i know things were changed after 07 but what exactly were they and can the differences be made up in the lower prices of the 07's? i just see a lot of 07's for sale at great prices.

There are plenty of little things cosmetically that have changed, but most of the major changes were taken care of with service bulletins or regular maintenance.

I would say if you are looking at an '07, but get full service logs or have the VIN run at your Yamaha dealer to check for updates that may have been performed. They are tracked by VIN, not owner.

My personal '07 FX has had the updates to the steering done as well as the fan added. They have shimmed it to fix the reverse problem, but I bet it will only truly go away with a new belt.

I have closed my tunnel with very cheap sheet metal and rivets and along with a 1.5" Freeride track, I have no ice build up in my tunnel, or footwells.

I did put marbinal snow wheels on the skid to help with hyfax wear, but it still eats it up on all years. I did pull the limiter strap in two notches for less pressure on the rails and more on the skis. That helped and also made it turn much better.

The stock carbides were replaced with woody's with 6"-8" of carbide. Super help there as well.

I can't say that I would buy an '07 Phazer standard, as they will not be able to put in the fan without wiring harness changes or taps. The fan got rid of the overheat issue that most of us experienced.

Other than those things, this sled is a blast to drive and will perform just like any other year. From what I know, there have been no significant changes in the engine, so HP and Mileage should not be different. You will see different colors, plastic trim and shock packages from year to year. Newer units have even gotten rid of the tool box on the rear tunnel. Again, cosmetic. Don't read that the wrong way, the shocks are definately not cosmetic and a good pair of Fox Floats are worth the cash.

Good luck!

1. Rear Suspension "link" assembly; 20 or so different parts, expensive to do if not done already (much breakage)
2. Automatic decompressor in the cylinder head (difficult to / no start)
3. ECU calibration (difficult to / no start)
4. Tunnel closed (caused many issues; all related to icing; ie: overheating, slider wear, running board safety....)
5. Different starter (no start, upgraded / different part)
6. Shocks (not sure if for the better or worse)
7. Ball joints (safety related recall)

That's not all the changes, just the highlights.

Oh they did close off the tunnel on the newer Phazers?

I ride an 07 Phazer GT and spent the money on the tunnel closure kit this winter, it was the best money spent. Before the kit I was having problems with slush building up on the heat exchanger which was fine as long as you where riding. If you stopped for an hour to get something to eat that slush would freeze into a solid block of ice and then not let any snow to pass over the heat exchanger which in turn would cause it to overheat. The tunnel kit also eliminated almost all ice buildup from the foot boards and it doesn't cover the back of your coat with snow anymore either.

X2. Best bang for the buck. I installed the Yamaha Tunnel Close Off kit and its worth the money. I still get slush packing the heat exchanger when the snow conditions are just right (or wrong) but it only takes 10 seconds to clear it out and I'm back on the trail.

so would i be better off getting an 07 and saving $$$?

Probably

Absolutly do not buy an '07. The search button is your friend

He could if the updates and stuff are done or he is sure he can get the updates done for free already, its a steal IMO

There is more than 10 updates, and every one of them is expensive, and Yamaha is not a customer friendly corporation. I had to have repeated problems with the same issues to get updates, and I was told it was only because I had the Y.E.S. coverage. So fat chance getting even half of the updates before you have issues, and after that, it's not warranty.
They are not going to update the starter till it breaks
ditto on the cold start update
and the rear suspension
and the colling fan
right there is over $1200.......and the headaches.

x2 hemi, i spent the 500 for the yes warranty, and they say no ,they only replace the broke stuff once??????????? ball joints are a wear issue, every 300 miles ya need new ones, you complain and they say find a new dealer, they are real stand up.