Thinking about getting a sled

[bigred44]

A friend of mine has a few sleds for sale and I'm not sure which one i would want. Here are my choices that meet my price range:

http://elmira.craigslist.org/for/2150869473.html
http://elmira.craigslist.org/for/2150775726.html
http://elmira.craigslist.org/for/2150856402.html

I would be getting a better deal than the list price but wondering what you guys think of them. Should i get one of these or just hold out for a better deal.

BTW i have ridden all of these sleds before and are all in good shape mechanically and well maintained. And also FYI this would be my first sled if i buy.

[fabiodriven]

The first ad is deleted and the other two are for Arctic Cats. You can't go right with an Arctic Cat buddy. Good luck...

[trimoto.125]

Get a skidoo mach or mx or Polaris indy, stay away from Arctic S..t

[bigred44]

Thanks for the replies. I think i am going to pass on getting a sled this year. Will wait until i have enough coin to get something nicer. Maybe pick something up through the summer months.

[JohnR.]

Don't let biased opinions sway your decision. Any of them are well made. I'm partial to Cat's but I think for reliability you probably can't beat a Yamaha. The fact that most Cat's used a Suzuki means they are pretty reliable too.

[posty2100]

I would say look for a nice Ski Doo 500 or 583 from 1994-2000ish, I see them on craigslist for $800-$1500 alot. They are nice sleds for the money and plenty fast.

[brapp]

i have the 99 yamaha srx 700 tripple its nasty fast runs good but does need attention to the head gaskets but thiero rings so shouldnt be much of an issue. and its for sale and right around 1400 ish.

[bigred44]

I'll keep that in mind Josh. Not real sure what i want to do right yet.

[fabiodriven]

The fact that most Cat's used a Suzuki means they are pretty reliable too.

That's actually their whole problem.

[trikes4life]

I would look in to a Yamaha vmax or Some kind of indy series. I had many problems with my kats over the years. I was a die hard Cat fan now i have an older Polaris than my artic cat was.

[JohnR.]

That's actually their whole problem.

The ones around here must not have gotten the memo telling them they are supposed to break. LOL!

John

[RIDE-RED 250r]

They have ALL had their issues. It really comes down to personal preference...

[fabiodriven]

They have ALL had their issues. It really comes down to personal preference...

Exactly. If you prefer to work on things, get an Arctic Cat. If you prefer to ride, get anything else.

[JohnR.]

Exactly. If you prefer to work on things, get an Arctic Cat. If you prefer to ride, get anything else.

I'll tell you this, my cousin is outside my house right now working on his Ski-Doo and will probably be doing a headgasket. I'm inside sipping coffee and taking care of some housework while my Cat sits on the trailer ready to go. Does that mean that all Ski-Doos are junk? No. My other buddy has a Polaris sitting at his house in Lake George that he didn't bring down because the CDI box is bad. All Polaris' are no good then? Brapp has a Yamaha with a blown motor. I guess they are no good either. I don't know what bad experience you had with a Cat but in my years playing with them I've not had a bad experience at all. Saying "all of brand xyz is junk" is just silly in my opinion.

John

[fabiodriven]

My opinion is not based on one machine. There are years of experience here. I have owned many sleds myself, even an Arctic Cat. Many of my friends own sleds and many of them have owned Arctic Cats. My brother is a motorcycle mechanic and does work out of his garage at home. He used to work on the super bike circuit and built bikes for people like Larry Pegram and Jamie Hacking just to name a couple. He told me when I was buying the Arctic Cat that I should steer clear of it. It was such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up. That thing was the biggest headache I have ever had in my life. I would rather take a visit to the oral surgeon than have to spin a wrench on one of those machines again. After I was able to get it running it became immediately clear that it had to go. That machine was soooo ridiculously heavy. I almost couldn't pick up the rear of it to turn it around. I sold it and got my Polaris and haven't looked back.

I have seen, ridden, and owned many kinds of bike, trikes, quads, and sleds since I was a kid. Almost every Suzuki I have seen has been a heap of crap. My buddy's Quadracers were constantly being towed home when we were kids. I owned a Quadrunner 230 for a brief period. Biggest heap of crap I ever owned. And it was in pristine condition too! I worked on a guys Kind Quad for him about 4 or 5 years ago. I made a huge mistake volunteering for that one.

This is not me just seeing one shite box 'Zuki and disliking them all. This is years of collective experience. I will say this- I know nothing about newer machines, sleds included. The new Cats may be nice. If it has the heart of a Suzuki, I wouldn't buy one though.