I grew up in southern New Hampshire where some people had them, but to really get your money worth you had to trailer them further north.  I rode one once when I was 14 or 15 years old and remember it being a lot of fun.  

Well I recently moved to interior Alaska where its winter most of the year and I am looking for something to get me out of the house.  The primary use of it will be for recreation.  I have trails right outside my house, and could even ride it to work.  

With that said I know nothing about them, don't know if one brand is any better than another, what maintenance to look for on used ones, and how many miles is too many.  

I am looking to spend around  $2,000 hopefully on a used one.  I live near Fairbanks, which is a town of about 30,000 people and other than that anchorage is 440 miles away so the used market isn't huge.  

These are a few I have found for sale:
2001 Arctic Cat Mountain Cat 800 EFI $1,500
2003 Polaris RMK 700 1,500 miles $2,200
2001 Polaris RMK 800 $1,440
2004 Arctic Cat Sno Pro 440R $2,600
2003 Arctic Cat F5 3,600 miles $1,600
2001 Skidoo MXZ 500 $1,200
2007 Skidoo GSX 500SS 2,200 miles $2,900

I am looking to get 3-5 years out of the sled without hopefully having to dump a ton of money into repairs.

How old are you?..and do you want to go FAST?

The reason I ask that is because if was looking for one the damn thing would be COMFORTABLE

27.  Would like to go moderately fast.  But don't need a 1000cc 120mph+ machine.

Have you looked on alaskalist?
Also check compeaus as they have some good used snogos.

Are you going to do just trails or some mountain riding?
Longer tracks than 121 inch make for smoother riding.

Of those listed the polaris 700 and the 07 doo gsx 500ss have darn good motors in them.
I have a 01 polaris 800 and it is a bear to start in the cold and can overheat if there is not enough snow for the coolers.
My kids love it when we have enough snow to ride.

Not sure of the 2003’s but my wife has a 2005 arctic cat f5 9,000 miles on it and never 1 problem. I’m sure could use a freshening up but it just keeps running. Goes pretty good too!

In the history of man kind I suspect there have been 1 billion+ cars and trucks built and driven.  In that time they've pretty much got the engineering figured out and perfected it.  The same goes for motorcycle and by extension ATVs.  They have similar axles, suspensions, drive trains, etc.  Now you think about sleds and a lot of mechanics are very different.  On top of that only a fraction as many have ever been built.  Therefore I see them as sort of a work in progress trying to figure out and get the engineering just right.

    Sleds, like motorcycle, are typically neglected or abused to death before they reach their true mileage potential.  Around northern MN you rarely see a sled with more than 5 or 6 thousand miles on them.  With proper maintenance you can often get 10K.  I've never seen a sled with over 15K.  But a lot of sleds only have 4 digit odometers also.  

    As far as brands go, at the drop of a hat snowmobile fan boys will throw down in an icy brawl that will make the Ford vs Chevy debate look like a kitten fight.  I'll try not to stir the pot to much.  Based on my observations:  Bombardier (Ski Doo) and Yamaha are international companies that more or less have their act together and their engineering tight.  Polaris not as much but they're making a valiant attempt to catch up.
   
     From what I've seen Arctic Cat products are built and perform like a bunch of northern Minnesotans got bored and started slapping shit together in their garage one evening 40+ years ago.  I've had several negative experiences with their products and customer service.  

     I currently drive an Yamaha Viking.  I would have a Ski Doo but they are harder to come by around here and frequently cost a couple thousand more.   If I were traveling in isolated areas as cold as it gets in Fairbanks I probably would spend the extra and get a Ski Doo.  And I don't say that lightly knowing it's a Canadian product.  

      Also worth noting:  I have a friend that worked for the USFWS out of Fairbanks for ten years.  He swears by Polaris.  There was a published story about an expedition they took once.  Shit was breaking down and freezing up the entire time.  Three (or was it four) of them made it out on a single Polaris Indy Lite.

I have a beater Artic Cat SnoPro 440 with some work in it, and for tight trail work it is stupid easy to toss around, and it's fast enough even for me that in the trails it'll keep up with most anything if you work at it.

You'll get smoked on the lakes, however

Trimmed for relevance to my post.

Lots of truth above.  Maintenance is the key on sleds.  A lot of guys seem to park a sled for the summer where ever it ran out of gas in the yard, lol.  Trailering on open trailers exposes them to salt spray that eats them up.  They are easy to just pound to pieces and not take care of, and leave the next owner to be stuck fixing endless nickle and dime shit.  But for some reason people look at miles more than condition when buying a used sled.  A wild man can destroy a new sled in one season, and other more careful guys can go for years and years with no real trouble.  My 2001 Polaris  XCSP600 has 10500 miles on it and I'd hope on and ride it anywhere.  My neighbor has a older Polaris tripple that has over 23,000 miles on it......   And then there is Nick Keller's Yamaha

Sled fan boys are worse than the diesel truck guys.

Thanks for the info guys.  I moved a little faster than I thought I would but found an awesome deal on this 2009 Polaris RMK Assault 800.  Thing is crazy fast with 150hp.  Going to be a lot of fun.  

Some people complained of issues for this year/model, but for the price I could sink $2,000 into it over the next few years and still feel I got a good deal.  

We live in the same area.

Get a long track sled (155+) if you want mobility off trail.

Change the fuel filter. Change them at least once a year.
Make sure you filter the fuel going in.
Use a good oil.
Make sure you warm it up good before taking off.
If riding a lot of trails get the kit to add 4 wheels to the back of the suspension. Helps keep the track on better than the two wheels.
Put a tall windshield on so you can be warm.

DO NOT cross a lot of water with that punched out track!
You will sink!

Congrats on the snogo and have fun.

Thanks for the tips, I ordered new plugs, fuel filter, and a windshield

I'm not planning on doing anything crazy like crossing open water.

Now I have to try and find a machine for the wife.

Maytag or Kenmore?  

I'm glad shes not that type of woman.  She took one lap around the yard and decided she wanted her own.  But did say the 800 was too fast for her.

Its a crap picture because I got it last night after work, and was dark again tonight before I got home. But picked this up for the wife.  2006 polaris fusion 600

Got it for $800 because it needs some body work(hood latches etc), the seat reupholstered(duct tape), and some random nuts and bolts the guy lost when he had taken it apart.  Has freshly rebuilt engine and receipts for about $800 worth of recent work.  

Now I just need more snow.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbAq4BN2qqE[/youtube]

Attached File

You did good OP. The mountain sled and the fusion are both great machines...each with their own qualities. Cant go wrong with Polaris, tons of parts and easy to service  unlike the 1100 TZ1 cat I use for a trail sled.  4 cycle engines have a place in those 2up machines but are a pita to service...the comfort factor makes up for it though. If you ever need something to get your attention look for a 2000-2003 Polaris XCR800. Utoob is full of impressive entertainment with those pirateships.