Buying a used snow mobile can be a pleasant experience, but
there are a few things to keep in mind when making the decision.
Don't stop at the first snowmobile that you see and purchase it.
It pays off to spend half an hour studying the market and
getting a feel for the prices and brands. If you are an informed
buyer, your chances of getting stiffed by a seller are far
lower. Another great idea is to bring a friend along. If your
friend knows a thing or two about snowmobiles, that's even
better. Two minds are always better than one, and your friend
might play the role of the objective voice, if you get over
enthusiastic about a certain offer.
When visiting a snowmobile seller ask him or her to leave the
machine cold - not to start it up and allow it to get heated.
This will ensure a rigorous testing of the snowmobile's starting
capacity. Warmed up engines will start right away, but cold
ones, especially if they have certain malfunctions, will give
you a hard time when starting from cold. It also helps if the
owner lets you test the snowmobile. In this case you should have
your own gear and not borrow it from the owner.
You might think that buying from individual owners is risky -
you are right, but dealerships are not far from this truth as
well. Some snowmobile dealerships will buy the sleds as
trade-ins and polish them up to increase their value. However, a
little "make up" does not justify some of the huge price
increases. You should find a competent mechanic, if possible,
who will have a look the snowmobile before you purchase it and
find any major flaws. Since a work hour on a sled is around $40
- $50, you will want to get the snowmobile that has the lowest
chances of needing repairs.
Ask the seller if the sled has any accessories, such as a
toolkit or instructions manual. Many used snowmobiles do not
have them and this should be a good reason for you to negotiate
the price even further. Some owners add accessories to their
snowmobiles - while those might have been useful for them, they
could be of no real value to you. In general, the extra
accessories also inflate the snowmobile price. If you just want
the basics and are not a huge accessory fan, skip the offers
that have a full list of add-ons. Many owners put custom
exhausts on their snowmobiles (with a full exhaust system priced
at one or two hundred dollars). Suspension upgrades are also
quite common, but they can also add a few hundred dollars to the
overall sled price.
Just like with cars, some people like to get more performance
out of their factory sleds. Try to avoid buying modified sleds,
as their risk level is the highest. When modifying certain
factory standards to get more performance, owners reduce the
life of the snowmobile. Things such as high compression pistons
or porting may sound great and offer you a 10% - 15% boost in
power, but they are likely to wear out the engine parts a lot
sooner. Making the final decision should be as rational as
possible - do not let an emotional response dictate your
purchase, as this may lead to hours and hours of headaches and a
lot of money wasted on repairs.
About the author:
Timothy Harrison is an outdoor sports enthusiast with much
experience buying used snowmobiles
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