Deciding if snowmobile is right for me - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

bdog · 12-28-2007, 03:34 PM

Hey I'm new to the forum and was just trying to figure out if I should buy a snowmobile or not. I was thinking of getting a cheap one. Maybe about $600-$1000. I'm 14 years old and am currently in the process of trying to convince my parents to buy me one. I need to know if it is expensive to keep one running. So if anybody has any advice about the expenses or has a cheap snowmobile to sell in Vermont that would be great.
Thanks

coloradoman25 · 12-28-2007, 04:57 PM

Well I will go out on a limb and say get a 600$ one and LEARN to work on it. Thats what I did and am still doing with my newer sleds.

TO adress is it expensive to keep the running its not all about gas and oil unless your taking a leisurly lap around the yard. If your gonna really ride it and have fun its gonna break its just a fact. Anything in that price range will also be older and thus need maintainance and probabally some parts replaced.

At your age its an excellent learning experience and is rewarding when finished.

My first sled was a 79 Jag that I pulled from a field with a rosebush growing from the seat. It took 9 months and 700$ but that sled was showroom new when I was done. I rode it 3 seasons and then sold it for 850.

Sleds are a hole in the snow into which you throw money. I would say that if your parents buy you one that you should be responsible enough to do chores and learn the work on your own.

This website and a clymers manual will do you a great service and ultimately can teach you some valuable info. Even after years of working on stuff and riding I have a sled that is a headache and a half to work on.

Good luck and eventhough your only 14 your old enough to work on them learn them and earn the money to fix them. I built my first sled with no experience literally just leanrning as it went from the manual and taking pictures as i disassembled it at age 12 and my first care I restored in 1995 at age 15 a 70 mach 1 mustang. You have a wealth of information to access now which would make it even easier.

Remember PATIENCE is a key. Good luck!

clodev · 12-28-2007, 05:50 PM

good luck you are certainly old enouph the issue is are you responsible enouph. I got my first sled at 17 got it running and sold it because i didn't know how to fix it or have the paitence to becareful and understand what i was doing(i can't even tell you what it was). 20yrs later i have a 80 panther that i worked on this summer and got running and now a 85 yamaha ss440 that works but will be restored ish this coming summer. It costs alot if you have others do it much cheaper if you turn your own wrenchs. If you get one make sure you post questions here we will all help as much as we can.

iceman400 · 12-28-2007, 05:56 PM

Go for it!..nothing like sledding..it dosn't matter what yea got!.. i'm 16 and i got a 93 plus and a 92 plus X and there not the newest but there fun!... i grew up with sleds and my dad made me learn how to fix em when they broke and i have been riding ever since i was 3!...get a sled work on it.. learn..
trust me you wont regret it!.

IndianRvrShiver · 12-28-2007, 07:54 PM

Yup!! Make sure you get your Dad's buy-in! As long as he's willing to help you out & you're willing to listen & learn, it could be a great experience. But, be aware, they can get spendy when you break stuff & also, the older the sled, the rarer the parts are.....try to stay with one in the 90's or newer!
Go for it!!

phishook · 12-28-2007, 11:30 PM

DO NOT get anything larger than a 440.

iceman400 · 12-29-2007, 08:48 AM

Why shouldent he get anything larger than a 440?..i think its stupid to say that,(no affence) -i was riding a 617 when i was 12...and like hes 14 and if you can get a good deal on any sled no matter what size of engine i say go for it...the bigger the motor the longer it will take for him to grow out of it and then he can save more money to buy a new machine.

phishook · 12-29-2007, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman400

Why shouldent he get anything larger than a 440?..i think its stupid to say that,(no affence) -i was riding a 617 when i was 12...and like hes 14 and if you can get a good deal on any sled no matter what size of engine i say go for it...the bigger the motor the longer it will take for him to grow out of it and then he can save more money to buy a new machine.

lol, none taken, but I was that age once too. If a sled can go 70, it will. If it can go 120, it will.
As a parent, I'd forget about the price and get something my kid would be safe on.
I would also look for one with a studded trac.

