Reliability is a good thing to be concerned about. When you take into account the shortness of the season and the extra cost of additional repair which can be in the $1,000's if it is bulkhead or engine related.

It might be wise to shop warranty also. Cat does have a 4 year warranty available from time to time. Also, the less horsepower the engine makes the better chances of less breakage so a 500-600 machine might be in your best interests.

A good dealer,riding style, good routine mainteance habits and maybe a little bit of good luck seem to play a huge role in how reliable and ultimately how happy you are with the sled. People who memorize the owners manual and all the information given to them from the manufacturer will automatically have better luck in the reliability department. :chug:

What ever you decide to do, good luck!!!!!!!!

I do like the firecat but recognize the fact that it is a high performance sled and I'm a crazy fast rider who always ends up pushing the machine past what it was designed to do reliably in the long term scheme of things. Would the ski doo treat me better in the long run. Doubt it.

 

Yeah thats true to im not sure what the warranties are.

IMO the size and power of the motor shouldnt matter. The quality of the internal parts and how it is put together has alot to do with if they break. Your larger displascement and higher hp motors imo should have better parts to with stand the extra stress.

 

I love my FC F7 EFI Sno Pro. The EFI is a little rich on the top end though, but that can be dealt with easily. Riding my F7 and switching over to my wife's MXZX 600 is like night and day. I would never switch to another brand. Suspension and engine are great, no problems to date. I myself am a cross country racer, so the big HP and big bump suspension package is what I like. It's great to for trail riding.

Happy Trails from Nunavut

 

Yeah some ppl dont like being more forward on the sled like the Rev. I myslelf could probbaly get used to it because I wouldnt know anything different.

 

to tell you the truth.... moter wise my sled is reliable....... i have a sabercat 700 efi ext. but the rest of the sled has been a complete pice of sh@#. i love the sled but i dont know if i will ever buy a ac again this sled has left me on the side of the trail more than one time and i have just over 1600 miles on it. my buddy has a 05 ranagade 800 ho and this sled is really really impresive. we have had no problems with the moter other than the fact the intake boot tore {woooooooooooohoooooooo} we fixed it and he has not had any more problems with the machine. the ring problems that you talked about can be fixed by a racing ring that i cant rember the name right now. people on doo talk can help you out with that. there is no proplems with the fuel managment on the 05 and up skidoos skidoo redid the fuel mapping in 05 and all the problems are being taken care of. in my oppinion skidoo is a better sled and you will be happier with that sled. my sled has been in for every thing from 2 pipes to sespension problems, and everything in between. it sux being towed back in cause your sled is not relyable. sorry for the bad news and i am sure to get a load of crap from alot of people on hear but i laid it out on the table. by the way my sled is back in the shop and this time it is on a record amount of rides.. it made it "FIVE" rides without breaking down that IS a record on this sled most of the time it breaks down every other ride.

 

I'm going to get my self in trouble for saying this in this section - but those considering a Firecat you gotta give the Crossfire a look. By now everyone has read the magazine articles and what is said about the Crossfire is true - it is a very, very good sled. It won't make the top end an F7 does, but for all around, all purpose riding there is noting finer. Everytime I ride mine I come away impressed - unless I guy is really into top straight ahead speed or montain deep riding (M series) the Crossfire is better sled. I own a Sabercat so I have something to compare against and nothing against a Firecat I think they're great and they are amonst the best looking sleds out there. One ride down a ditch line or trail with a Crossfire you will never look back.

The "the rider forward" of the Crossfire is different from the REV in a good way. Blends the best of the traditional riding style with the advantages of being positioned higher and ahead the rear arm.

Please note: Nothing personal against anyone or their sled here - I'm just giving my observation. I don't mean to offend or start something.

Regarding Cats EFI - it is a very proven system. About 10 years under their belt with it now. Simple and reliable.

 

I agree with Mr. Sabercat. If my trailer was long enough, I would have bought the Crossfire. Very comfortable sled.

 

From an EFI perspective ... there's none better than the Cat EFI. That's why Polaris had to give up on it in the mid-90's, they couldn't come close to Cat's version. For the most part, you've got crisp throttle response, easy start capability, and "start and go" ease no matter the temperature. I've been on EFI since the mid-90's EXT models (before they went batteryless), and have been very impressed with it. So much so, I wouldn't even consider going back to a carb'd sled.

Now, onto the Doo vs. Cat topic. I think you'll get a general consensus that the fit and finish on the Cat won't compare to the Doo (or any other sled for that matter). But the bottom line is, the power plant is proven ... you know Suzuki makes a heckuva motor. The earlier versions of the Firecat don't compare ride-wise to the REV, but the newer models are progressively getting better. I sat on my buddy's sled (2006 F6) and it's night and day compared to my 2003 F7. It sits way higher, and I know the suspension handles better. Put a riser on it, and you've got a great stand-up sled. With the REV, you're pretty much locked in to the one position ... but to each his own they say.

I've ridden them both, and I can see the advantages of the REV in the truly rough stuff. But I don't ride the rough stuff enough to justify the purchase/conversion to a REV. The F-cat performs pretty darn good in the rough too ... especially if you ride it harder. But from corner to corner, and from lake end to lake end, there's no comparing the Firecat and its powerplant.

Bottom line is, if all else is equal to you (ride, warranty, service), don't let the EFI keep you from buying a Cat. The EFI is a major plus. Actually, I think the biggest detractor to Cat at this point is the lack of reverse. That's probably been the biggest factor in preventing some cross-over sales from people on the other brands. Well, IMO anyway. But that shouldn't be a factor for the 2007 model year :super_happy:

 

Cat happy I too may be looking at a Crossfire down the road. I've heard alot of good things about those sleds. Don't get me wrong, I love my Firecat's performance, but, I don't have the opportunity to ride it pinned all the time. Just sometimes... now if I could only get to the snow!

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, I cant seem to find the warranty info posted on the websites. I can't believe they wouldnt post it on there bit its noteasy to find. All in all i think whats ganna make my mind up is service, warranty, and price/promo's. Who ever has the best deals is probably where i can buy from. My dad's friend just bought a Sabercat 700 LX for liek $7500. Best i coulf get on a Ski Doo 800 Adrenaline was $8600.

 

:wtf: hey powderbusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ever considered maybee out of thousands of sleds built every year you may have gotten a lemon, do not let that deter you from buying another AC. every one i know with a fire cat, sabrecat, mountcat etc. loves them no problems outside of getting the handling down to a science then its pure addenaline. read all the posts and see how many true big problems with the sabres and so on. BARELY ANY!!!!
back to the ski doos your saying brand new and you need to install racing rings, now thats a real smart buy!!!!!! tell you what sink your money in that money pit and when i see you on the trail with a melt down i will wave at youre sorry @$$!!!
i have had no problems with my o4 f7 and have about 1600 miles on it worry free!! mikeyslap

 

Originally posted by ACSabercat@Jan 10 2006, 01:18 PM
Regarding Cats EFI - it is a very proven system. About 10 years under their belt with it now.  Simple and reliable.
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Closer to 15 years. Batteryless since some 1997 models.

 

I dunno supposively the Ski doo 600 SDI ring problem has been fixed but i still see ring and excm issues popping up. It seems liek a 50/50 deal 50% hasve them and love them no problems the other half gets screwed big time. For the price of the sled $8100 I dont want to take the gamble on getting a new one warranty or no warranty the season here is to short to have your sled in the shop.