Used sled recomendations

[Walleyehooker]

Kicking around picking up another used sled and need some opinions. I mostly ride a few trails and a trip or 2 to LOW to fish. Dont need a mountain sled. Want newer body style with reverse and a proven dependable machine. Not particular to brand but Ive always had cats. Doesnt need to be a rocket,thinking something in the 600-800 class is plenty.Dont want to spend 12+ on a new one for the few times I ride but I see a lot of newer used sleds out there for half of that price. Any suggestions? Thanks

[trackerbrent]

I am Polaris guy, so a little biased. My suggestion is to get a Polaris Edge XC 600 or XC 700. Good machines that are plenty fast and handle well in the corners. They are also warm due to the wide body protecting the rider from wind. There are parts everywhere for these machines if you crash or something breaks. I have an IQ Switchback that does not handle corners nearly as well as the Edge, but does handle bumps better. I am picking up an Edge XC 800 next week for an extra machine. The only reason I am getting an 800 as the entire motor from top to bottom has been rebuilt. They are known to grenade in the Edges due to piston skirts breaking.

If I were buying new, I would be all over the new Yamaha Viper.

Good Luck!

[Fred_Bear]

Ski Doo Renegade

[Macgyver55]

Ski Doo Renegade

That would be my choice too! Looking for a lower mile now one since I have 13,000 miles on my current one and had 14,000 on my last one. (purchased both new)

As good as mine have been I personally wouldnt consider anything else.

[MN Mike]

Since I don't know your age and the type of riding you do, I'll throw out a few suggestions.

If you like to rip it up on the trail once in a while and have some fun in general, Arctic Cat Crossfires or F Series would be up your ally, you can get either a 600 or 800 in those. Might be able to find some mid 2000's Sabrecats too, those were nice, if you are looking for something newer then you wouldn't want those.

If you like to cruise, then there's a pretty good variety of Arctic Cat sleds out there. Pantera's, Panthers, T660's, T660 Turbo Tourings, T570, TZ1's and of course the Bearcats. Engine offerings in these would vary widely depending on the year you're looking at.

If you are looking to carry some stuff, look at the racks that come with the Panteras or the other 4 stroke Tourings, they can carry a couple of Marcums and an ice auger pretty easy.

Nice thing about looking at the touring style of sleds is that you pretty much know they haven't been beat on and have had a pretty easy life.

Most of the sleds mentioned above will have about a 136" track.

Mike

[dan z]

A mid 2000 Polaris would get my cash if I had it. Those liberty motors are excellent power plants and if there are issues there are parts readily available.

[PurpleFloyd]

Just bought a 2003 Z570 ESR Cat which sounds like it would fit your bill too.

It had reverse, electric start, hand warmers, side mirrors and they are pretty bulletproof from what I hear.I believe it will do about 90,which is fast enough for me these days.I think a panther would be great too with the extra seating.

My family has been Popo for as long as I remember but I personally have had so many Q/C and dealership issues with them that I am done. SkiDoo would be my next choice.

[Walleyehooker]

Ill be 55 soon thats why Im looking for something with reverse. I dont ride the trails hard or put on that many miles. I have a 98 ZL440 I bought new and only has 2400 miles on it and is still in mint shape and those 440s are pretty much bullet proof. Just looking to add another machine to the collection with a few more comforts. Looking at prices of used ones and there seems to be a lot of them around 5k should buy a pretty nice used machine. With short winters and puting on such few miles and depreciation I just cant see buying a new one. Looking on the AC HSOforum a touring or bearcat would suit my style and probably leaning more towards a 4 stroke if they are dependable.

[leech~~]

Funny thing out of the 15 or so sleds I have had. I had to rebuild three tops ends, all were SkiDoo's! Polaris have been my last two sleds. I would go with a fan or 4 cyc if your going to making those long runs across LOW and back!

[MN Mike]

Hooker,

I think you've got it figured out, couple of nice sleds you are looking at with the ones you mentioned, can't go wrong with either one.

Leech makes a good point too, I've seen my fair share of overheated / blown up sleds on Lake of the Woods in the spring time, when that snow is setup like concrete in the a.m. those liquids will have some issues if you don't take precautions, doesn't happen every year but .......

GOOD LUCK and let us know what you get.

Mike

[Walleyehooker]

So who has the most reliable 4 stroke in the last 4-5 years? I usually maintain and keep my stuff for a long time so I want to make the right choice.

