New Riders Buy Used

According to surveys conducted by the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, more than “…70 percent of first-time buyers in the snowmobile market purchased a used snowmobile.” The manufacturers’ group also claims that many of these first-time buyers are young adults and “…move on to purchase a new snowmobile later in life.” We’re not quite sure if that last statement is fact or wishful thinking, but if it is, it could be a cause of concern for a snowmobile maker if that buyer didn’t choose its brand.

If you are at all familiar with the world of off-road dirt bikes then you understand that bike manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki offer models to hook young riders to their brand as it hopes they will buy “up” over the years as they grow and progress to larger displacement motorcycles. To a degree snowmobile companies have been doing this via the offering of their “120” displacement sleds. But it is a crucial marketing phase by companies such as Honda, which markets its off-road bikes as a way for families to get and remain connected in the real world versus a virtual one. To that end Honda states: “Before your family gets lost in the virtual world, show them the real world on Honda’s family of rugged, reliable CRF/Fs. Designed for riders at every level.”

Arctic Cat has moved most models to its ProCross and ProClimb chassis, but the twin spar F-570 model remains and is a good value in the used sled market.

When it comes to first-time buyers, it is, first of all, important that this group have a positive experience in the sport. Better yet, it is good if the brand they chose as their first sled gives them a positive, trouble-free experience. Of course, in doing so, it means that buyer will most likely look to the same brand again as a follow up purchase.

This is good and bad. By allowing the market to opt into the sport via the used sled route, aren’t the sled makers giving up new sled sales, which the industry acknowledges were “flat” in the US market?

2014 Fan-Cooled Sport Sled Shootout

When we took a brief walk-around of used sled prices in our neighborhood, we noticed that you could find some nice deals on newer sleds such as a 2011 Polaris 800 Rush with electric start and only 1,800 miles and selling for less than US$7000! You could deal for a fan-cooled 2011 Polaris 550 Shift that listed for just US$4,899. And it had just 235 miles on its odometer! So, is it any wonder that new sled buyers are not considering a sled maker’s current models? Consider that these relatively new used sleds come with most of the features of the newest models.

Good, late model, low mileage used Polaris Rush models can be had for thousands less than the top of the Polaris Rush Pro-R, the only Rush series continued into 2014.

When the time comes for a first time buyer to move up to a new purchase, he is likely to look first at the brand he’s on. If not much changed with his brand, he will branch out to explore other brand options. Now, as an experienced rider, he will seek out those things that he felt were missing from his first sled or features that would be nice to have or things that his riding buddies have told him are important. As an experienced and savvy rider, he may be willing to buy new. More than likely his willingness to purchase new will also reflect the usage he expects to get out of this new sled. The fact that he got a good deal on a used sled with low mileage will play into his thinking. Why did the used sled have such low mileage, he’ll ask himself. If it was due to poor snow seasons, he might just consider that a cautionary tale. After all, lack of snow means lack of riding time, unless he consistently trailers to snowy locations. A city dweller living in the outskirts of Boston most likely trailers a few hours to northern New Hampshire or Maine to ride and can be assured that he will get good usage from a new sled.

Polaris’ relaunched Indy series of 550 models will be a hot value used sled in coming years.

We have been told that those springtime demonstration rides that the four snowmobile companies offer across the snowbelt are valuable in showcasing each brand’s latest features and benefits. Of course, the sled makers are quick to point out that such “demo” rides are very limited in their overall impact. The sled makers believe, or at least want to believe, that their new models are steps ahead of the past. But, does a consumer who bought that used Polaris 800 Rush with 1,800 miles actually perceive a drastic uptick in features from his used sled to the newest Rush he sees on a dealer’s show floor? Now, though, the buyer of the 2011 Polaris 550 Shift will see a major difference when he spies the 2014 550 Indy. Versus the $4,899 asking price of the Shift, that used sled buyer could move to the 2014 550 Indy for about $1500 more. Since Polaris discontinued the base Rush for 2014, moving from that used 2011 800 Rush ES at $6,999 to a 2014 model requires upgrading to the Polaris 800 Rush Pro-R with a retail price of $11,799. That’s a $4800 uptick!

Indeed, the sled makers have their issues and it may be that sled buyers, except for the true super enthusiasts, do factor in a price per usage of their playtime toys. We won’t even factor in fuel consumption; as for us it appears to be a non-factor for a serious snowmobiler who will ride as long as he can get fuel. While the hint of fuel economy makes for an interesting piece of marketing hyperbole, does it really matter except as fodder for an after ride bar stool conversation? And if you want great fuel economy you have to dial back your riding, reducing the number of times you slam the throttle flipper to the bar, how long you go wide open down a lake or across a set of bumps. In other words, to make meaningful mileage you need to drastically change the way you ride. Judging from the piled up mounds of snow and rutted out holes we find when we cross a highway or come away from a stop sign, most riders are not holding back on the throttle – and not riding to maximize fuel economy!

Thanks to the addition of the Cat-based Viper, Yamaha’s Nytro series should be a used sled value in coming seasons.

What matters to the industry and its sales isn’t the low cost of fuel or the advent of a $5000 sport sled, but the perceived fun-to-value ratio that snowmobiles can offer to a buyer. It remains that used sleds are a way for new buyers to gain entry into the sport. If they enjoy the sport, they will remain and most likely move up to something newer.

2014 Polaris 550 Indy 144 Review

For now this used sled syndrome works on the sled makers’ behalf. It gets new people into the sport. Maybe there should be a better way to ensure that they have a good and trouble-free experience. Just as carmakers offer “certified” used vehicles, would it be to a sled maker’s benefit to offer a similar “guarantee?” Would it help the manufacturer-to-dealer relationship and back up a brand’s image? Could it help convince a used sled buyer to stay with that specific brand? We don’t know the answer, but if 70 percent of first-time buyers in the snowmobile market purchased a used snowmobile, don’t we want them staying in the sport?

New buyers opting into the sport via purchase of a late model used Yamaha will find not much has changed in recent years on the non-Viper models.