Used Snowmobile Purchase - what to look for

[Holger Danske]

Im looking for a cheap used snowmobile. It doesnt have to be fast. Ive never owned a snowmobile and wanted to know what to look out for when buying used. Educate me.

[DangerLee_Industries]

Im looking for a cheap used snowmobile. It doesnt have to be fast. Ive never owned a snowmobile and wanted to know what to look out for when buying used. Educate me.

My advice is to take someone with you that knows sleds or wrenches and understands how that specific one is setup. I like to think I have decent knowledge of power sports, wrench and I still had to hike out 8 miles one day because a 1,200 budget cat left me stranded near steamboat.

If you don't have anyone to take along then spend the time online doing research on that model and you will find all the answers for what to look at. "You get what you pay for" defiently applies to this game. I don't mind taking a chance on say a dirt bike that's been hammered because if it breaks down I'm not concerned about the elements kicking my butt or turning potentially deadly. However with a sled I would and that's not just because I'm selling some it's because I've been there and it sucked.

[Gunner]

Buys Colorado Hacks and don't worry about an issue

Sent from my S6 Edge +

[XC700116]

What's your budget? and what's your plans for use? ie just riding, ice fishing, trails or off trail, work, etc

first thing, Avoid anything that has been modified extensively, trust me, I've been a hard core sled head for 20 years, and I've done every mod from simple bolt on stuff to full custom motors and turbos. If you're not that into it, both riding and more-so wrenching and tuning, just don't go there, I don't care how much they try to tell you it's gas and go, it's not. That said simple bolt on stuff (better skis, some suspension stuff, a can etc) is no big deal and isn't going to give you heart ache.

If you're talking about a mountain sled, 2k miles without a major rebuild (motor and clutches), is like buying a car or truck with 200K or more on the odometer, trail sled you can double that or even triple it (4-6K) ie it's reaching the end of the motors life span without a rebuild. The chassis is completely dependent on how it's been ridden and maintained.

Values are going to fluctuate both due to the overall market and the specific brand. For instance Polaris released a new chassis for 2016, this made the 11-15 models resale value take a dump. Same thing happens with all 4 major brands. A new chassis if it's a true step forward (and all have been for the most part, over the last few generations with all 4 brands) will kill the resale on the older versions, it's the price we pay for the exponential increases in performance we've seen since the late 90's.

As a general rule i try to avoid first year sleds, ie I don't like to buy the first year when a new chassis/package is offered since the R&D on them is at a crazy pace, there's almost always some bugs to be worked out and the small refinements of 2nd and 3rd year models typically either fix issues, or make the sled MUCH better.

Know going into it, it's not a cheap sport and the initial purchase is just the beginning, maintenance and repairs are NOT cheap, oil, fuel, transport, riding gear, etc are all expensive and it never ends. A typical engine replacement for a late model (08 or so and newer) sled is going to run in the $3k range, just something to keep in mind.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it, I'm just a guy that ate, slept, and breathed it for a LONG time. I've backed away from the sport for a while due to lack of time and my crazy travel schedule along with my newly acquired obsession with competitive long range shooting.

If the sled has a Monster or Red-bull sticker on it, just walk away, I know this sounds kinda over the top, but unless you know sleds inside and out, trust me. It's the sled worlds version of this and typically the owner is of the same type.

[Great-Kazoo]

DOCUMENTATION.... IF the seller advertises and or tells you it's had X done to ti. See the paperwork to back it up. If they say well me & a friend did it. Great, now where's the receipts for parts used??
The red bull, monster drink, METAL MULISHA stickers, as mentioned walk away. I'll pay more for a unit with documentation then 1 without.

Have you called around to any shops in the area about used units ?

[sniper7]

I've wanted one for a long time, but it seems like all the used ones at a decent price either were needing and engine build or they had an engine build. It just seems to me that the engines in these things suck and don't last. I'll stick to my ATVs and put tracks on!

[XC700116]

It's not so much that the engines suck, it's that you're cranking 150+ hp out of a motor (bone stock from the factory) that weighs less than 100 lbs, and is run at nearly WFO nearly 95% of the time, it's an incredibly harsh environment/treatment for a motor, and the fact that they can not only do it but hold up like they do is really impressive. Then throw a turbo in the mix and you're talking a solid 250 hp

All from a machine that weighs in at or below 500 lbs ready to ride. It's an impressive feat of engineering when you really look at it. However, there's trade offs involved there, powerplant lifespan is one of the biggest. Cost/extreme depreciation is the next one. When I bought my first brand new sled in 1999 it was $4800 out the door and while it wasn't the biggest and best, it wasn't the bottom of the barrel either. The last sled I bought brand new was in 2012 and it cost me $12,500. I sold it last weekend with less than 1800 miles on it, and over $4000 worth of repairs and upgrades over the 4 seasons I rode it for $7000 and I got a GREAT price for it since the guy who bought it knew me and knew he was getting a hell of a good sled for his money. So in 4 years I got less than 50% ROI on that thing and 1700 ish miles of enjoyment. That's a lot of cash per mile, and it's not including Fuel, Oil, transport, gear, etc.

If you want a better motor life, buy a Yamaha 4 stroke, but you're going to pay a 100-175lb weight penealty on that machine too and in the mountains, that's not a good deal because you ARE going to get stuck, and every pound is one you have to dig out. Not to mention the HUGE difference in riding a heavy machine, let alone riding it well, in the trees, etc.

This is why the 2 questions I posed to the OP are probably the most significant part of the equation, uses and budget, and I should add expectations.