how much does the quality of dealer influnce the brand of sled you buy?

[rightsideup]

Or would buy from a dealer that you know if inferior to get the brand you like?

 

[Toyboy]

I would travel further to find a better dealer or buy from the cheapest and never go back for parts or service. It wouldn't change what I wanted to buy

 

[kootenaycat]

Between my quad, sleds and dirtbikes I own 4 different brands and around here we have 3 dealers within 40 minutes and 1 about an hour away and it makes a HUGE difference! Gave up on one dealer 18 months ago and haven't stepped in there since, I buy online for that sled if I need to. 2nd dealer I will only be back if I have warranty issues and that's only for another year. 3rd dealer I only go to for parts because it's 2 minutes from my place, always have to deal with attitude but it's convenient otherwise I wouldn't be in there. There's another dealer that is an hour away and I'll drive there before the one that's 40 minutes away just because I don't get a bunch of attitude when I step up to the counter. When it comes to the new quad next year I'm probably going to buy from a dealer that's out of town away just because I've had it with local dealings.

 

[recguy]

Dealer means everything. Where i deal if your loyal it is returned ten fold.

 

[ferniesnow]

A good dealer is like finding gold..........it gets you all excited and tingly all over!

They are getting harder to find and further away.

"The best little shop on the Prairies" or Mr.R's is one of a few that I know. It is a 2 hour drive and I am treated quite well thank-you!!!

 

[SidewaysInto3rd]

doo dealer, 10 min drive
poo dealer, 3 hour drive

easy decision

well, there'a yamaha dealer 9 minutes away but we won't talk about that

 

[fnDan]

I decide on the brand first and figure out the dealer part after. I could have another brands dealer next door to me and it wouldn't influence my decision on what I ride.
I want to enjoy riding and not figure how to make a sled do what I want just because I can get it fixed close to me. I will drive farther to get to a better dealer.
There was a shop in high river that i used once and never went back. I had to drive into Calgary to get to parts or service even though I thought their hours suck.
Now there's a dealer near Okotoks and we'll see how that goes. I heard they are having a grand opening for sledders on Oct 13th.

 

[Mike270412]

I drive all the way to Bonnyville. Apparently there are Arctic Cat dealers in Edmonton???

 

[tfitz]

Dealer is the most important part of sled shopping!

 

[Barry Barton]

Dealers not that inportant i've had attitude at most shops small shop is usually the best still have yamahas but I also have two m8 so i'm not brand loyal either because they all have their own good and bad.

 

[enis750]

we have a local Polaris dealer I tried to deal with last year when I bought new
I asked both places what their best deal out the door was - the dealer an hour away won
well, Karma bit me in the ass, cause it was only $500 cheaper and I got a speeding ticket ($185) on the way home
and had to make 2 trips to the dealer for some TSB's, so my $500 was easily out the window then

Id prefer to deal w the doo dealer an hour away, but not making that mistake again
Id also prefer to deal w dealer in AB (Mr. R's) but driving 6+ hours for a sled purchase just isnt a possibility for me
especially if i need ANY warranty work, I KNOW FOR A FACT id be put on the bottom of the list here

so ya sometimes you have to deal w the local guys
I hear its new mangement here, so im hopefully it will be a good experience
so far the sale guy has been really good to me, hope it carries on

 

[-lenny-]

Just waiting for the "support your local shop" brigade to chime in. Thats fine if they earn it, but if they don't treat me well enough for me to purchase there, then chances are,they are not going to help me out with parts on a weekend or whatever.

When I snow checked this spring, I decided what sled I wanted, then started talking to dealers. Ended up I got the best service and the best price at the dealer closest to me, Edson. Edmonton dealers were nuts with the $$$$$ they wanted.

 

[dezmitchell]

dealer is huge ....if my guy sold doo thats what i would ride NOW THATS SAYIN SOMETHING!

 

[Bogger]

One of the key deciding factors in me going from doo's to cats was knowing T&T is only 2.5 hours away....

Even when I had the doo's Ally helped me find & supplied parts...

Good dealer trumps brand loyalty for me.....

 

[Shredder]

I drive about 6 hours to get to Bonnyville. Get met with smiles and hand shakes from Terry and Mark everytime. Well worth the drive!! Even Ally was there again for the open house; after disappearing for a couple of years after she took it upon herself to repopulate the Bonnyville area. Usually I just make it a weekend trip now. Stop in and visit Snowseeker and his growing family for a nite, sip on a few beers; then head home in the morning. Waaaaaay better than getting the "If you don't like the service here fawk off and get your chit somewhere else attitude!!" that ALOT of the big city dealerships have.

 

[renegade x]

I have found the further you get from the larger cities , the better the dealers get.

 

[enis750]

I drive about 6 hours to get to Bonnyville. Get met with smiles and hand shakes from Terry and Mark everytime. Well worth the drive!! Even Ally was there again for the open house; after disappearing for a couple of years after she took it upon herself to repopulate the Bonnyville area. Usually I just make it a weekend trip now. Stop in and visit Snowseeker and his growing family for a nite, sip on a few beers; then head home in the morning. Waaaaaay better than getting the "If you don't like the service here fawk off and get your chit somewhere else attitude!!" that ALOT of the big city dealerships have.

im ALL FOR buying from a good dealer .... BUT ...
what happens when a simple warranty recall comes out, or a warranty fix like an electrical issue?
and you want to drop off w the local guy that you told to go f*ck themselves, cause they said buy elsewhere if you don't like it???

ill tell you what ... your seld gets dropped to the bottom of the pile and you drive 6 hours (probably on crappy roads) for a repair
whether it be simple or a 2-3 day fix
not to mention the wear and tear on your trcuk, gas, trailer, food and lodging ... assuming you dont hit a deer driving in the night (hoping that would never happen just saying)

i get it tho, I do ....

just from personal experience, supporting your local guys is sometimes worth it, IF YOU DRIVE A MACHINE W WARRANTY
I dont want any downtime if I can help it .... I learned this the hard way last year, as my post above explains why

 

[zeebs]

100%!!!!! Service is everything!

Sent while not working too hard

 

[plio7]

i will continue to drive to bonnyville for my chit.....dealer is everything

 

[polaris011]

im ALL FOR buying from a good dealer .... BUT ...
what happens when a simple warranty recall comes out, or a warranty fix like an electrical issue?
and you want to drop off w the local guy that you told to go f*ck themselves, cause they said buy elsewhere if you don't like it???

ill tell you what ... your seld gets dropped to the bottom of the pile and you drive 6 hours (probably on crappy roads) for a repair
whether it be simple or a 2-3 day fix
not to mention the wear and tear on your trcuk, gas, trailer, food and lodging ... assuming you dont hit a deer driving in the night (hoping that would never happen just saying)

i get it tho, I do ....

just from personal experience, supporting your local guys is sometimes worth it, IF YOU DRIVE A MACHINE W WARRANTY
I dont want any downtime if I can help it .... I learned this the hard way last year, as my post above explains why

thats where it helps to just bite your tongue be polite and still buy it from the cheaper guy so at least when you come back for the simple repairs and parts to your local guy they dont hate you and will still be willing to help you out ... telling someone to get bent just doesnt go over well ever imo