Looking to get a Cat as first sled!

[kootenayguy]

Hey everyone-

I'm hoping to lean on the shoulders of experience here in hopes of getting some personal experience with some CATS that I'm looking at right now. Ill let you all know what they are, give my thoughts on them, and any and all advice, opinions, or personal experiences with these models would be HUGELY appreciated. At the end of the day, my main deciding factors would be first and foremost any sled that has had a notorious reputation for reliability (I'm aware that there are lemons everywhere, and that the biggest factor for reliability is a good maintenance schedule) And Second would be user friendliness and fun factor (our riding is almost 100% un-groomed logging roads, skidder trails, and wide open areas)

Also if any of these have a bad reputation for being absolute pigs on fuel, then I'd be interested in considering that, but its not a deal breaker if the first two items are taken care of.

Thanks again for all the help- you guys and this site are invaluable!!!

#1: 2002 Arctic Cat 800 Mountain Cat with 144 x 21/2" track- LOTS of upgrades and is in basically brand new condition

#2: 2003 Arctic Cat 900 Mountain Cat with 151" track not as new condition as the others but has been religiously maintained.

#3: 2004 Arctic Cat King Cat 900 (1M) with 162" track- only has 273 miles on it, another amazing looking machine!

#4: 2000 Arctic Cat Powder special 700 with 136"x2" track- well maintained as well

#5: 1994 Arctic Cat Thundercat 900 with 144"x2" track. lots of extras. Looks in great shape.

I know Ive kind of thrown in a red herring or two with the powder special and the thundercat- the others are probably considered to be more capable mountain machines, at least from a performance standpoint. My reasons in doing so, are the fact that Ive been learning (please correct me if I'm wrong folks!!!) that some of the older machines are near legends with seasoned riders as far as reliability goes. Obviously technology has advanced to the point that a new style mountain sled isn't even in the same category as the stuff from the mid to late nineties or even the early 00's, but at that time it was all we had to choose from, and for a rookie wanting to get into the sport and have as much fun as possible- with hopefully as few breakdowns as possible, I'm willing to consider these older machines as a viable option.

So to summarize, there are actually a few mountain cats, king cats, powder specials, AND powder extreme's even that Ive got my eye on, but the point of this thread is really to learn the general consensus of which of these models is the wisest choice.

Once again I can't thank everyone enough, and I look forward to everyone's feedback!

 

[M6johnny]

First off, I think your making the right decision with what brand to start with. But, your choosing the wrong models. Im assuming that you will be riding in the mountains and if thats the case find yourself a cheap M series sled. Reliable, fun, cheap, plenty of mods out there, and they will only get cheaper now that cat has a new chassis coming out.

Really it just depends on what kind of riding you plan on doin.

 

[Demo250]

Some of the older M7's are getting ridiculously cheap... are they reliable? I have no idea, I know nothing about Cat other than the M8 line. The M8 has a great track record though.

 

[Coldfinger]

From that selection I'd go with number 3, the 2004 King Cat as long as you can verify the miles.

I had a 2004 900 151 that was really reliable. Put a few thou miles on it then upgraded to a M8.

I don't miss the hard pull start, the low seat, that's all.

Just change the bushings in clutch pin weights every 500 miles if you don't see the set screw in the weight.

 

[Chubby]

Buy a 4 stroke Jet ski and Just camp........... Snowmobiles are a $$$$$ Pit

 

[shelbwyo]

Buy a 4 stroke Jet ski and Just camp........... Snowmobiles are a $$$$$ Pit

Remind me again why you are on this site giving this kid bad advice?

Anyhow, i would go with your option number three, but if you can wait till next seaon and get and older M series sled i think that would be your best bet... Im still learning how to ride as well, i ride a 97 RMK and i have learned a lot by riding that. Whatever sled you get you will learn to ride better and that will help you a lot, just get out there and ride and learn from other people when you can... Also depends on the type of riding you want to do

 

[ndmeathead]

First off, I think your making the right decision with what brand to start with. But, your choosing the wrong models. Im assuming that you will be riding in the mountains and if thats the case find yourself a cheap M series sled. Reliable, fun, cheap, plenty of mods out there, and they will only get cheaper now that cat has a new chassis coming out.

Really it just depends on what kind of riding you plan on doin.

M7 Bulletproof, that 700 will take you everywhere you wanna go

 

[rmscustom]

M7 Bulletproof, that 700 will take you everywhere you wanna go

What he said.

 

[Bacon]

I would say look for an 05 or 06 M7. Make sure it is stock or almost stock and the motor has no mods. I would go for a 162 track but I am partial to that length. You will be much more happy riding an M than the KK.

 

[jbsleds]

We just got back into riding a few years ago. Needed to buy some good sleds at reasonable prices. The folks we do most of our riding with are mt. cat fans, so that's the way we went. So far, we've got three, an 01 600 carbs 136, an 02 800 efi 144, and an 04 600 efi 144. No regrets.

The next one will definitely be an 04 900 carbs w/ 151 or 159 track. Rode one this past weekend in deep snow mtns and it was great. I've learned that the 04 chassis has all of modifications made to that series. The 900 is a very solid engine. I've been told to be careful about king kats. Many were used hard.

Are the newer M sleds better? I'm sure they are in many ways. But the older mtn. cats fit my budget and they work for us. I'm able to have a variety of sleds for different purposes and a loaner when someone else wants to go along. I think they'd be fine for the type of riding you described you'd be doing.

 

[dmkhnr]

Tell us what your budget is. $1500 max is all you should spend on any of those sleds as they are all older dated chassis.
Cat is releasing their new chassis tomorrow, which will make the current M-chassis value decrease. You should do yourself a favor and pick up an 05-06 M7 or 07 M8, even an 05-06 M6 is a great unit.