[MN Mike]

As with anything, if it's taken care of you shouldn't have trouble. I'm not aware of any issues with the 660's Cat has had, my Dad has one with about 5 - 6000 miles on it, runs great. I've seen some that have been listed for sale with 15 - 20,000 miles on them. As for the 4 strokes, you'll probably end up in the situation where the motor will far outlast the chassis.

If you look at enough sleds, you can tell which ones have been taken care of and which ones have been neglected.

Mike

[leech~~]

Be aware of all the rental sleds out there! They usually look pretty clean because they do some cosmetic clean up on them and some have even changed out the Odom on them. But most of them have been beat to shoot! Or they wouldn't be getting rid of them. Their easier to spot at things like Hay Days because they have a whole semi full of them or if a dealer has a lot of nice looking "slightly used" sleds of the same type sitting out front! Look closely on the hoods for where faded numbers or out of state tags were!

[Walleyehooker]

Good tips. Ill have to do some looking around as I like to buy in the off season. I also like to buy from 1 owners as you get to see who drove it and get an idea on how it was maintained.

[Walleyehooker]

I saw a couple 2002 660 on c list with low miles for 3200. Is that a decent price? I suspect prices will start droping or people willig to deal a little more as winter ends. Would like a little newer but for the right price and mint condition I might go older.

[MN Mike]

Must be '02??? I think '01 was the first year of the 660 but don't hold me to it.

Is it a 2 up?

This could get to be a looonnnnggggg thread............

Mike

[Walleyehooker]

Yup 02 2 up

[MN Mike]

I gotta think thats pretty right on the price if it's clean and low miles like you say.

I've been watching Panteras which would be just about the same sled except they have 2 strokes, anything decent has been over $3k and they go FAST! These have been '02 - '04 models.

If you run across a good deal on c list, be prepared to jump on it, could be gone by the time you call back!

Like you say, you might be able to wheel and deal since we are getting near the end of the season, worth a try.

Mike

[Walleyehooker]

Im not in a hurry and will wait for the right one to cherry pick. Thanks for the help.

[MN Mike]

It's nice to not be in a hurry BUT don't pass up a good deal when you see it either. Seems like when the snow goes away, the amount of sleds for sale drops really fast until next fall.

What Leech said about the rentals is true too, my buddies ended up with 4 sleds that had been rentals, EVERY single one had issues from blown engines, clutches falling apart and other pesky issues, they dumped them quick. Plus, I believe when they are bought for rental use, the factory only gives them a 6 month warranty. It's probably going to be tough to know if they were a rental or not but you couldn't give me one of those sleds!

Mike

[Walleyehooker]

Seeing these 660s were some of the first 4 strokes,have they made major improvements on the newer 4 strokes? If Im going to pull the trigger on a new to me used sled I would rather pay a little more for a better rig if it is worth it. Sounds like to me with running a long trail in possibly warmer conditions like up on LOW a 4 stroke is the way to go. Fans are OK but they seem to bog down in warmer temps or at least they used to.

[shortfatguy]

If I were you I would stick with a 600 over the 800 if you go two stroke. They seem to have a better track record with reliability through all manufacturers. If you are thinking about a 4 stroke you owe it to yourself to look at the skidoo 1200. Best handling, lightest 4 stroke on the used market IMHO. Have not heard of any major issues with them. I would particularly avoid skidoo 1000, early doo 800r, any 800 polaris, and polaris fusion,stay away from the f series cats with the 13.5 wide track. They are fast in a straight line on hard pack but suffer in other areas. I personally am not a fan of the yamaha 4 stroke. If I wanted something that heavy I would drive my truck. If you can manage to find a cross over style sled the extra track length will help with traction for pulling and floatation in non-groomed areas.

[MN Mike]

Fans generally run into trouble because they are jetted too fat for the spring time, get them jetted right and all will be just fine.

All Cat did with their 4 Strokes was make them bigger after the 660's. If there were issues, a person would have heard about it.

Mike

[Walleyehooker]

Doing a little research it appears the 660s in 02 and 03 were non turbo and low HP and will run 55-60 MPH which is still fine with me. But in 04 it appears turbo was an option and much more HP. Leaves me with more decisions on which way to go but either would probably do if I found a clean and well priced rig. Not really interested in 2 stroke and $40 a gallon oil and smoke. I already got a couple of those.

[MN Mike]

Leaves me with more decisions on which way to go but either would probably do if I found a clean and well priced rig.

That would be the way I feel too.

I think the non turbo 660's were something like 58 HP and the Turbos were around 118 HP. Dad's is a turbo and once you get it spun up, it likes to go! It's got good power.

Mike