polaris 500-600s from 1999 and up will be your best friend. Bullet proof engines. Be a bit leary of the 550s in that era as a few mods will need to be done to make that engine reliable.

 

Bingo.
Plus the 500 Fujis are plentiful and inexpensive.

 

600 etec or 900 ace from what info you have given

 

Small bore 2-stroke. Electric start. Newer. Buy from close dealer so you can take it in for maint.
A 4-stoke might be right up your alley.

 

renegade or expedition with a 900 ace, sweet machines.

 

I would highly recommend a renegade with 900 Ace engine. Four strokes are far more dependable. The renegade is a great trail sled and easily accepts a 2up seat. Now that being said, this sleds going to set you back some good nicks, but skidoo has the highest resale/trade in value. The 900 ace will not get you into any trouble and will be very dependable. Do you have any buddies riding now? Perhaps a couple of rides on their sleds could show you differences. I wouldn't touch a used two stroke, IMO that sled will leave you stranded and requires a lot of maintenance. A quick way to grow sour on an amazing sport.

 

Easy riding, comfy, good fuel economy, no stink... Try a used arctic cat TZ1 (turbo or non). Non-turbo will do mid to low 90's, and be just as content cruising at 15MPH. The 1100 motor is about on par with a 600 2-stroke in HP and an 800 2-stroke in torque. The turbo variant, is in a league populated only by other turbos.

They are big heavy machines but only feel that way if you get it stuck. Keep it on the groomed trails, and it's a machine that you can put on 200+ mile days without being sore and physically tired.

The 'doo's might be lighter (and they are), but they're also quite fragile in comparison, and even the lightest sled sucks when it is stuck in the snow.

 

Atlanticjay, do you have a price range?

That may help point you in the right direction.

As some have mentioned, the Ski Doo 900ACE is a great sled that you won't easily "outgrow".

I have one, and can honestly say that it has proven to be the best sled that I have had, and I have had a few over the years.

 

If you're no speed demon, a 600 Ace might do too (basically a 900 ace with one less cylinder and 60hp instead of 90.

a well maintained 500cc 2 stroke is a fairly safe bet too

 

I am new and Older (60) to the sleds. Only drove one once about 15 years ago. So knowing myself I went with an Arctic cat F1100 Turbo and installed a two up seat for the Wife unit. If you are not Mechanically inclined your best bet would be a 4 stroke.

 

Cat Twin Spar ... F6 would be good. One of the most comfortable, easy to ride sleds ever made and would be fine adding one of the kids to ride along with you.

 

I agree with Bontz except go with the 4 stroke non turbo its bullet proof my brother in law has one it rides great and comfortable. Everything Bontz said is post spot on. Easy for kids and keeps them warm which is critical for their enjoyablement

 

if u do not want to tinker do not buy some used thing u know nothing about. chances are good u will be disappointed and having to learn to tinker.
go look in to the doo sport grand touring's they are a cheaper 2 up but still very nice rides. I would go with the 600 carb 2 st or the 900ace 4st the 600 ace 2st is a underwhelming turd .
plus cheep financing and warranty and U will know what kind of maintenance has been done to it .
u can also go with a single rider and convert but u are always in a compromise situation then.
also the grand touring rear seat pops off when not in use
something like this is a pretty sweet 1st sled for pretty much any one looking for 2 up riding more often than single
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/snd/5366114700.html one like this should last most a decade

 

Being a Cat guy I second the non turbo 4 stroke. You can buy brand new for under $10000 with a long warranty or used even less money and they are comfy, warm, cheap on fuel no oil to worry about, run on regular fuel and are bulletproof. If you want cheaper look as stated earlier for F600 from 07 to 10 good comfy 2 stroke.

 

something like this is also real nice
http://countrycat.com/ccstore/index...x.php/arctic-cat-machine-inventory/snowmobile/used-2015-pantera-7000-black.html

 

Thanks, everyone. I'm going to do a bit more research on some of these and probably start poking around the local dealers to see what they have in used inventory. I'll check back with additional questions, etc.

 

look for a retired rental sled

 

Last year after I saw a true blue jackass jumping a rental sled over piles of plowed snow around a parking lot a retired rental sled would be the last place I would look.

