How much is to much, for a sled?

[suitcase]

When does it become off the wall, far as money spent on a sled plus mod's ? is it a waste to throw 20 grand plus into a sled, then in a couple of yrs sell it for 8000 if your lucky. Sometimes I wonder, This next season will be the third time Ive done this with a sled. I wonder about it sometimes, sure is fun. Throw some thoughts my way. help me feel better LOL. or worse, it won't matter I'll still build it. I really don't need to feel better I'
m preaty happy that I'm so jacked up about the new pro and the Carl's 900 that will go in it.

 

[Jeff C]

Of course it is ridiculous to spend $20k on a sled and then in a few years, do it all over again.

I see guys do this all the time...........

If you have the dough, and want to do it, by all means go for it. There are worse things to spend your money on........

Like

housing
Retirement
Kids education
Emergency money
Pay off that truck

But why let those little details get in the way of living!

 

[94fordguy]

I'd say if you've got the cash and aren't afraid to spend the money, then go for it... the only one who can decide if it's smart or not is you!

 

[suitcase]

Of course the money is not the issue I have enough for toys like that, I like to call it F--- You Money. I guess I just can't believe that we put this kind of money into sleds and in a few yrs sell it for peanuts, and start over. and we all do it to one degree or another. Even if you just up grade your shocks to say a total of 1500 bucks that money is all but gone. You have to take them back off and put the stock ones on. But still only get penny's on the dollar for those high dollar shocks.

Which brings me to another question why is the used value so poor on these things. even if there like new out of the box, it is sick.

 

[snowmobiler]

i flushed 10 k on my last new sled.im done doing that.maybe ill buy yours for peanuts in a year or 2.

 

[suitcase]

LOL , I have one for sale now.
that is the sad part the 10 grand just gets you started.

 

[907to406]

The reason the resale value is so low is look at how we ride these things and how hard we are on them. I don't know about you but I try to pi$$ pound my sled every time I ride and after 1500+ miles a season a couple seasons in a row They are wore out. Sure its my baby in the garage and on the trailer but when its on the snow its game on. In all honesty these machines were not designed to put up with this sort of wear and tear that we inflict upon them on a regular basis. Hence the reason you buy a new sled when its time to off the old one and not somebody's used ride.

As for the dilemma of spending so much money and then not getting anything back out of it? Its better just to not even think of it or talk about it, I've spent way too much time beating myself up over how much money I dump into my sled and I'm a college kid paying for my own stuff (no mommy and daddy help here/with sleds or any of my toys). The worst was selling my mod Rev for 5500 bucks after I was 15k+ into it but then I got my new sled and started dumping money into that and haven't thought twice. The way I see it is its just money and ya can't take it with ya when you go so you might as well spend it on something you love and enjoy doing instead of looking back at it and regretting it later. Plus, stock sucks...

 

[suitcase]

That sums it up! LOL in my 40 yrs. never thought fun could coast so much. I'm to the point now where I would rather keep the old sleds around rather than give them away. I have a preaty big place, I could start fincing off the property.

 

[Mjunkie]

My opinion is that if spending that kind of money on a sled and loosing your a$$ a few years later selling it is still what you love to do and you completely enjoy doing it, the cost is by far worth it. I've known a lot of people that don't really have any hobbies or things they like to do. They spend their life at work and on the weekends sit around and watch tv. You will only live once so you might as well enjoy it. My best friend tells me all the time that in reality the only reason why he goes to work 40+ hours a week is so he can put gas in his sled and in his dirt bike. That is what he does to enjoy life and I feel the same way. I'm new to the family thing and love my wife and son and would give up any of my "hobbies" in a second for them if I had to, but my "hobbies" are only getting better now with my family involved as well.

 

[suitcase]

It is a expensive sport for sure. I have dirt dikes as well, and I hunt, fish and alot of other out door things. They all coast bucks. But there is no other thing in the world like riding a sled in the backcountry, across a sidehill through the trees. It is pure enjoyment for me to have that free feeling doing something that I truely love, and your right it makes it even better when the family enjoys it with me. So I pay the money and cry about it, LOL. Even enjoy talking to other sleders about our sport, as Im at work while my buddies are still riding there spendy toys. I like to hear others thoughts on the subject as well. Helps me keep a good perspective on the coast of this hobbie.

 

[roughrider99]

I can;t put a price on the fun and all the other benefits i get out of sledding, espicially with all the stress we may encounter during the week and the hard work some put in to go riding on weekends. so i for one, will continue to dump ridiculous amounts of money into the sport and continue being happy and stress free on winter weekends

 

[smokindave]

I can;t put a price on the fun and all the other benefits i get out of sledding, espicially with all the stress we may encounter during the week and the hard work some put in to go riding on weekends. so i for one, will continue to dump ridiculous amounts of money into the sport and continue being happy and stress free on winter weekends

Well said,I love the stress free life myself.

