2000 Pantera--Mountain Worthy?

[Skarda]

I grew up in Minnesota riding the trails and now I live in Colorado. I have an opportunity to pick up a 2000 Arctic Cat Pantera for great deal. I want to take it in the mountains, preferably off-trail. Any ideas how it will handle the powder? Please Advise. Thanks!

 

[SaberKitty]

The Pantera is an old school Cadillac trail cruiser. Recommend looking for a 1998-2000 Power Special with EFI.

 

[Ultra]

big, heavy, not good for mountain, pass on it, look for something else. my.02

 

[powdercrav]

dont know much about the pantera. i've only ever ridden one once and it had a stupid bogging problem when you open it wide. as for the powder special, my brother had a 97 powder extreme and it is a VERY HEAVY sled. would reccomend a XLT or 600-700 RMK. the 97 700 RMK's are supposed to be really decent starters. But whatever floats your boat man. don't know if brand loyalty is an issue. just make sure you get something

 

[89sandman]

as long as your on a groomed trail its an awesome mt. sled

 

[Killerk]

The 2000 pantera is a 1000cc tripple right?
And what is a "great deal"?
You can pick up a T-cat with mods for 2gs or less.
What is your price range? A lot of good used sleds out there.

 

[m8matt]

I would pass on it....you will regret buying it.

 

[Dano702]

If it is free and they will drop it off at your house , then its an ok deal . I would be looking for a used M , with the longest track you can get . 2005 is the oldest i would go with . A used M5 with 3000 miles will make that sled look dumb .


I had no idea they ever put a T Cat engine in one . If it has a 1000 get it . I still love to ride my 01 T Cat , we put a 159 under it and its a screamer . Aftermarket big bore pipes on the T Cat , i really miss that sound!

 

[Idcatman3]

In stock form, yeah, they are pretty much right. However, the chassis on this isn't all that different than the Mt. Cats of the same year. Take out the sway bar, upgrade the shocks all around, handlebar riser and different track, it'll do fine. But, by that point, you could probably sell it and get a similar year Mt. Cat for the same money.

Depending on which engine it has, (The 580, or the 1000), an M5 would not make it look dumb at all. That 1000 has some power.

Even being a trail sled, it would be better than the '97 Powder extreme mentioned. Those were a 600 triple, and were heavy. Not too bad in their day however.

 

[revrider1]

Bad idea...IMO

 

[mtnclimber]

yes the m5 would make it look it look dumb....IMO. i would pass on it. pick up a used m7, or a 1m mountain cat...great sleds for the money

 

[snopropanther]

stretch it to 144, 2 inch paddle and get a zr seat. its its a 1000cc a m5 will not touch it. even in the hills. you get that thing to float she will move.

get a new bearcat and throw a turbo on it, upgrade the track to bigger lugs and that thing would plow a trail to the top. extremely wide footprint and power.

 

[Skarda]

It is a 550 or a 580. Will it bury itself off trail?

I hope to use it predominatly for back-country snowboarding. So it duzn't need to be fast, just get me up and down the mountain in powder. I think the track is 136"x15", and studded. I know this won't help at all, in fact I was told it adds weight. I figured w/ the smaller engine, it would be lighter...?

Thanks for all the input!

-Jason

P.S. The only price is me paying for gas to have a buddy bring it to CO.

 

[slyrydr]

the pantera will not cut it AT ALL off trail...please save your money....in the cat line, the 580/600 twin cylinder sleds are a much better choice...as is the polaris counterparts....even a yamaha triple in the mountain sled chassis is an ok choice in that price range....if you can spring for the bucks, a 700 rmk polaris of almost any year is an excellent choice, any of the cat 900 twins...there's even a couple of ski-doos (summits) that will make a decent mountain sled .......but not a pantera