What is reasonable?

up-high · Mar 5, 2014

If I can't test ride a sled, I'm not buying it. Been there done that! That said, if I was the seller and couldn't go with I don't know what I would do. Maybe find a buddy that could go?

rmkelvis · Mar 5, 2014

Lots of extreme and absolute replies on both sides of the issue.

I am looking for some reasonable middle ground.

SRXSRULE · Mar 5, 2014

10,000 for a used sled? I'm going to assume its a 2014 sled at that price. Go rent the same sled and ride it for a day and see what you think. If you like the way it rides, go look of the used sled and decide to buy it or not.

Ive been buying and selling sleds for (not resale, my own personal use) 25yrs and I have never once test rode a sled or allowed someone to test ride one of my sleds.

I don't even like buddies riding my sled while were out riding for a day. you can do thousands of dollars in damage in just seconds and I'm not ok with that.

One last word, If your spending 10g's you know you can buy just about any 2014 brand new for that price right now? Eric

donbrown · Mar 5, 2014

rmkelvis said:
Lots of extreme and absolute replies on both sides of the issue.

I am looking for some reasonable middle ground.

I live near Los Angeles, have over 5 sleds plus I am over 50 years old. The nearest groomed trails are 3 hours away.

What is fair? Go rent a similar sled or ride a friends similar sled to see if you generally like how they feel.

At the sellers establishment:

Check for clear title

do a visual check up

start sled bring it to temperature pick up track run it. Use garden hose to cool it.

Take pics of any defects.

Decide to buy it ... or not

See if seller will give a written warranty to return (for a specified reason) unforeseen damage 10 day unconditional warranty (never had a warranty from a private party beyond a handshake)
(BTW the handshake was good if no problems ... with problems you are on your own unless you hire an attorney)

An easy way to protect yourself is buy the sled thru EBAY IF AND ONLY IF the vehicle qualifies for Vehicle Purchase Protection Again this will cost fees to the seller OR let a third party like a snowmobile dealership check out the sled prior to purchase.

Personally I would not let my best friend take my sled and go check it out. If you can convince some one to let you go ride it for a day ... I as the seller would draw up a rental agreement , take pics etc.

(I've done all the "legal agreements" and still been burned. I just rented a sled to the DISNEY channel for the show I didn't do it ... RENTED IT and the sled came back with out the engine , clutches and hood and all the wiring gone. the rental agreement sayd they could remove any hazards on equipment so they decided the gas in the engine was a hazard and probably threw it away )

Then it is yours to do what you want.

If you don't like the way it rides modify the sled ... suspension / controls etc.

If you don't like it sell it.

Laundryboy · Mar 5, 2014

I respect that you're 65 and not 20, but in my opinion the idea of taking the sled four hours away for a 40 mile test ride seems more like an idea that a twenty year old might concoct. If I were the seller I'd probably suggest you might look elsewhere. No disrespect intended.

Duramax LB7 · Mar 5, 2014

A little long-winded just a couple of things to think about.

There are a couple of things that could go wrong on both sides, yet it could go perfectly right. You as a buyer have really nothing to lose by taking it on a ride. Naturally, the owner of the sled would want to protect himself/investment (sled). Your purpose is to make sure the (1) sled runs right and (2) there are no problems. The seller wants to sell his sled (obviously) but wants it (a) back and (b) in the same condition. Now there are a million things that could happen but there are a list of the some that are more likely to occur.

If it gets wrecked, bent, tweaked, etc., as a seller I would want the price I was asking because I let you take a perfect sled now the value has decreased because of the wreck. Now on your end it is important to check that it is not wrecked prior to you taking it out. If you didn’t see a tweak he made, then you could be on the hook for the price of the sled.
If the sled breaks down (mechanical failure) then who does that fall on? Obviously you wouldn’t have been the sole cause just a contributing factor to it. It would not be fair for you to cover the whole cost. Nor would it be fair to put the whole cost on the seller because he did not directly break it. Or maybe the warranty would still cover the repairs. But what about a wear item like a belt? I wouldn’t want to pay for other people’s belts to ride. So, if you end up buying it then there would be no cost on that. If you were to blow the belt and not buy it, I as the seller would probably want to shift that responsibility/cost to you.

What about the condition of the plastics? I know that mountain riding (assuming that what type you do) you will often come around trees. These are known to cause damage to the plastics. What is going to happen if they get scratched? Total replacement or a percentage cost based on some factor? As seller I could see it going either way. (1) I would want it to be in the same condition or (2) I could receive money for the scratch and hopefully sell it for the same price later.