celicaguy58 · 12-29-2007, 11:31 AM

i say you should definitely get into snowmobiling. I was in the same situation three years ago when i was 15. i had to convince my parents to let me buy one. they didnt want me to get one until i got an amazing deal on my arctic cat from my mom's co-worker. a '94 EXT for $550 running in great shape. you just have to look around for some awesome deals. it helps to talk to anyone you know that rides snowmobiles to see if they are selling them or if they know anyone that is selling. as for how expensive they are to maintain; durring the winter you will be your sled's slave spending your hard earned cash on its every need. (gas!, oil, parts, time to fix it...) yet, it will be a great learning experience and very worth it in the end to fix it (and fun at times, other times anything but fun...). besides you need something fun to do in the winters. as for what sled to buy i'd say just stay under 600cc i have a 580 and that is plenty fast. even a 440 would be great fun. they are light and easy to throw around on trails. alot of snowcross sleds are 440. as for which brand you cant really go wrong they are all pretty good, but if you want my opinion buy a cat maybe a zr.

good luck buddy.

IndianRvrShiver · 12-29-2007, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by celicaguy58

i say you should definitely get into snowmobiling. I was in the same situation three years ago when i was 15. i had to convince my parents to let me buy one. they didnt want me to get one until i got an amazing deal on my arctic cat from my mom's co-worker. a '94 EXT for $550 running in great shape. you just have to look around for some awesome deals. it helps to talk to anyone you know that rides snowmobiles to see if they are selling them or if they know anyone that is selling. as for how expensive they are to maintain; durring the winter you will be your sled's slave spending your hard earned cash on its every need. (gas!, oil, parts, time to fix it...) yet, it will be a great learning experience and very worth it in the end to fix it (and fun at times, other times anything but fun...). besides you need something fun to do in the winters. as for what sled to buy i'd say just stay under 600cc i have a 580 and that is plenty fast. even a 440 would be great fun. they are light and easy to throw around on trails. alot of snowcross sleds are 440. as for which brand you cant really go wrong they are all pretty good, but if you want my opinion buy a cat maybe a zr.

good luck buddy.

Nicely said, celicaguy!!

I think your message means a lot coming from a sledder close to his age!!

chase893 · 12-29-2007, 12:51 PM

Get a snowmobile and start riding.
From the minute i set foot on a snowmobile, which was when i was 4 years old, It has changed my life. I have seen many new places and met many new people. Its even fun as hell! Trust me, you will prolly fall in love with snowmobiling.

Octane · 12-29-2007, 02:51 PM

I dont think snowmobiles are at all expensive to keep running. Ive owned dirtbikes and sport quads and lemmie tell ya, sleds are cheap and relatively trouble-free compared to those things.
I personally would get an inexpensive 340, 440 or 480/550/570 fan-cooled sled. At 14 years old and just starting out, you dont need anything more than that. You dont need a 150 hp sled to have fun. Ive had just as much fun on 340s as Ive had on any bigbore sled.

justride · 12-29-2007, 05:31 PM

selding is fun really fun but you have to have snow to ride. Out of all my toys it cost the most and i only ride for 12weeks for 1K i do not know if you can find something that you can really have fun on. I would think hard about this

iceman400 · 12-29-2007, 06:37 PM

also dont let your friends with dirt bikes and quads talk yea into not getting a sled.. trust me there is NOTHING like snowmobiling...yea dirt bikes n quads you can ride all year long but there is nothing like throwing a sled around in powder and crackin' the throtle out on the lake..
go for a sled.

Connor.

chase893 · 12-29-2007, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Octane

I dont think snowmobiles are at all expensive to keep running. Ive owned dirtbikes and sport quads and lemmie tell ya, sleds are cheap and relatively trouble-free compared to those things.
I personally would get an inexpensive 340, 440 or 480/550/570 fan-cooled sled. At 14 years old and just starting out, you dont need anything more than that. You dont need a 150 hp sled to have fun. Ive had just as much fun on 340s as Ive had on any bigbore sled.

