One of the big things with me is a good warranty. I can buy a cheap $20k car and get a 5 year warranty, or a $15k sled and only get 1 year (unless I pay extra for extended). The main reason I bought my first new sled in 07' was because Cat had a 4 year warranty promo for no extra charge. I paid under $12k out the door, spent more than that in the previous 4 years keeping the old iron running. I like all the bells & whistles but give me a good warranty to keep it all working without costing a small fortune.
Sled Pricing and Base Models - What do you really want in a sled?
- Thread starter Modman
- Start date
Longhairfreak
Active VIP Member
One thing I know is that newer is not better. Mod your old iron (but choose your model and mods wisely) and you will have a far superior sled to the new stuff coming out.
come on! post a pic of the wedge for us!!!!!!! pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?
overkill131313
Active VIP Member
pics will be as old as the sled......black and white lol. since LHF never gets to the mountains, he wont have any "up to date " pics.
moyiesledhead
Active VIP Member
You guys need to keep buying new sleds every 2 years no matter what it costs. I love you're hand me downs! I haven't bought brand new since 2002 because like a lot of people I just can't afford it any more, & I'm having great luck with used sleds so far! It also gives you a couple of years of feedback to figure out which ones to stay away from. 
maxwell
Active VIP Member
i was in the same boat this season. i think skidoo is doing a good job with the everest line. i picked mine up 163 brand new for 11500.
i told them right away ditch the electric start -500
and the sled is barebones and works just as good as the x. the suspension is lacking a small amount but thats what i payed for.
my plan was to buy the most barebones machine i could because i feel aftermarket products are lightyears ahead of the expensive stock options and i like to do my own work.
the guage package is basic. and the shocks and suspension are basic. everything else is the same. i plan to do my own upgrades so why pay the extra 5000 for the loaded x? when i can throw a skid and front end on for 3000.
there might be a little wiggle room on the everest...for example it came with a tall windsheild which is about 200$ to buy. and the decals might be another 200 which came off as soon as i got it home.
other than that the sled is fairly basic. not much else you can junk from it.
headlights? i dont use them? i could care less if they were blocked out completely.
hand a thumbwarmers...i like them..but can add later.
all in all i think a everest model 163 could be around 10,000-11000 if they ditch a few more things.
the guage package is very simple but still has a digital readout. possibly ditch that? just keep speedo/tach and a analog km meter....could save some bucks.
how about the goofy tail light assembely? all fancy plastics and lights with a molded snowflap.
how about a chunk of plain rubber?
ditch the fuel guage for a floater guage..
lots of room for inprovment...or unimprovement haha
i told them right away ditch the electric start -500
and the sled is barebones and works just as good as the x. the suspension is lacking a small amount but thats what i payed for.
my plan was to buy the most barebones machine i could because i feel aftermarket products are lightyears ahead of the expensive stock options and i like to do my own work.
the guage package is basic. and the shocks and suspension are basic. everything else is the same. i plan to do my own upgrades so why pay the extra 5000 for the loaded x? when i can throw a skid and front end on for 3000.
there might be a little wiggle room on the everest...for example it came with a tall windsheild which is about 200$ to buy. and the decals might be another 200 which came off as soon as i got it home.
other than that the sled is fairly basic. not much else you can junk from it.
headlights? i dont use them? i could care less if they were blocked out completely.
hand a thumbwarmers...i like them..but can add later.
all in all i think a everest model 163 could be around 10,000-11000 if they ditch a few more things.
the guage package is very simple but still has a digital readout. possibly ditch that? just keep speedo/tach and a analog km meter....could save some bucks.
how about the goofy tail light assembely? all fancy plastics and lights with a molded snowflap.
how about a chunk of plain rubber?
ditch the fuel guage for a floater guage..
lots of room for inprovment...or unimprovement haha
JaySimon
Active VIP Member
That is one of my gripes with my XP. I would totally prefer a float gauge, mine is never accurate.
posnick
Active VIP Member
I see where you are going with this Modman. I am still riding older technology because i cant seem to break away from 13K. Keep in mind that even if they doo a bare bones unit, the manufacturers cost will only vary slightly from a loaded one. Their cost on parts is a very small fraction of what we pay for OEM parts. I would bet money there is a 75% mark up on alot of it. The dealers don't make alot on the actual machine but they gross the bejesus out of us on parts and accessories.
OVERKILL 19
Active VIP Member
I truly believe BRP could save them selves $$$$$$ if they would start out sourcing some of there parts to people who...history shows make their chit work.