 

Ski Doo Renegade 1200 4-tec <-great sled for the price and dependable, easy to ride, consistent performer - 09 or newer (as long as 09 has updates) (can find these used in the $5-6K zone down here with decent mileage in good shape ready to ride) and very reliable - get a 2 up seat adpater

 

If you're not sure you'll stay with the sport, maybe look into a little older model and keep the investment dollars down. You need to consider if you want a rider forward style or not. Ski-doo GTX 380F or 550f, AC 380 or 550F, any Polaris 500 or 600 water-cooled. The smaller cc sleds are not speed demons but will move a rider and passenger(lite) down a groomed trail at a reasonable speed and are lite and easy to handle. You can always resell in a year or two when you have a better idea of what suits your needs or keep for the wife and kids and have a riding partner. My $.02 Good luck w/your search. B.

 

Another good choice, as it seems there may be some deals on new units is the Ski Doo 600 Sport, a great sled for the money.

Seen this post, maybe some dealers closer to your area may have something similar?

http://www.hardcoresledder.com/foru...der.com/forums/352-general-snowmobile-forum/1506450-ski-doo-600-carb-sleds.html

Also as tekguy mentions, a used 1200 4-stroke Doo would be a good sled, and IF for some reason you decide sledding isn't for you, easy to re-sell.

 

Riding a Polaris indy 600 right now. All trail and lake riding. Very simple and friendly machine for a beginner. I am 230 without gear and who knows how much with it on. I find it is the perfect sled for me. it has more than enough power to get you going. Only suggestion would be to get the 600 sp edition with the better suspension and better track.

the ski-doo renegade 600 sport carb would be a great option as well.

 

488 fuji polaris trail touring fan cooled.
bullet proof, and cheap.
ride it for a year or two, and then think about what u really want.

 

My vote would be a indy twin of some sort 440,488,500 etc.. These sleds in the indy chassis are very common, have bullet proof motors, and are probably one of the easiest sleds to work on incase you need to work on it

 

Riding a Polaris indy 600 right now. All trail and lake riding. Very simple and friendly machine for a beginner. I am 230 without gear and who knows how much with it on. I find it is the perfect sled for me. it has more than enough power to get you going. Only suggestion would be to get the 600 sp edition with the better suspension and better track.

the ski-doo renegade 600 sport carb would be a great option as well.

u guys all saw he intends to do most of his ridding 2 up did u not? yes u can ride 2 up on a indy or any sled but we all know it sucks ass for every one involved . if u don't think so bring your wife with on the next guys trip or how about your neighbor it will be great riding nuts to buts yeah thought so.
buy a sled built for what u intend to use it for not for what looks cool or because your buddy's boss like his

 

other thing to think about is a 3 yr old and a 6 yr old . the newer doo grand touring have a option of the 3rd seat . wont work for 3 adults but deff for regular guy wife and a kid . my bud got a 600 etec grand touring for his wife 140lb max and she puts the 4 yr old and the 10 yr old on and rides all the time with the center seat.and she can keep up with the guys when just her .I think the cat also can have the 3rd seat but the cat is deff a bigger heavier sled .especially the non procross ones that twin spar rides like a dream but a tank .

 

I was in the same boat a little while ago, and flipped back and forth between a dedicated 2-up sled or a single rider with an added 2-up seat.

I decided that the greater percentage of my time will be spent as a single rider, so I went with a single rider sled and an RTK 2-up seat.

I bought the 2016 ZR5000 from Arctic Cat as it was a 4 stroke, and it didn't require me doing more than adding gas.

I too don't want to spend my time wrenching on these things (mainly because I haven't a clue how to do it), but also because when I do have some spare time I want to ride not wrench.

There is a $1000.00 price drop on the ZR5000 (until the end of December.....or so it says), and the extra RTK 2-up seat is about $700.00 CDN.

I can't tell you how it works yet as there is no snow on the ground near me, but it sure looks nice.

I just happened to post a thread with my new sled and RTK seat, so follow the below link if you want to check it out.

http://www.hardcoresledder.com/forums/401-general-discussion-forum/1508002-rtk-2-up-seat-zr5000.html

These other folks that have posted their suggestions know way more about sleds than I do, so I would look into their suggestions.

I just know for me that close to 90% of my sled time will be single rider, I don't know how to wrench, and a brand new 4 stroke sled was less than $10K.

All convincing arguments for me.

Good luck with whatever you pick.

 

Price price price it really helps to know what you are willing to spend as you mentioned 2013 ,bye this time pretty much all brands are dependable four strokes of any brand are simple to operate virtually maintenance free , sounds to me as though a dedicated 2 up would be your best bet and definitely look into new non current units they all have them or can get them often for very little more than used

 

wait till it snows and try some out...best advice i can give you ...but ive only been riding for 45 years