Sticker shock!!!

fourbarrel

fourbarrel

VIP Lifetime Member
Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
2,767
Location
St George,New Brunswick,Canada
I hate to admit this but I don't think I (me personally ) could afford a new Yamaha sled I mean it certainly seems to me that they are pricing themselves out of reach of a major segment of the buyers out there.I just finished reading OSM sled mag and they did their version of a buyers guide with pricing and ratings of various sleds all categorized into intended use groups.It was very informing and well done but I got to tell ya the competition is making it easier all the time to switch brands.
Lets start at the top shall we;
Trail big bore: Apex GT $16649 (Apex ER $15099)
Cat CFR1000 $14999 (Z1 Turbo $16199)
Doo MXZX 800 $12299 (MXZ RS $14499)
Polaris IQ 800 $12299 (IQ Dragon $13099)

Crossover-Backcountry: Nytro XTX $14699 ( ApexLTX $17099 )
Dragon SWB 800 $13299 (600 $11499)
Crossfire 6 $11699
Renegade 6-800 $7999-13899 (Gade sport $7999)

Trail Mid bore: RS Vector GT $14699
FX Nytro $14299 (Nytro RTX & RTX SE $15249 & $15549)
Polaris Rush 600 $12799 ( IQ 600 $11199)
Cat Sno Pro 600 $12399
Doo MXZ Adrenaline E Tec 600 $11999 (MXZX $12699 MXZ XRS $13999)
Doo MXZ TNT 600 $9899

These are the most popular segments and the prices are in Canadian dollars too as well as being msrp rather than a negotiated sale price.Still I can t help but think to myself that the prices are getting way out of hand regardless of all the new technology etc.This is getting to be a sport for the fairly well off financially if your buying new where used may be more attainable.
 
Last edited:
i hear ya's. I just dumped my 07 nytro because I could still get a good price for it. That seems half the problem anymore, is the resale just an't there. Not that resale on a sled is good. I understand that, but for what you pay new and what you would get for it 2 years later, ouch. I'm going back to a 2-stroke. I was not sold on the gas milage on the 4-strokes. When you pull up to the pump and your buddies 2000 srx only uses 2 gal more than your 10000 4-storke. I don't know about all that.
 
I gotta hand it to Doo for the Etec, my buddies renegade gets 25mpg and it pulls damn hard for a 600. It corners like crazy and is great in the deep stuff. I find the only down fall is the coldness and the engine braking. Most sleds are cold now, except for Poo and kitty, I am a huge kitty fan. The Yamahas are thrown together much better then the rest, Doo second, then poo, then cat. The cats just put more into the performance then the quality of fit and finish. But it shows in the pricing. I guess Yamaha is the Audi of snowmobiling and the Cat is the Challenger SRT?
 
I tell ya it's disheartening when guys who ride Yamaha now are buying a Cat as a new sled.A bud of mine has an 01 SRX which is in great shape but he feels it's time to have a new sled so when pricing one up the Nytro that he wanted was just too expensive.He ordered a new 800 Crossfire in the spring basically because of the price difference,but on the bright side he said he's keeping the SRX because he doesn't trust the Cat :rofl: .
 
I was looking for a new sled this year until I went to the stealership. The best price and I am still a couple grand away from the doo comparison. I hate to say it but when the snow flys and I can test one out I think the 600 E-tec will get my cash. My daughter will ride it when we are out but she is only with me on weekends.

ya gotta admit the phazer is one ugly thing too.
 
Thats why i wait and buy used. It will be a few years before were ( the family and i ) are driving four stroke even though they look sweet. We just upgraded this year and got a 02, 04 vipers. Cant wait to hit the snow. Ive put a lot of sweat and work into them to make them like new over the summer. I know will have a ton of fun. Bring on the snow.
 
Ive been riding sled for nearly my whole life, and I for one am no fan of new style, and new riding position. Maybe im just a calssic type of guy, but I love how LOW SLUNG my srx is, and all older sled fo rthat matter.

Sure, you cant argue the new technology, but Im still a ways off before looking at a new styled sled...

