Looking at a used snowmobile, any tips?

[stuckincincy]

I actually don't want to haul ass.

 

I've known a number of people who have been decapitated or badly injured on these things. Mostly, I want to take some slow rides around the trails near my house. Sober, slow, and during daylight. Yeah, I'm a sissy. But that is also why I'm ok getting an older one, because for as little as I will ride it, it doesn't make sense to spend more than 500 bucks.

 

That's a 19 year old sled, yall. Engine/tranny/traction belt concerns aside, chassis weldments deteriorate because of stress of long use and cyclic temperatures over time. You've no way to know if this one was launched and crashed down hard repeatedly by previous ownership. Chassis bearings, bushings, metallic or rubber, dry out and wear. A critical control cable may fail even without previous signs of trouble. The steering shaft may catastrophically fail. A runner assembly may fail. Low speed or not - those are serious situations.

 

It's old - what is the repair part status? Availability? Cost?

[yall]

That's a 19 year old sled, yall. Engine/tranny/traction belt concerns aside, chassis weldments deteriorate because of stress of long use and cyclic temperatures over time. You've no way to know if this one was launched and crashed down hard repeatedly by previous ownership. Chassis bearings, bushings, metallic or rubber, dry out and wear. A critical control cable may fail even without previous signs of trouble. The steering shaft may catastrophically fail. A runner assembly may fail. Low speed or not - those are serious situations.

 

It's old - what is the repair part status? Availability? Cost?

 

Any of those things can happen on a 12 year old sled too. I understand your point, but I'm also not expecting much for the age and price. Keep in mind my last sleds were a Moto-Ski Cadet and a Ski-Rule which were about 20 years old themselves at the time.

 

At any rate, I did pick up the sled for $450.00. Started up cold just fine. No apparent rust, damage, anything like that. The only major ding was that the seat needs a new cover, but the guy had one and included it in the deal.