Hopefully going to be upgrading sleds before the snow flies this year. My budget will allow around $4k. Seeing a lot of 04-06' sleds out there that have 3000-4500 miles on them. Have engines gotten that much better to where miles shouldn't matter as much as they used to? Obviously I am not going to buy a sled that is beat up and everything under the hood looks like crap, but if I find a well kept and good looking sled do I need to keep questioning if I am making a good decision or not?
How much do you look into miles when buying a sled?
- Thread starter Cat_man
- Start date
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Guest
I have seen sleds with 700 miles on them that are completely trashed. On the other hand if an older sled has been maintained and looks good I would not necessarily be scared by 5000 miles. Looks count for a lot. If the person who had it took any pride in ownership it will look good. If the person generally didn't care it will look like crap. If he didn't care how it looked he probably didn't care if he did proper maintenence either. I have 7000 miles on my current Apex and it looks as good as it can for an '07. I wouldn't be afraid to sell it to my banker. Every so often you can still stumble on a 5 year old sled with 500 miles. However most of these have sat for so long the gas has turned to snot and you have to totally go through everything. The more you know about the seller the better. If he is a slob then stay away. If he is anal retentive go for it.
Makes sense grub. Looking at an 06' Polaris Fusion with just under 4000. Don't know the seller, but pictures look good and clean. Will see what it looks like in person. I have also been told to take a good look at the seller's garage/shed that it is in. Nice clean building means they take pride in the ownership of their toys.
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Guest
Looking at his garage/shed is a wonderful idea also. If it looks like a goat threw up you can probably do better. It is still early in the fall buying season. There might be lots to choose from out there this year. Don't feel pressured to jump at the first 'bargain.' Still at least two months to rideable snow. I think.
I guess it depends on how much you ride. My problem with sled mileage is how long (years, not miles) will the sled last before I have to spend money on it. If you ride 500 miles a year, then a 4000 mile sled will last you a long time. I tend to do a lot more than that in a year, so a 4000 mile sled for me doesn't give me much time. My wife/buddy sled is a 98 XLT with 8500 miles on it and it amazes me how quickly it went from 3500 miles to 8500. I'm looking to replace it this year in the 2000 mile range because that gives me 2 more seasons than a 4000 mile sled.
I know I will have to pay upfront for that (pay me now or pay me later).
Good hunting!
I know I will have to pay upfront for that (pay me now or pay me later).
Good hunting!
bearrassler
Well-known member
I was a sled dealer a long time ago and when customers would look at used sleds the most important item to most of them was the mileage, we often times had similar sleds and the one with the lowest mileage always sold first and for more money even though many times the higher mileage sled was in much better condition. If a newer model sled had 4 to 5 thousand miles and looked like it was well taken care of and had been properly maintained I wouldn't be afraid of it. Like Grub said though it is still early and there will be many more used sleds for sale in the next couple of months. By the way my current sled has about 9000 miles on it and I would not be afraid to go on a 1000 mile ride with it.
3000-4500 miles is nothing for a 4s engine. None of my 2s engines lasted that long so for me I would not touch a 2s with 3000-4500 miles just no good for power cruising & big milage days. If you putt putt on the twistys & only ride 500 miles a season probably OK but I would rent if I only rode 500 miles a season as $4K goes along way towards a rental. Rent different brands & walk away when done. On 2s trade ins most dealers not interested in sleds above 3,500 miles as buyers shy away from them too much risk.
skiroule
Well-known member
A couple of the previous responses have made a good point: Evidence of maintenance is equally as important as mileage. If the machine appearance reflects pride in ownership, the odds are in your favor that the owner has sweated the small details. While engine condition is important, keep in mind that there are many things that can or will fail before the engine - clutches, shafts, bearings, chains, etc. These things are not cheap to fix either.
Personally I feel that sitting does a sled no good. Living in a metro area, mine do not get run as often as I would like so I pay special attention to maintenance. Metro area sleds often have lower mileage than sleds in more rural areas but that doesn't necessarily translate into greater reliability. My brother, who lives up north, has more miles on one of his than I have on all of mine combined but I believe his sleds are as reliable as mine.
As Dsnomo said, you should probably consider how many miles you are going to ride it each year. If you ride 3000+ miles, you may not want to buy a sled with 4000 - 5000 miles. If you ride 400 - 1000, then I think a well maintained sled with 4000 miles should serve you well for several years. If you're looking at Polaris, the liberty engines seem to tolerate higher mileage relatively well (at least based on my brother's experience - he as three that are pushing 10,000 miles each).
Good luck! There are a lot of good used sleds out there but if you find something that you feel is special, be prepared to grab it. The really good ones go fast. I put my mint condition Edge X on J.D. a couple of years back and within 24 hours I had six committed buyers queued up. The first party to respond took it.
Personally I feel that sitting does a sled no good. Living in a metro area, mine do not get run as often as I would like so I pay special attention to maintenance. Metro area sleds often have lower mileage than sleds in more rural areas but that doesn't necessarily translate into greater reliability. My brother, who lives up north, has more miles on one of his than I have on all of mine combined but I believe his sleds are as reliable as mine.
As Dsnomo said, you should probably consider how many miles you are going to ride it each year. If you ride 3000+ miles, you may not want to buy a sled with 4000 - 5000 miles. If you ride 400 - 1000, then I think a well maintained sled with 4000 miles should serve you well for several years. If you're looking at Polaris, the liberty engines seem to tolerate higher mileage relatively well (at least based on my brother's experience - he as three that are pushing 10,000 miles each).