And the rediculous prices dont help that either....if Im dropping 16-20 Gs for a toy, its going to be a wicked fishing boat, or an RV or something...something that will get the USE that makes it worth the purchase....

Just my $0.02
 
Why buy a used sled?
1.Because they are abut 1/2 the price of a new one or less regardless of 2 vs. 4 stroke.

2. They have depreciated so if you want to sell a used one you just bought not so long ago you are not going to take a hit in the wallet like you would if you try to sell a new one that you have not had that long.

3. A used sled will most likely need some work and if you are like me, I enjoy rolling up my sleeves and wrenching on a sled in the garage with a few ice cold brews and the football game on the radio or TV.

4. Older used sleds are cheaper to insure

5. You can find A LOT of modification information for older/used sled vs. a new sled simply because of people like you and me that have had the time to tinker and report our findings here in T.Y. so you can get almost instant access to information and parts for modifying your sled to your liking.

6. I spend a fraction of the money on my used sled to change it into what I want about every 2-3 years and use the rest of the money for trips instead of not having money and riding around and around my house and local trails

7. The old SX, SRX and Vipers are plain and simply a much better looking sled and ride WAY, WAY, WAY warmer than a new sled.

Anyone want to chime in here with other Pro's for buying used?!?!?!?!?
 
Sure, you dont feel as bad when your used one has a issue.. versus that brand new 15 grand one sitting in the dealer because it has issues.
 
TOTALLY AGREE...in the stable i have a 2000 SRX set up for the lake (bought used) a 2002 SRX with reverse and a MONO rear skid (daily driver/bought used) and just picked up a 2006 APEX RTX mint/1600 miles to try the 4 stroke side. But honestly, I just could NOT put pen to paper on something brand new...$15K +/- $1K WOW!!!
 
I totally agree with buying used, every sled I've bought has been a few years old and at a discounted price. That said, SOMEONE still has to buy the new ones and high prices aren't good for anyone.

Out of curiosity, how is Yamaha doing in sled sales? How does it compare to the other companies?
 
Yamaha is definitely not pumping out the volumes of sleds they used to. My local dealer here in Houghton usually gets 23-30 new Yami's per year, but this year of all the sleds he ordered, he received four. He was happy he won't have to sit on sleds again through the off season.
 
Unless you are a long distance rider and do like 5 to 10,000 miles a year..a new 4 stroke would be the ticket. But for me to put out nearly $20,000 for a brand new Apex..that's with taxes included and a new suit and only ride a couple thousand km's and with lack of snow last few seasons..I would have to be insane.It would be sitting for 9 months of the year.
I will keep my 2 sleds which I love and have basically have done work and updates on them far more cheaply then investing a a new sled. How do they justify the prices where they are now. I would buy a Brand new Motorcycle first for that money.I may never ever get to ride a 4 stroke sled as long as my SRX is healthy and $84 insurance for a year is cheap.
I have my 600 for ditchbanging and for going thru winter blizzards and drifts,and the SRX for river runing on a nice day.Perfect world,and both were half the cost of a new sled.How can you loose !!!!!!
 
One of the nice things about these 4 strokes is they last a long time, and Yamaha has made relatively few changes from 2006 on. You can spend $5000 for a nice 06 or $10000+ for an 09 and have basically the same sled. So someone who wants to get into the 150 hp 4 stroke market, like myself, can do so fairly easily. You can't do that with other brands as easily. (though in a way that labels the Apex as outdated, which maybe it's starting to become?)
 
I am really at a cross roads with a decision on another newer sled to go along with my SRX and I have to say it will be a used sled too.I really like the 2 strokes for ease of use and maintainability where as the 4 strokes will live way longer under normal use,not modded to the hilt.I'm really not the high mile tourer but would still like to try a 4 stroke for the fuel mileage aspect as well as being able to run regular gas all the time,some places I've been to on a tour only have regular as they are remote outfitter lodges.
I guess the real decision will come down to what kind of or how much riding I see myself doing this winter and whether I will actually get to use the sled enough to justify buying it.Then there's also the storage issue,if I do buy another sled I'd have to build a bigger shed and listen to the fiance bitch for about the next 7-8 months ;)! .
 
