[Mike C]

My youngest brother, 21, has gotten his first taste of snowmobiling this season. He has ridden my brother's '01 ZRT600 and my F7. Now he is considering buying his first sled.

We all think the F7 might be a little too much for him right out of the gate. So he has been hunting around, getting prices on F5's. Most of the prices he is getting seem to be around $6700 OTD.

Today, he contacted one dealer that said they were all out of F5's, but would be willing to sell him an F6 for $6700. Yes, I said F6.

Should I just tell him to jump on it, or do you guys think he should stick with an F5, being a beginner and all. Or do you think he should even consider something like a ZL550?

I know this sounds like a no brainer. But take into consideration the limited amount of time he has spent on a sled.

 

[team arctic]

I would jump on the F6. If he has the "bug", he will only trade in the ZL550 next year anyway and lose money. EFI is great for beginners too. Marc

 

[duality]

ditto

 

[Roady]

BUT IT BEFORE IT'S GONE!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bontz]

Jump all over that offer Mike!! He won't regret it ... and I agree with Marc. The ZL won't be worth squat after a year of riding (because your brother WILL want to trade it in after riding with you).

 

[Mike C]

Keep it coming. I just wanted to solidify my recommendation to my brother. He is still in college, so it is a pretty big investment, but to me, a very worth while one.

 

[skikvt]

Of course he wants a Firecat! Which one is the only question. The F5 might be a little tamer for him if he can't control his thumb, but it seem to me the only reason to go less than an F7 is $$$$ savings. As far a safety goes, slower is better, but if he's a fast learner he will be fine on any of the sleds. He'll curse you if you let him buy a ZL 550 (as he should), because he'll never be able to keep up with the pack and he'll have to buy another one next year. If he want to start off slow, get him to buy a used ZR500/600 for around $3500 and he'll be able to trade up next year to a 04 Firecat.

 

[kungfutu]

What got me hooked to snowmobiles is my older brother. He had a '99 XC so I bought a '01 xc600, then he upped me with a '01 pro-x, then I got an F5, he's next to get something better then a slightly modded F5...

 

[Roady]

The suggested retail of the F6 today is $7600.00 it's hard to beleive that a dealer would sell for 6700.00 when they know they could get full retail for!

 

[Mike C]

Hey, I hear you loud and clear, makes no sense to me either, I am just telling you what the dealer wrote in the email, and we checked the price and he is serious.

 

[Nick]

Earth to Mike's youngest brother. Buy it now or you may be sorry! College will always be there, the F6 may not! :lol:

p.s. I did go to college BTW

 

[ken420]

i think he should go for the f7 if he likes yours..im sure u want him on the f5 so he doesnt end up beating you .im a beginner rider also and my first sled is a 97 poo spx 680triple with pipes,reeds,clutched,rebuilt motor bored out..the thing is sick especially for a first sled,but i loved it,i only drove it a few times and sold it now im thinking about going up and buying the f7 even know im still a beginner

 

[Mike C]

Well, after talking with him some more, he doesn't know what to do. I think he is still debating whether or not he wants to sign on the dotted line and finance that kind of money. He only works part time and is already financing his 2001 GMC 1500 Extended Cab. I don't really know if he can afford the payment.

Plus, when are the F6's suppose to be in. If they don't come in until Feb. that really only gives you a month or two to ride, if we are lucky. He might be better off, snow checking a 2004 and not have to worry about making payments until the end of the year.

I will give him a few days, and if decides he is not going to take it, I will let you guys know who the dealer is.

I think if he had the cash on hand, he would buy it in a heartbeat.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[Tahoe32]

The price on the F5 seems pretty dam. Why the hell would he sell an F6 for the same? Is this a good dealer or a little shakey?

 

[Tahoe32]

I forgot to add the high on pretty dam high for an F5

 

[ridna7]

Mike C that sounds like a very good deal, but damn man the kids in
college! I'd tell him to snow check an '04 work all summer save at least
half of it or all of it and get ready to ride next winter. There's a lot more
money involved in a sled than just the purchase the clothes, the studs,
the carbides, the permits ect. Why start your life being in so much damn
debt----he'll never get out of it!

Holy crap guys I'm sorry I just sounded like my dad

 

[Mike C]

"ridna 7" aka "Dad"

I know. My brother and I have hooked him up with gear. He gave him an extra helmet and bibs, I gave him my old jacket and leather gloves.

But like you said, there is a lot of additional cost involved, not to mention, our trailer isn't big enough for three sleds. I think he is just trying to get a feel of what it is going to cost, and kind of stumbled on to this F6 deal.

My mouth tells him to buy it, but my gut tells him to wait for the '04's.

 

[ridna7]

Mike C

I'm just going through the basic same thing with my little brother. Exept my
dealer can't get us one for $6,700!!

Good luck!

 

[F7_Ditch_Jumper]

im a freshmen in college and financed an f7. Im not too worried about the payments but some might be. I would tell your brother to snowcheck a 2004. This way he can come up with some money, and get a sled he'll be able to use for the entire season. Who knows they might have a better graphis package in the spring order editions. Saber cat F6 would be pretty cool. Now about power. Dont let him buy that f5. I know it is fast but, if everyone in your group is running 800 or 700s he might not be able to keep up. And if your worried about having too much power dont be. Tell him just not to squeeze the throttle all the way down untill he has some experince. My first sled was a 99 zr700, I had never rode a sled before and within one hour of riding it i got it up to 90mph. Just tell him to play it safe all the way around.

 

[team arctic]

Originally posted by F7_Ditch_Jumper@Jan 16 2003, 06:31 PM
My first sled was a 99 zr700, I had never rode a sled before and within one hour of riding it i got it up to 90mph. Just tell him to play it safe all the way around.

In other words, tell him not to do what you did :wacko: