beginning rider

[PMJeff]

I have been looking at purchasing a used snowmobile and am looking for some help. I am totally a beginner. I have some experience through renting them but have never owned anything. Does anyone have any reccomendations on what I should be looking for? Also how many miles is considered too much? I found an 03 Polaris with 14k miles. for $1700. The price is right but seems like the miles are high. How much is insurance and registration usually. I know it may vary by state. I am in California. Any help you can give me would be much appreciated.....thanks

 

[stum1967]

try stay with a sled that is 5 - 7 years old and no more than 2500-3000 miles. buying older, high mileage sleds will cost you more in the long run with repair costs, not to mention the frustration of break downs when you are out riding. Get hooked up with a group you trust that you can ride with that will show you the basics of riding and maintenance and safety. It's a great sport once you are into it. Check into joining a local club if there are any in your area. Good luck.

 

[spring snow hero]

jeff welcome to snowmobiling. first off are you handy with a wrench? I ask because there is gonna be some work to do on a $1700.00 sled. as for miles, it all depends......14k is a lot no matter who you are or where....but, it has likely had some of the wear items replaced by now. for a mountain or race sled 3k is a lot, for a trail sled that is doable in a month.....so it all depends. you can usually tell alot by the way a rig is taken care of......if you look at it and you know its 6 years old, but it is all clean and tidy....that is good. if it is held together by zipties and rivets.....not so much. it is all going to be a case by case decision. I have seen a few sleds go that far on the original engine, and the 4strokes will usually do that and then some. a big twin..... i would be leary of.

try and find out what has been done in the maint/repair dept and post that and perhaps any pics if you have them. it might be a good deal for you.....or a headache.

as for license....here in wa is less then $40.00 per year.

 

[thecardiackid]

welcome!

Jeff,

First, you've found a great resource for a lot of information relating to the sport. And after you find a sled, aside from here, there are several mfr. related forums like this specifically devoted to discussions about the sleds.

I joined SW a couple months ago, when i was in the exact same situation. Rented, and ready to buy a sled. Craigslist is a good souce depending on location. CA may be challenging (i.e. SoCal), but the huge population should help the cause. Sacramento and other cities closer to the snow will probably offer more, but you'll have to drive for pickup. Lots on ebay, but factor in the 400 or so for shipping - and you don't get to check out / ride b4 you buy. Decent place to get market values of what's selling - even if you don't find something close enough.

Here's Kelly Blue Book's snowmobile value charts.
http://www.kbb.com/KBB/Snowmobiles/Default.aspx

You can usually land somewhere between dealer trade in and re-sale/retail values. Also, keep in mind that this isn't the greatest time of year to buy a sled (peak / early season), but there are good deals to be found. They'll be cheaper when the snow is melted.

After looking around for a month or so, I bought my 1st ride a few weeks ago from a guy I met in the swapmeet section. He was local (we're in Denver), but I also looked @ sleds in WY, UT, etc.

14k is a TON of miles. That sled was rode hard (not sure about put away wet). If possible, I'd suggest a compression test on the motor/cylinders if you're looking at a high mileage buy.

For reference, I bought a very nice 2003 ski doo summit 600 144" w/ 1800 miles for $2800. Many of the sleds here will have aftermarket upgrades (cans, pipes, lefty throtles, risers, etc.) If you can, I'd up your budget to about 3k and you can get a nice ride, w/ relatively low miles and probably a machine that was very well taken care of.

figure out what kind of riding you're going to do, then look for the right sled. (i.e. trails vs. powder vs. climbing, etc.) I started looking for a 2 up to take my 8 yr old son out and get him into it, but quickly learned that a trail sled would not let me play in the powder here in CO.

I'd also suggest staying in the 600-700cc range w/o a HUGE track if you're still learning. Others might disagree, but my 600 goes over 70mph and it takes a while to really understand how to ride (if that makes sense) - unless you want to just cruise down some trails.

feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions, understanding that I'm a relative noob to this - but I have learned a lot over the past 2 mos.

good luck!