time to buy new sled?polaris or ski doo

[gdawg]

Hey looking on some rider info and experience. im riding a 08 xp 800. still is fine just time to upgrade. heard alot of good from the polaris assault 155. my other option is 154 etec 800. how are they comparing to eachother mountain riding and boondocking. and how is the stock set up in both of them, clutching and suspension wise. any info is great thats alot

 

[knee deep in it]

check out guys trying to sell sleds. If your chassis is one generation old, the price plummets. The Polaris chassis will probably be around for another 3 years. The XP is due to be upgraded as it is already a 4 year old chassis.

Both are good sleds

 

[ferniesnow]

I've up-graded from an 08 800 Summit XPX154 to a 2010 Summit 800 163 and loved every minute of it; so much so that I spring ordered a 2012 800ETec Summit 163.

Love the 163 and wouldn't go back.....and I'm such a happy camper that I don't even look at the Poo's. To each their own though!

 

[Ryeser]

You should really be comparing the XP with the RMK, not the Assault... The Assault is the cross over sled and isn't really set up for mountain climbing. Both sleds are beautiful, but are quite different when it comes to rider choice (handling and positioning)... If you like your Doo, you would love the Etec 154.

 

[MATTIAC]

you cant go wrong with the new Etecs. polaris does have better clutching, but even with that being said, im yet to see a stock polaris out do a doo on the mountain with equal riders. etec is putting down more power, running a 16" track vs the 15" on the poo, so you would need a 160+ to have the same floatation as the 154 doo. KYB shocks do the trick, always able to do a rebuild or an upgrade to some fox evols down the road. I havnt seen very many people who havnt been happy with the new etec. the poo are very easy to lay over and nimble for boondocking, but the new narrow stance on the etec is also a lot easy to lay down compared to your model. also poo is known for their 800's blowing up.

 

[OOC ZigZag]

I've up-graded from an 08 800 Summit XPX154 to a 2010 Summit 800 163 and loved every minute of it; so much so that I spring ordered a 2012 800ETec Summit 163.

Love the 163 and wouldn't go back.....and I'm such a happy camper that I don't even look at the Poo's. To each their own though!

Now I even more pupmed to go for a ride with ya. Will be great to see the 12 and check it out.

 

[takethebounce]

The best way to know what is going to be good for you is get on a Poo and try it.

I was hoping the Polaris would be all that the hype said it would be, but I don't enjoy riding it at all. My buddies 2011 is a nice looking machine, I think the build quality is good, but it certainly feels less powerful than the 800R, and deffinely has less power than the 800etec. I am not a big guy and I find the running boards very narrow, why anyone would want narrow boards on a mountain sled, riding in deep powder is beside me. Apparently the narrower design allows for better sidehilling.

If you haven't ridden a 2011 Doo, you need to. The comparision is night and day to a 08 or 09. As far as the comment that the XP chassis is due to be upgraded, maybe by length of time its been out and following the trend of releasing some new, but the XP chassis is going to be hard to beat.

I would be looking towards the new Cat long before a Poo. I haven't ridden it yet, but it appeards to be a well built machine from all I can see on the showroom floor.

There are going to be brand loyal people out there for sure, but I already put a deposit on a 2012 Summit because I enjoy riding my sled and enjoy riding the newer XP's even more so.

I said it before, if BRP would have been able to release the sled they are releasing now in 2008, one of the other 2-stroke brands would be out of buisness. It took 4 years, but I think they finally have most of it figured out for the XP.

 

[08154XP]

I am in exactly the same boat gdawg. I had an 08 xp 154 which i just sold and am now looking between the new polaris & new etech. Really like the looks of the new poo and do have that feeling that i would like to try something new but i dont want to be disappointed with the polaris, plus it is hard to go backwards in horsepower compared to the etech. Best number I can get on a new poo out the door is 13,400 with estart does anyone know if this is a fair price and what the price would be on a new etech?

 

[takethebounce]

There is a Fall Promo on any left over 2011, or new 2012 Ski-doo's right now until Nov 30th. 3 year engine warranty and discounts.

You should be be able to get out the door with a 2012 Summit SP w/estart for under $12,500...best to call your dealer and ask about the Promo.

 

[j335]

You should be able to get a better price then 13,400.

Here's the pros to each one and how I based on how I decided on which sled I snochecked (I just came off a 08 154X as well). I didn’t look at the cat as I’d like to see a year on them at least.
Etec:
-Most power
-Possibly slightly better gas/oil mileage
-Never heard of any major issues
-I had some XP parts from my XP that could interchange, so a bit of aftermarket savings possibly

Pro RMK:
-$2000 cheaper then the Etec (huge in my books, add another $2000 and you’ve got a turbo)
-better resale value (XP is gonna get replaced soon, expect resale prices to plummet…)
-lighter
-The motor seems reliable so far, since Polaris was offering 4 yr warranties I’m sure they’re pretty confident (I’ve seen many Rotax motors go down in the past few years so I have just as much confidence in this new Polaris motor as I do with Rotax motors)
-Better handling/sidehilling (I like playing in the trees)
-Better put together/finished sled (Look under the hood and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Clean finish, more room to work if needed)


I’m not brand loyal (owned 2 cats, 1 doo and 1 polaris in last 4 yrs) so I put things down on paper and in my books the Pro-RMK was better for me. So I bought one!! I’m not knocking the XP, they have a hell of a sled and it keeps getting better every year! Good luck!

 

[ferniesnow]

You should be be able to get out the door with a 2012 Summit SP w/estart for under $12,500...best to call your dealer and ask about the Promo.