I only buy used -- I look for machines 1-2 years old that were cared for and have low miles. I just bought my '07 Attak this last winter for $5,500 US and the dealer threw in a helmet for my wife..... And the machine had never been registered or driven off the prior owner's land and had only 400 miles. In two years that guy took a $6,000+ depreciation because he prefers to own only brand, brand new toys. I work too damn hard for my cash to be that stupid!

For off trail and cruising, the 2 strokes are light, fun, and a cinch to throw around. But once you try out the new 4 strokes on a long cruise, that wide, wide powerband is quite an addicting rush!!!!!!!!!!
 
mntvipermn said:
I only buy used -- I look for machines 1-2 years old that were cared for and have low miles. I just bought my '07 Attak this last winter for $5,500 US and the dealer threw in a helmet for my wife..... And the machine had never been registered or driven off the prior owner's land and had only 400 miles. In two years that guy took a $6,000+ depreciation because he prefers to own only brand, brand new toys. I work too damn hard for my cash to be that stupid!
Click to expand...


If someone can afford to buy new every two years and piss away 6k, he can't be all that stupid.

Some folks don't like the hassle dealing with used sleds (present company excepted) and just want to ride. I've known a couple guys that don't want to deal with maintenance or have had miserable service experiences and claim it has been cheaper for them to buy new every year.

Then there is the guy that just has to have the latest/greatest with more money than brains.

I've purchased three new sleds (all snow checked) for no other reason than I can't save money but I'm real good at paying someone to lend me money and making payments.

I could have rode my XCR a few more years before buying the SRX in '01, but I was tired of tweeking and squeezing every last bit out of the monoblock and wanted to go the other way and start with a solid powertrain and tweek the chassis. As it turns out, not entirely by accident, I got one of the last of the good'ns.

Nothing coming out in today's sleds is enough to get me off my low slung SRX. It just kinda fits.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
snomofo said:
mntvipermn said:
I only buy used -- I look for machines 1-2 years old that were cared for and have low miles. I just bought my '07 Attak this last winter for $5,500 US and the dealer threw in a helmet for my wife..... And the machine had never been registered or driven off the prior owner's land and had only 400 miles. In two years that guy took a $6,000+ depreciation because he prefers to own only brand, brand new toys. I work too damn hard for my cash to be that stupid!
Click to expand...


If someone can afford to buy new every two years and piss away 6k, he can't be all that stupid.

Some folks don't like the hassle dealing with used sleds (present company excepted) and just want to ride. I've known a couple guys that don't want to deal with maintenance or have had miserable service experiences and claim it has been cheaper for them to buy new every year.

Then there is the guy that just has to have the latest/greatest with more money than brains.

I've purchased three new sleds (all snow checked) for no other reason than I can't save money but I'm real good at paying someone to lend me money and making payments.

I could have rode my XCR a few more years before buying the SRX in '01, but I was tired of tweeking and squeezing every last bit out of the monoblock and wanted to go the other way and start with a solid powertrain and tweek the chassis. As it turns out, not entirely by accident, I got one of the last of the good'ns.

Nothing coming out in today's sleds is enough to get me off my low slung SRX. It just kinda fits.
Click to expand...
Sno:

You are right. I sort of know who the prior owner is (Duluth, MN area is one big small town, if that makes sense....) and he has done very well for himself. Basically money is no object. Owns a lot of land pipelines cross over and he gets enormous lease payments from them. Good for him.

But for us normal folk, a payment with a decent interest rate on just under $6k (Taxes and bought some supplies and rolled them into the loan), is $120 or so a month for 5 years. I plan to pay this thing off early, but I did not have the cash laying around at the time.

But that means a new sled, assuming about $12K with taxes, supplies, etc. would be $250-ish a month payment. That's a lot of cash flow for a brand new sled to be used 4-5 months a year max. I mean, most folks also have to pay the truck payment, mortgage, taxes, stripper girlfriend, etc...

I would love to have brand new, but other priorities also come into play. But like you Sno, I can't save money I like to splurge waaaaaay too much!

Mike
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top