I've sledded with a fellow in GP better known as Mel, who puts on 6-8000kms a year. If I owned BRP these are the types I would be giving a sled to each year with all the feedback I could get!
Motors they have got it cased...IMO But I'm sure there is guys like Kelsey who would have great info on how to improve the design.
Clutching..... DJ all the way! Why pay some accountant to build U a clutch system that has been consistently fubared for years.
Also they could probably cut cost by not having 5 versions of the same sled.
I've sledded with a fellow in GP better known as Mel, who puts on 6-8000kms a year. If I owned BRP these are the types I would be giving a sled to each year with all the feedback I could get!
Motors they have got it cased...IMO But I'm sure there is guys like Kelsey who would have great info on how to improve the design.
Clutching..... DJ all the way! Why pay some accountant to build U a clutch system that has been consistently fubared for years.
Also they could probably cut cost by not having 5 versions of the same sled.
Pistonbroke
Active VIP Member
Ditch all of that chit, and just make the tank transluscent like the cats did and some of the doos did.
- Thread starter
- #31
The Everest line is good, most of the manufacturers are in similar boats as well though. They build certain models but the options list of upgrades on a sled is pretty slim. They may find that down the road as things increase even more, less and less people are entering the sport or staying in the sport as their older sleds break down, I guess time will tell. I'm not asking for a custom sled and I realize that having too many options is just as costly for production costs, but just a few more options that could help reduce the cost is all I'd like to see. Unlike a truck or car, I don't care if there is only one gear ratio on my sled, things like that are what I'm willing to accept.
I can order way more options on a new Kia than I can on a sled priced at the same $14,000. I realize that there are more car dealers and therefore more stock floating around so you can have more options, but if I could order a 2011 sled with a few options right now and save $2000, I probably would. Dealers would not be keeping overhead because the sled is already sold, and the manufacturer has time to build it. Even if they only did it as a spring thing where they gave you more options for a limited time, instead of just offering a different model for a limited time. Spring order only would also give them more time to build the sleds, and they would already have a portion of the capital to do it.
I'm very much the same as Maxwell, a mechanical floater gauge is more than fine for me, I don't really care if the gauge is in the tank so long as it's going to give me an accurate representation of the fuel remaining.
Mud flap - yeah it's on there and you're probably not going to change that, just like handwarmers, I understand that certain things are going to have to be the same across all the sleds in a line up.
The molded plastic thing is a fit and finish item - which I personally blame on the magazines and test riders. Often times I read about a magazines test ride pro's and con's, seems like 1/2 the time they whine about the fit and finish, and the manufacterers read the test review and take their word as gospel, and next years sleds has more moulded plastic. Does it really affect the average rider that much? The test riders did this to the Polaris 800 Pro-X a few years back about the fit and finish - who cares? It was almost a race ready sled - so what if the rear bumper is not moulded nicely into the tunnel with fancy plastic covering it all? Someone who buys this sled is not concerned about the upholstery piping that holds the seat cover together and how it bothers the test rider's bum either.... because someone that buys this sled is not typically sitting down anyway.... Must be nice to be able to bitch about the fit and finish when someone gives you a sled to ride for free, but they don't really think about what they are saying and who the sleds are marketed towards sometimes.
Headlight thing - again, probably not going to move to an "option" list, but Dd we need 4 headllights? IMO no, so why not give me 2 and if someone wants HID 4 beams that can see for 3 miles because they ride at 100 mph at night all the time, let them buy it aftermarket. Maybe save $150-200.
Windshield - put same height on each sled if you want a high one, buy it as an upgrade, probably save $100
Gauges - yeah, could probably drop some cash just having the electronics gauge package as the upgrade. I don't feel there has to be 4 options for everything, if there were only 2 gauge options that would be perfect. Doo wants $435 for the eletronic gauges - give me $100 speedo and tach with a floater gauge and keep the rest. Save about $300.
Logos and graphics - I don't think you guys realize how much the graphics really cost - the 1" logo on the dash is worth $12. All told there are about $192 worth of decals.
I don't know, maybe to some peeps it might seem like I'm splitting hairs but there is $500 saving's alone in the gauges and decals. Especially when you consider that most them are removed, I'd rather have the $200 in my pocket if I could have the choice. Not including some of the major items, there's probably an easy $1000 in options right off the top. That's almost 10% off the price right here, half the price of the e-tec upgrade and $1000 better spent on something I care about. Factor this into a spring order special and you could easily be under the $12K mark and a lot closer to the sled you wanted.
Just throwing some things out there.