I hope you are correct with that because that will make me a happy camper! My Platinum Club card states, "The best promotional offer of 2011, guaranteed. Or we'll give you twice the difference, on the spot."

It is 2011 and what I read into that is that if there is a better deal this year I'm going to get some coin from BRP........heehaw!!!

 

[Rocket01]

I'm going up from an 08 154X to a 12 163X after a demo ride to revy on 11 154 etech. The narrowed front end and the etech make it a much improved machine.

 

[snopro]

The best way to know what is going to be good for you is get on a Poo and try it.

I was hoping the Polaris would be all that the hype said it would be, but I don't enjoy riding it at all. My buddies 2011 is a nice looking machine, I think the build quality is good, but it certainly feels less powerful than the 800R, and deffinely has less power than the 800etec. I am not a big guy and I find the running boards very narrow, why anyone would want narrow boards on a mountain sled, riding in deep powder is beside me. Apparently the narrower design allows for better sidehilling.

If you haven't ridden a 2011 Doo, you need to. The comparision is night and day to a 08 or 09. As far as the comment that the XP chassis is due to be upgraded, maybe by length of time its been out and following the trend of releasing some new, but the XP chassis is going to be hard to beat.

I would be looking towards thlong before e new Cat a Poo. I haven't ridden it yet, but it appeards to be a well built machine from all I can see on the showroom floor.

There are going to be brand loyal people out there for sure, but I already put a deposit on a 2012 Summit because I enjoy riding my sled and enjoy riding the newer XP's even more so.

I said it before, if BRP would have been able to release the sled they are releasing now in 2008, one of the other 2-stroke brands would be out of buisness. It took 4 years, but I think they finally have most of it figured out for the XP.

The sad thing is they did have it figured out in 2007. The early proto's that we rode had the narrow front end, no rear suspension sag, no busted drive axles, no handwarmer issues and were a blast to ride. Then something happened from the proto to production stage. Somebody thought they had a better idea and that's when they hit a double instead of knocking it out of the park.

 

[takethebounce]

The sad thing is they did have it figured out in 2007. The early proto's that we rode had the narrow front end, no rear suspension sag, no busted drive axles, no handwarmer issues and were a blast to ride. Then something happened from the proto to production stage. Somebody thought they had a better idea and that's when they hit a double instead of knocking it out of the park.

You always hear how the protos had different set ups and tracks, clutching, gearing and so on, then the sleds get to the dealer and its not what they demo'd. You have to wonder who the BRP heads are listening to when they send these sleds to production.

Fernie, is the sled you ordered an "X" though? If it is, then no further price reductions apply.

 

[ferniesnow]

Fernie, is the sled you ordered an "X" though? If it is, then no further price reductions apply.

No it isn't. It is an SP plain Jane! There is a long thread on DooTalk about the Fall Promotion but it got quite a bit sideways without real substance.

 

[MOMMA]

We have Polaris and Cat in our store. An observation I've made since we had our Demo ride in June is that people who are used to the Doo Chassis really enjoyed the new Arctic Cat Chassis, especially the way the steering is situated. Those who didn't ride doo really enjoyed the Polaris Pro Chassis.

I of course would say Go Polaris especially if you want to boost it, but either way I think you'll have a nice ride, both being a nimble, light, enjoyable sleds. I feel the Pro really shines in the trees. Way less effort to dodge those nasty buggers... I also love how easy the Pro is to sidehill.

Good luck with your purchase. Great rebates being offered by Polaris right now, as well as a lower base price!

 

[08154XP]

We have Polaris and Cat in our store. An observation I've made since we had our Demo ride in June is that people who are used to the Doo Chassis really enjoyed the new Arctic Cat Chassis, especially the way the steering is situated. Those who didn't ride doo really enjoyed the Polaris Pro Chassis.

I of course would say Go Polaris especially if you want to boost it, but either way I think you'll have a nice ride, both being a nimble, light, enjoyable sleds. I feel the Pro really shines in the trees. Way less effort to dodge those nasty buggers... I also love how easy the Pro is to sidehill.

Good luck with your purchase. Great rebates being offered by Polaris right now, as well as a lower base price!

What kind of numbers should the polaris dealers here in Alberta be selling these things for? By the way would be wanting a pro 163 with electric start.

 

[08154XP]

There is a Fall Promo on any left over 2011, or new 2012 Ski-doo's right now until Nov 30th. 3 year engine warranty and discounts.

You should be be able to get out the door with a 2012 Summit SP w/estart for under $12,500...best to call your dealer and ask about the Promo.

I just got quoted 14,800 on a 2012 summit sp with estart 163 out the door. Where have you heard you can get into theses things for 12,500?

 

[Skinnykid]

I just bought a brand new 2011 summit. $9800 after all the rebates. Shop around....it pays!

 

[takethebounce]

I just got quoted 14,800 on a 2012 summit sp with estart 163 out the door. Where have you heard you can get into theses things for 12,500?

Find a new dealer?

The MSRP of that sled is only $13,799, tax is 14,385, with pdi and delivery sounds like you aren't being quoted any discounts. I wasn't pricing out fully loaded 163's either. $12,500 was before taxes on a 154 SP with the etec, pull start only. I called every dealer in AB and some in BC when I read about the rebates. Basically it worked out to about $500 off the SP msrp pricing due to the model I was pricing. Different models have different rebate amounts.

I then found a spring check I was able to take over.

Honestly I would ditch the estart on a etec, but each to their own. Does it still not come with a pull start if you order estart? So you have to pay another fee for pull start too.

Skinnykid, thats a good deal.