Good luck! There are a lot of good used sleds out there but if you find something that you feel is special, be prepared to grab it. The really good ones go fast. I put my mint condition Edge X on J.D. a couple of years back and within 24 hours I had six committed buyers queued up. The first party to respond took it.
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It also depends allot on the history of the sled in ? say you were looking in to a yammi triple 600 or 700 or a Fuji 500 no issue with 8k on it looking in to a doo 800 with 2k on it run don't walk.also the Mi don't mean **** if you don't know the guy a low Mi speedo is the first thing to go when parting out a late model sled and I know some guys who ride all yr with out a spedo connected.
it is all about the maintnace and how the sled looks My sleds usualy look better than showroom and never hard to sell
it is all about the maintnace and how the sled looks My sleds usualy look better than showroom and never hard to sell
tundra ron
New member
I have 05 rage with 7000 miles I would compare this with 2 smoker with 3000 mi. I have changed bearings wheels and the steering bushings. Runs as good as the day I bought it.
indy_500
Well-known member
Cost the same either way. If its in the garage I start buying stuff for it. If I'm riding it i'm spending the $ on gas. LOLJust don't ride it -leave it in the garage!
winter_time
New member
I personally would not be scared buying a sled with 5000 miles so long as you can tell it is not beat. (ie. clean looking, nothing visibly cracked) I currently have a 2002 600 xc that has 9000 miles on it and running strong. So long as you do routine maintence on it and the person before you did there should be no problem with it lasting. With that said I also firmly believe in the saying that the life of a bearing is the life of a bearing. The highest mileage sled that I have ever seen is a ski doo legend that currently has 21,000 miles on it and the only thing that has been done was routine mainence.
I buy a new Sled every 3 years and sold my 09 600 Etek GTX with 6800 miles on it for $5500. It had 1 year BRP best warranty left on it.
My Son sold his 09 600 Etek Renegade with 6600 miles on it for $5600. Its Motor had been gone thru last winter and had a fresh top end.
Both Sleds were in good shape and always hauled in a enclosed Trailer and never sat in the Sun.
I think if I would have only put 500 miles a year on I would have sold them for $1000 more and in my case would have saved $1500 because I would not have bought the Warranty. My Son would have saved $2500 because his Engine may have stayed together.
We both bought 4 strokes now. I bought one because I wanted the extra power and hopefully will keep it a year or two longer this time.
If you buy a high mileage Sled you have to buy it for less. If you are buying one and only plan on riding 500 miles a year, a cheaper high mileage Sled is a good choice. Most 2 strokes run 5000 to 10000 miles before a rebuild. If you ride it hard like my Son did it won't last 10000 miles. I have seen some 2 Strokes go over 20000 miles if they are ridden by someone who never goes over half Throttle. The guy that bought mine should probably rebuild the Motor if it doesn't blow this winter under warranty.
If your going to ride a lot and take long trips. Buy a new Sled. It doesn't make sense to wreck a vacation out west with junk. If you only ride around Town it doesn't make sense to have a new Sled, they lose there value way to fast.
My Son sold his 09 600 Etek Renegade with 6600 miles on it for $5600. Its Motor had been gone thru last winter and had a fresh top end.
Both Sleds were in good shape and always hauled in a enclosed Trailer and never sat in the Sun.
I think if I would have only put 500 miles a year on I would have sold them for $1000 more and in my case would have saved $1500 because I would not have bought the Warranty. My Son would have saved $2500 because his Engine may have stayed together.
We both bought 4 strokes now. I bought one because I wanted the extra power and hopefully will keep it a year or two longer this time.
If you buy a high mileage Sled you have to buy it for less. If you are buying one and only plan on riding 500 miles a year, a cheaper high mileage Sled is a good choice. Most 2 strokes run 5000 to 10000 miles before a rebuild. If you ride it hard like my Son did it won't last 10000 miles. I have seen some 2 Strokes go over 20000 miles if they are ridden by someone who never goes over half Throttle. The guy that bought mine should probably rebuild the Motor if it doesn't blow this winter under warranty.
If your going to ride a lot and take long trips. Buy a new Sled. It doesn't make sense to wreck a vacation out west with junk. If you only ride around Town it doesn't make sense to have a new Sled, they lose there value way to fast.
Miles are a major factor but so is the previous owner's maintenance habits. Here's a couple of picks of my last trade-in at 4500 miles, the dealer gave me a premium value and resold the sled in about a month.
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alwaysright
New member
I'm not as worried about miles either as the last two sleds I bought were over 4000 miles and have no worries about thier reliability. Take a look at the guy you are buying from, it will say alot. do a little research into what you are buying and it will go along way.
Well I just stumbled upon a 06’ Polaris Fusion 600 with 7000 miles on it. Sled looks in great shape, garage looks all nice and orderly. Need to see pics. of the engine. Asking price is $3100. This sled is a great one to post on this discussion. Also found a 08’ Polaris IQ with 1900 miles for $5600. Quite the difference and a great example of how you justify which direction to go.
I would research as much as possible the sleds reputation as well. Some sled designs just simply last longer that others. I have two Doo legends that are 7 years old with 8k miles on each. With that said you cannot replace good maintenance. I treat my sleds like new born baby's because I simply do not have the money to replace them. They have never sat out overnight without either being in a trailer, garage or on backpacking trips covered. They are cleaned (yes a toothbrush is involved for those hard to get to spots), no grease is spared, only Doo Synhetic Oil (I am sure there will be comments on this), Staybil, and they never go more than a month without being started and ran until the engine is warm. As someone told me once, when working on and maintaing sleds, cleanliness is next to Godliness.