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mxz sledhead
Active VIP Member
i think needs and wants are two different things if shop around you can find great deals on new sleds it took me two seasons to find my new one i knew what i want and the price that i as willing to spend and i got it i manage to get a 2010 backcounrty its a demo and has full warranty i got every thing i wanted and more for $9200 save thousands .I did the same when i bought my truck my freinds laugh there a** off when i go truck shopping the last truck i bought took me two years to buy and about twenty dealerships its drive my wife nuts but she never ask is there any better deals out there
rotormech
Active VIP Member
overkill i bought mels old 04 800,ive dona a top end at 5000km runs strong as ever,used stuf all the way for me...
- Thread starter
- #34
Yes, shopping around will get you a good deal providing you don't spend too much fuel and time doing so, and 2 years in the sled business is a lifetime, technology changes that fast. When you bought your sled, did they extend your warranty to compensate? Like Crazy8 said, a good warranty is hard to find and with the issues on today's machines, having warranty for as long as possible is a must.
If dealerships have to hold over sleds for 2 years before anyone buys them because everyone is shopping for a smoking deal only to dump them at the same price they paid, I do not see them keeping much stock anymore, which means that perfect sled you are trying to buy gets harder and harder.
All I'm looking for are opinions on if more options were available, do people think that they would buy newer sleds more often. I will be in the market for a newer sled in the next year or two, and so this is why I'm asking. I see lots of people having troubles maintaining their older sleds as parts get more and more obsolete and hard to find, so often times replacing a sled is the only option if something major happens. Walking out and buying a brand new one isn't an option for everyone, and higher retail pricing also drives up the used market.
I can remember a short time ago when new sleds were around $10K, now used 2 yr old sleds are approaching that value. I see sledding as a dying sport simply due to fuel prices etc, add in huge sled premiums and I worry about future generations enjoying our sport as much as we do now.
mel.h
Active member
Good post Modman, totally agree with u. I too will not spent the money on a new sled. Can i afford it, yes, but as you said, lot of things on them are not required. Bought a used 800 xp last fall, 450 kms... paid 8500, went all winter, no issues so far. Does it have everything? Pretty much! 1st few times out kept using the pull start, why? Because of habit. Still found myself pull starting in the spring. Don't need the electric start, electric fuel gauge, digital gauges, etc. The graphics i don't mind, although they could do way better... sorry, not a fan of the blacked out sled look. The color of the side panels is too cheap without some covering IMO. Anyway, thank you Modman for a decent subject to start as a post... a lot better than most that get started here lately.
mxz sledhead
Active VIP Member
I understand where modman coming from unfortually new ones way out linefor me try to justifed the cost i really try to support my local dealership by
buying my parts from them i have alot of trust and faith in them because i do alot of engine rebuilds light mods for my self and freinds
buying my parts from them i have alot of trust and faith in them because i do alot of engine rebuilds light mods for my self and freinds
SavageCanuck
Active VIP Member
I am with you on the noncurrant sleds.I picked up a Demo 09 RMK700 with easystart with 600 miles on it for my wife.Sled came with a 2yr[engine on 2nd]warranty,belt and plugs for just under $8600.I paid close too $14K for my same year D800.I wanted too give my wife my D800 and get a new ProRMK800 but the 15K price with taxes in is just too much
treemongrol
Active VIP Member
Thinking back on all the sleds I have bought every time I bought one had to throw, tracks, gearing, clutching, etc, etc on to it yeah prices of the sleds were cheaper but then your throwing all these parts into it to get it to work. Bought a new Xp this year and short of the vent kit and stiffners on the running boards I haven't had to do anything to it. Sled was 10199.00. Heard alot of remarks over the years "It would be nice if they would build a sled that was meant for the mountains and didn't have to do anything to it" well they have and yeah the prices are higher then they were but also your not throwing an additional 4 to 5 grand to make it work anymore either, unless your the type of person that stock is not good enough for you.
maxwell
Active VIP Member
i agree with that. the 2010xp is years ahead of the 2008. and all i will be doing is a can and some venting.
sledhead5000
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Agree totally, last October (2009) I bought the 2009 Summit XP 800 for $10,900 inc tax. One year out of date, very few changes were made tho, and I got the full 2 year warranty on it... regular price for that sled was around $14K if I remember correctly. The deals are out there if you don't demand the newest! Buy the previous model year in the summer/early fall for the best deals... after buying the sled, new sled gear, avy gear, sled mods, and paying for all the gas and accommodation for last winters riding, I think I came up around a total of $14K... what a 2010 was worth. Basically got all the accessories and winter of riding for free for going 1 year older.
4 months till sled seasons starts, waiting sucks... I want snow now!
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