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Hey everyone, I am looking for buying my first sled under $2,000. Can everyone give me some recommendations? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Looking for buying my first sled
- Thread starter Emir Alston
- Start date
Where are you located and how will you be riding it?
How you plan on riding will change what the recommendations are.
Do you live in a mountainous area with lots of hills and off trail areas?
Or do you live in an area that you have to stay on the trails and you are occasionally going to get off trail to ditchbang it?
Do you have anyone to ride with? A group or club you can team up with?
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How you plan on riding will change what the recommendations are.
Do you live in a mountainous area with lots of hills and off trail areas?
Or do you live in an area that you have to stay on the trails and you are occasionally going to get off trail to ditchbang it?
Do you have anyone to ride with? A group or club you can team up with?
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How are you situated for gear? You'll need a helmet and goggles, and may want to buy some dedicated gloves, pants, jacket, and such. I still ride in a ski jacket though, so depending on your situation, don't be afraid to try stuff you have and see how it goes. If you want to go off-trail much, you'll definitely need a shovel, and a beacon and probes are highly recommended. If you're not too picky on buying used stuff and already have some winter gear, you won't need to spend a ton of money, but I'd suggest setting around $500 aside. Then there's the question of transporting the sled, but if you have a full-size truck, you can get by with just a ramp; if you're going to tow it, basic snowmobile trailers can be found for <$500. It's not uncommon to find a sled and trailer together, sometimes people get out of riding and want to unload the whole setup.
As for the sled itself, there are some decent options for <$2000. It's kind of luck of the draw, but spring is a good time to buy. My biggest piece of advice is don't get caught up in just buying the newest sled your money will bring. Assuming you're thinking of mountain sleds, you can probably do better than the first generation or two (late 90's into early 00s). They can be modded to do quite a bit, but as delivered, the handling and ergonomics make them difficult to ride on anything more than gentle terrain. In that price range, I'd say the furthest forward you could reach is a late-00s 600 RMK (iQ chassis); specifically, the carbureted version. You may find several iQ RMKs for your price range (including Dragons and 900s), but most of those motors are a real roll of the dice. Lots of potential for something that looks good to turn bad there. To my mind, the best sled that's also likely to be a safe buy in that range would be a 02-05 600 or 700. Those motors are great when taken care of (still, at least do a compression check), they usually have enough track to get around, and they're a big step up from the earlier RMKs, though eclipsed by the newer stuff. Just don't get in a hurry: watch CL and such and try to get a sense of what people are asking for what, and if you walk away from a few sleds before you buy, you're probably doing it right.
As for the sled itself, there are some decent options for <$2000. It's kind of luck of the draw, but spring is a good time to buy. My biggest piece of advice is don't get caught up in just buying the newest sled your money will bring. Assuming you're thinking of mountain sleds, you can probably do better than the first generation or two (late 90's into early 00s). They can be modded to do quite a bit, but as delivered, the handling and ergonomics make them difficult to ride on anything more than gentle terrain. In that price range, I'd say the furthest forward you could reach is a late-00s 600 RMK (iQ chassis); specifically, the carbureted version. You may find several iQ RMKs for your price range (including Dragons and 900s), but most of those motors are a real roll of the dice. Lots of potential for something that looks good to turn bad there. To my mind, the best sled that's also likely to be a safe buy in that range would be a 02-05 600 or 700. Those motors are great when taken care of (still, at least do a compression check), they usually have enough track to get around, and they're a big step up from the earlier RMKs, though eclipsed by the newer stuff. Just don't get in a hurry: watch CL and such and try to get a sense of what people are asking for what, and if you walk away from a few sleds before you buy, you're probably doing it right.
Seeing as how you are in the Polaris section I assume you are looking at Polaris sleds over others. I would recommend staying away from 800 and 900 sleds as well as the 2006 700 because it was basically the same as the 900 for that year only. 600 and 700 engines have been pretty trouble free. Chassis wise from 2001 and up they ride pretty good and the newer you go the better ride. The older Gen 1 and Gen 2 chassis were not terrible though either. There are a few problems with early CFI sleds mainly caused by voltage regulators but most have been fixed by now with an upgraded regulator with part number 4013587 being the latest. Carb'd versions are basically trouble free but you do have to jet them properly for altitude and temperature. It's not difficult though. With that being said look over the sled you are thinking of buying. Do a compression test no matter what the seller says regarding the state of the engine. Start the engine and look at the primary clutch when it is running. If it is visibly wobbling then the clutch is either terribly out of balance or crankshaft needs work. Walk away. If you can't test drive the sled at least lift the back of the sled so you can engage the clutches and spin the track to check that everything appears to be okay. Otherwise if the sled looks good and there aren't bent parts etc. go with your gut feeling. Take along a friend who knows sleds when you go to check one out. Article on 2001 Polaris
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