How now how do I get you to bring back my $10k sled? Well, you have to look at the reasons that would make you want to keep it. First, to bring it back you would almost have to leave something of equal or higher value, on the condition, you don’t bring it back, he can take your old property sell it and get his $$ back. I know you aren’t going to just run off with the sled, but these are just some of the difficulties of the issue.

There are a couple of options: (1) see what agreement you can’t work out, (2) wait for a time when he can go with you, (3) go through a dealer. Hopefully this can help ya out.

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bholmlate · Mar 5, 2014

There is nothing keeping you from letting your 20 something grandson who is out for a visit ride it. It doesn’t matter what we think is reasonable. it only matters what is reasonable to the Seller who had the sled. Although these types of threads do promote view time for ads on snowest because they are so polarizing

If it was my sled I would ask to hold onto a validated cashier’s check for the full amount of the sled that would be returned once you brought back the sled. You would pay the going rate for a rental for that style of sled. You would sign a release that said any damage to the sled you would pay for a local shop to repair even if it was an warrantee item. If you did not like those arrangements and countered with your own I would say It was very nice meeting you and good luck in your search.

donbrown · Mar 6, 2014

bholmlate said:
There is nothing keeping you from letting your 20 something grandson who is out for a visit ride it. It doesn’t matter what we think is reasonable. it only matters what is reasonable to the Seller who had the sled. Although these types of threads do promote view time for ads on snowest because they are so polarizing

If it was my sled I would ask to hold onto a validated cashier’s check for the full amount of the sled that would be returned once you brought back the sled. You would pay the going rate for a rental for that style of sled. You would sign a release that said any damage to the sled you would pay for a local shop to repair even if it was an warrantee item. If you did not like those arrangements and countered with your own I would say It was very nice meeting you and good luck in your search.

Even with a cashiers check in hand it is not worth the paper its printed on. I've received a cashier check for some gear and it bounced at the bank saying the check was canceled by the issuing bank. because it was lost / stolen.

justjohnthomas · Mar 6, 2014

Just dealt with something similar, not 10k but 1500 little ones. Have a 98 MSRX 151", guy has been interested in it. Was going to let him go with me to test drive it but he wants to take it out this weekend Friday-Sunday to make sure it's "what he wants." Offered to leave his pickup title with me. Had to tell him my sled was for sale, not loan for the weekend as its not tagged or insured this year. Even for $1500 risk I wouldn't let someone take it out without me as we know how things happen on the mountain.

Similar story a buddy was selling a sled to a guy he knew, so he let him take it out with his friends. Guy didn't realize hard packed trail +90mph isn't a good combination and that little red light tells you something. Overheated the motor then didn't buy the sled saying "it was going to mess up, that’s why you were selling it."

I think reasonable would be ask your true reasons for wanting an extended test ride. Worried about the machine having issues? Walk away. Worried you won't like the machine? Not the sellers issue as other people will know what they want. Want to make sure it preforms to your standards? Ride similar then decide. Reasons the seller can't accompany or invite you on a ride? (Moot point as if it's a solid machine people will buy it without the hassel) You mentioned protecting your investments, but by buying a snowmobile you are doing the exact opposite. In the world of powersports buying used is always a gamble, but asking a seller to let you borrow his machine in hopes of buying it I find far-fetched. You aren't on his insurance and yours most likely won't cover it either.

RobertTrivanovic · Mar 6, 2014

I need to ride something before I buy it. But in that sense there's no way id even attempt to ASK the owner to ride it without them there. Also for me riding it all I'm looking for is up and down a road for 5 minutes. Also if it gets to the point of me test riding it I'll have cash in hand at the time ready to buy it.

For example you start a sled up in the garage and it works great. Then you go ride it and it had a crazy bog because of a cracked intake boot you couldn't see by eye. Or some other issue the guy couldn't figure out and that's why he's selling it.

Also a return policy is rediculous to ask from a private owner. If you don't like the chassis that's your fault not his. Also say the engine blows up the day after you buy it, that could very likely be your fault for improper warm up or something along those lines, once it's out of my garage it's no longer my problem. Also if you have ever asked a dealer about warranty on a dirtbike you'd know once it leaves the shop it's your problem, no warranty at all.

Scott · Mar 6, 2014

If a demo ride is going to happen, both the owner AND perspective buyer should be present for pre-ride inspection, the ride and post ride.

DEFINATELY both parties should always be present to protect themselves.

Van Epps · Mar 13, 2014

A credit card deposit... for asking price, sounds reasonable to me, just like renting a piece of heavy equipment.

What is reasonable?

up-high

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rmkelvis

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SRXSRULE

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donbrown

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Laundryboy

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Duramax LB7

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bholmlate

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donbrown

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justjohnthomas

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RobertTrivanovic

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Scott

Scott Stiegler

Van Epps

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