I would have to dissagree on snowmobiles being very inexpensive to maintain. There is a ton of maintainence that come with it as does everything with motors. Racing motocross since 5, i can tell ya... well i have spent much more on my sleds needs.

Octane · 12-29-2007, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chase893

I would have to dissagree on snowmobiles being very inexpensive to maintain. There is a ton of maintainence that come with it as does everything with motors. Racing motocross since 5, i can tell ya... well i have spent much more on my sleds needs.

Unlike dirtbikes, sleds dont need engine rebuilds every year that cost over $1,500.
I ride my sled about 1,000 miles a year and I almost never have to spend anything repairing it. The most expensive year Ive ever had was this past year when I blew a track and had a chunk of the track damage a heat exchanger and the rear part of my tunnel. The total cost to fix the damage was about $700.
Ive got friends who MX race their quads and dirtbikes and they spend way more than that every year. One of them recently had a topend rebuild done on his '04 Yamaha YZ 250F and it cost him over $1200. Last year he has his suspension rebuilt, which cost him $1500 and he tells me that was by far the cheapest place he found.
Also, every year he spends at least $500 in just general maintenance (oil and filters, tires).
I enjoyed racing motocross and had fun racing in C class, but MX was way more expensive than I could afford.
Most years, other than gas, oil, hyfax and carbides; I dont spend much of anything to keep my sled running. Granted, all I do is trail ride. I dont ride powder or hit any huge jumps like you see on those snowmobile DVDs (Slednecks, Turnagain Hardcore, etc).

chase893 · 12-29-2007, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Octane

Unlike dirtbikes, sleds dont need engine rebuilds every year that cost over $1,500.
I ride my sled about 1,000 miles a year and I almost never have to spend anything repairing it. The most expensive year Ive ever had was this past year when I blew a track and had a chunk of the track damage a heat exchanger and the rear part of my tunnel. The total cost to fix the damage was about $700.
Ive got friends who MX race their quads and dirtbikes and they spend way more than that every year. One of them recently had a topend rebuild done on his '04 Yamaha YZ 250F and it cost him over $1200. Last year he has his suspension rebuilt, which cost him $1500 and he tells me that was by far the cheapest place he found.
Also, every year he spends at least $500 in just general maintenance (oil and filters, tires).
I enjoyed racing motocross and had fun racing in C class, but MX was way more expensive than I could afford.
Most years, other than gas, oil, hyfax and carbides; I dont spend much of anything to keep my sled running. Granted, all I do is trail ride. I dont ride powder or hit any huge jumps like you see on those snowmobile DVDs (Slednecks, Turnagain Hardcore, etc).

I know where you coming from, but for most people that have a dirtbike, the dont rebuild every year, hell.. most not even the whole life of the motorcycle. Racing however is a different story. I have two cousins who ride professional motocross.

RX1mountaintmc · 12-29-2007, 09:46 PM

I couldn't imagine life with out sleddin', but I live in the Idaho mountians and have snow from November to May. For you I say search your heart and do whats right for you.

Octane · 12-30-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chase893

I know where you coming from, but for most people that have a dirtbike, the dont rebuild every year, hell.. most not even the whole life of the motorcycle. Racing however is a different story. I have two cousins who ride professional motocross.

My plan was to race amateur motocross in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. I know I would have been tearing the bike down every winter and rebuilding much of it. I know I would have been spending big $$$. My friend is 18 and even with living at home and working 40-60 hours a week with his dad helping him out a lot with the cost of racing, that family has still just about gone broke and wiped out their savings trying to stay racing MX. My friend is a good rider, he usually finishes in the top 5 in C class (not bad considering he has only been riding about 5 years) and is moving up to B class next year, but I think if it were me, Id look to something more affordable. Theres no way I would let myself go broke over motocross.
I know what you mean about how most people almost never rebuild their motors. It seems like the common theme is: abuse, neglect and then when it blows up, whine, complain and part out on Ebay.

iceman400 · 12-30-2007, 01:11 PM

I would say that dirt bikes ar