leave it alone, modded sleds are garbage. As soon as you fuck with engineering it all goes downhill. As long as it's a cat with a chaincase and none of that diamond drive crap you should be good haha, that's just what I've figured out from experience. Mechanically make sure clutch engagement is smooth, check for crankwalk etc, look at the holes where suspension components bolt to the rails as well if they're stretched out it's a no go. Otherwise no single sleds ever perfect bro, everyone has a bugger up on the trail at least once.

[ramminghard]

Anyone have experience with Polaris? I have been told in the past they have reliability issues but don't have any actual experience with them.

[SKR]

Everyone will tell you every manufacturer is a shitheap, except for the one they own. People throw down money on something and then act like they built it.

Probably your best bet is to look in manufacturer-specific forums, and keep an eye open for threads that repeat the same problem so you know what to look for, and how to fix it.

The only one I know of is dootalk.com.

[strawberrydouch]

Originally posted by ramminghard
Anyone have experience with Polaris? I have been told in the past they have reliability issues but don't have any actual experience with them. i had an RMK 600 the flap got caught in the track and covered the heat exchanger and overheated the sled. needless to stay im a cat guy now lol

[Abeo]

Originally posted by SKR
Everyone will tell you every manufacturer is a shitheap, except for the one they own. People throw down money on something and then act like they built it.

Probably your best bet is to look in manufacturer-specific forums, and keep an eye open for threads that repeat the same problem so you know what to look for, and how to fix it.

The only one I know of is dootalk.com.

qft

But I always thought yamaha were the most reliable... never owned one though. My skidoos were reliable, but weirdly built and hard to work on. My last sled was a cat, and it was quick, handled great, and was simple to work on... but it felt like it could break down if neglected. It never did, cause I kept up the maintenance.

Basically, aside from machine specific quirks, its part luck, part maintenance history, and part how its ridden.

[ramminghard]

Originally posted by pyro
i bought a 154 08 summit xp with 1200kms at the start of summer. Just make sure it has all the updates done as the 08 had some problems not as many as the 07 though. What are some of the problems on the 07-08 summits? I am supposed to look at an 07 soon.