 

[MORSNO]

I've never seen a u-haul behind a hearse...spend it on something you enjoy while you can. That doesn't mean you have to spend $20-$25K on a sled, spend what you can afford in cash (hobbies shouldn't be finanaced in my opinion).

 

[snowmobiler]

fun can better be spent by riding a 1970 beater sled and giving the 10k to you kid or grand kids instead of flushing the money.

 

[backcountryislife]

fun can better be spent by riding a 1970 beater sled and giving the 10k to you kid or grand kids instead of flushing the money.

snowmobiler... always the buzzkill...

how much is too much... well, what I've spent on my last two sleds... is too much, but I'll likely spend even more on the next one.

 

[Jeff C]

I look at upgrading in two ways:

1. I look at my existing sled, and ask myself "How much more fun will you actually have if you upgrade that sled to that new one?"

For me it has come to: Ok, to upgrade it will cost me $10k. Is that $10k spent gonna cause me to have more fun. The answer so far is no. Will that $10k spent allow me to do things on the sled that I cannot now do? The answer for me on this one is, Maybe. Probably will be able to go up the hill a bit further. Then again, who cares? Those dick measuring days are over for me.

2. Is my old sled gonna leave me stranded in the woods? Sleds get to the point where things begin to break for seemingly no reason. As those instances pile up, you get to thinking about how it will suck to have to tow out a sled or heli it out from somewhere.

I am given a week in the mountains each year, and I do not want to spend half of it, trying to figure out how to get a dead sled up and over 4 ridge lines in 3 feet of powder to get it home.

To sum it up, if I think the sled is about to become unreliable, I will get rid of it and upgrade..........

 

[phatty]

fun can better be spent by riding a 1970 beater sled and giving the 10k to you kid or grand kids instead of flushing the money.

I could not disagree more.

Hell no to spoiling kids or grand kids. Why on earth should we give them an xbox, computer, car to drive at 16. Maybe put a little bit away to help them pay for college or what not, but hell no to spoiling kids.

I grew up moving pipe, milking cows, driving truck, fixing fences, working on farms so i could earn money to do the things i loved. I mowed lawns for two summers to save up enough to buy my neighbors 1980 dirtbike that leaked oil and ran like crap, but i loved every second i got on that bike. I worked even harder to put myself through school, get a degree to make a living so i could afford to do the things i really love.

My kids will work the same way. From the ground up on their own. They will appreciate the opportunities that come their way. not saying i wont have the means or desire to help them, and i most certainly will help them if i need to, but i would rather they do it on their own.

What good is having a huge bank account when im 70 years old and cant even freaking walk, or saving up to buy that sled in 2020 when there isnt any legal areas to ride anymore?

 

[winter brew]

Snowmobiles are definately not a good financial investment LOL. People spend big money on mods because they enjoy it...it's their passion.
Now days the stockers work SO GOOD, even the $20-$30K mods from 5-6 years ago can't hardly hang with them+ they are less reliable.
Best bet is to buy someones 1-2 year old mod and basically get the aftermarket parts for free.
If you have the extra coin and enjoy modding, go for it! But the gains in performance are MUCH less than the days of the fancy Tison sleds.
For myself, half the fun is the planning and building of the sled.

 

[Jaynelson]

I bought my first new sled this last year, and had my first year with no breakdowns, downtime, or fancy extrications. That is worth a lot to me. Some guys like tinkering and fixing s**t constantly.......I don't. I work a lot and don't have the time or a big enough shop to have my sled torn apart every week. So I'd rather spend the money up front and have something that's ready to roll, and tinker with regular maintenence and the odd upgrade. That said, buying a new sled every year, or 2, or 3 is definetly expensive insurance.

As long as I don't notice the sledding cash affecting other aspects of my life I am good with it.

 

[WyoBoy1000]

You have to put this into perspective. Get married and tell me which is cheaper, the perks of sledding, the one thing I can ride(easy or hard) whenever you want, don't have to cuddle (snowmobiler and his grandma still do though)

Everything changes every year and everyone wants the new stuff and the old becomes obsolete to those of us that can afford it, there for the price of a 20k sled drops to what is affordable. Reliability is a big issue as well, some of the mods have not been so great in the past and are hard to understand, so unless you already understand the mods and trust it you don't want the risk. I know a lot that spend every last penny and can't afford a failure. I think things in the turbo world are just barely getting to where you don't have to be a mechanic to keep the sled running (some will some wont)