
by Timothy Harrison
Buying a used snowmobile 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
Snowmobile
Classifieds
Find and locate used and vintage snowmobiles for sale.
Snowmobile Articles of
Interest
A compilation of resourceful snowmobile articles on snowmobiling, winter,
weather and other related resources of special interest.
Snowmobile News For Michigan
Snowmobile Michigan News- Snowmobiling Trail and Weather condition News Articles
& Updates
Snowmobile News from
around the Nation & Canada
Daily snowmobile news feed from around the country and Canada. See what's
happening on the snowmobile world wide web.
Snowmobile Safety Resources
- Snowmobile Safety
The risks of snowmobiling can be minimized by using good equipment and common sense. Valuable snowmobile trail safety links, articles and more.
- Drunk Driving (DUI) Driving Under the Influence
Operating a motor vehicle, or for that matter even a bicycle or other human-powered vehicle, after consuming alcohol or other drugs so that mental and motor skills are impaired is recognized as an act of driving under the influence (DUI) or drunk driving.
- Why are there so many snowmobile related fatalities
Besides the most common, there are other reasons that contribute to winter snowmobile fatalities.
- National snowmobile season crash and accidents news articles
Updated National snowmobile news- articles, news stories, fatalities and much more. Updated daily!
- Family Law and Drunk Driving Facts
Here are some interesting drunk driving facts that aren’t commonly discussed but important to those who may be potentially facing a DUI or drunk driving related offense.
-
Wisconsin Snowmobile Safety Awareness Week
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has declared that January 9th thru the 15th is the official “Snowmobile Safety Awareness Week.”
-
Wisconsin Drunk Driving News
Who's who, drunk driving in the news? Keep updated with our Wisconsin Drunk Driving News and Information Updates.
Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities
- 2009 ~ 2010 Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities

Adobe PDF file listing "up to date" Michigan snowmobile season fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
- 2008 ~ 2009 Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities

Adobe PDF file listing 2008 - 2009 Michigan snowmobile season fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
- 2007 ~ 2008 Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities

Adobe PDF file listing 2007 ~ 2008 Michigan snowmobile season fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
- 2006 ~ 2007 Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities

Adobe PDF file listing 2006 - 2007 Michigan snowmobile season fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
- 2005 ~ 2006 Michigan Snowmobile Fatalities

Adobe PDF file listing 2005 - 2006 Michigan snowmobile season fatalities from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
|