[Kawasaki_Kid]

i am planning on buying a newer sled over this summer. I have been riding a 93 indy trail the last 3 years, averaging roughly 1000 miles a season. i have been leaning towards a polaris liberty 500. i have come across a 99 xc 500, with fox pps, 4500 miles, roughly 500 since rebuild(new pistons and rings). the sled it bone stock, so lotsa room to improve i know the family thats selling it and i know they take care of there stuff, dont ride the crap out of it. it will come with two polaris covers(one i can use on my current sled that ill be keeping), a snostuff windshield bag, and a seat jack two up seat. they are asking $2200 canadian for it(keep in mind im shopping a canadian market) i like the good gas milage of a 500, i like that its decently light, i like that its reliable(right)? i realize its a 10 year old sled already, i keep up with most newer sleds in the trails on my ole indy, and like the low price of a older sled seeing as im planning to go back to school in the next 1.5 years.

what do you guys think? im open to all comments and suggestions about this sled or any other that you think i should look into. opinions on the 500 XC? let me hear it all.

 

[jesse500]

i dont think thats a perticularly good deal. first off the non-v.e.s 500 liberty motor are pigs on gas. and $2200 isnt a good deal. I am in canada too, ontario, and here you can find a 2001 Polaris XcSp 600 or 500 for $2500 or a little less if the buyer acceepts the offer. I am selling my 2001 Polaris XcSp 500 in summer for $2500.

 

[zecow224]

Idk what the conversion is for dollar to canadian dollar but sounds a lil up there, i would wait a lil bit and you can probably find some o3's for that price in the middle of summer but it sucks because you get to just stare at it for a while then.

 

[jesse500]

Right now here, there is a 2003 Polaris Pro-X 600 for sale, mint sled, for $2395 plus taxes.

that 99 500xc would be a good deal @ $1700

 

[zecow224]

go for the pro x

 

[OhioPolarisKid]

I'd say thats not a bad deal. I dont have a bad thing to say about mine. Its got a lot of miles and its never once been opened up. The suspension isnt great, but its not bad. Powerwise id say it will be a very nice upgrade from your current sled. For being only a 500 they are powerful, but not the best on mileage. I'd say i average 12-14 mpgs, not sure what that would be in km. One day I rode my brothers 550 fan for a couple minutes, then hopped back on my sled and the 500 felt like a beast compared to the fan. I absolutely love mine, and i'm sure everybody else who has one would agree with me.

 

[snowmobileguy]

Go for the pro x

 

[jesse500]

I'd say thats not a bad deal. I dont have a bad thing to say about mine. Its got a lot of miles and its never once been opened up. The suspension isnt great, but its not bad. Powerwise id say it will be a very nice upgrade from your current sled. For being only a 500 they are powerful, but not the best on mileage. I'd say i average 12-14 mpgs, not sure what that would be in km. One day I rode my brothers 550 fan for a couple minutes, then hopped back on my sled and the 500 felt like a beast compared to the fan. I absolutely love mine, and i'm sure everybody else who has one would agree with me.

On the bold. No to call you a liar, but that is just B.S.

My buddy has a 1999 Polaris 500xc (non-v.e.s libery 500) stock everything, 8800 miles, 96 studs only non-factory items. We once ran out of gas in pretty much same place, to see what the mpg of our sleds were, we put in exactly 2 gallons of gas in a BONE DRY tank. I made it 21.4 miles untill i ran out again, thats good conditions driving fairly eassy. He only made it 17.8 miles untill he ran out, were of comperable wait, close to same driving, etc....

a 500 non-v.e.s on a good day gets 9 mpg bone stock. the 500v.e.s gets just under 11 mpg.

Both sleds close to stock, low lug tracks, 96 studs, -10*C day.




And im not looking to buy anything for another 4 months, so im not going for anything right now lol. It was a price comparision.


Snowmobileguy, offer the people $1800 cash for the 500xc

 

[OhioPolarisKid]

^^ Actually, i was kinda lying. I probably get closer to 11-13 on average when we are just cruising. Which is somewhat easing into the throttle, and not really getting over 55 or 60. And i did the math. Maybe the studs hurt the economy cause i don't have any, or you guys ride fairly fast. Now if i start pushing it i will say it kills economy. When i tried running with my dads 700 he was getting around 10 and i was getting 8-9. What do you expect when you are trying to keep up with a sled with 200cc's more?

But if you really think about it, how you ride really determines your economy. I have gone from getting 12-13 mpgs, down to 8 or 9 by just changing how i ride.

 

[Kawasaki_Kid]

thanks for the input guys, theres been a lot of talk about millage, but thats not all im considering when thinking about this purchase.

other things im considering... I know the history of this sled, i know how it is ridden. the motor was just done on this about 600miles ago. if i happen to find a better deal by 300-500 bucks outta province, my truck/food/lodgings will eat up most of that anyway going to pick it up. also consider the acc. that come with the sled. not that acc. would ever be a deciding factor, but they do in my opinion factor into the price. if i consider $200 for a seat jack, $60 a cover(2), and $30 for the bag, im getting the sled for 1850.

ill probably wait a little longer before i decide and let prices go down, see wat summer prices are like this year.

 

[TommyBoy68]

You make good points, about knowing some of the sled's history. That piece of mind can be worth some extra $$$ at purchase time, IMO.

We've had our '99 500 since '04, and it's been great for us. I think it's a great looking sled in the black, and mechanically ours has been very reliable. Ours is pretty much stock except for the 120 studs that were already in it when we purchased. I think some clutching will be our next improvement, when we get a chance.

I'll also add, that I agree, the gas mileage is not really that great on it. Of course it's usually being asked to try and keep up with my 700, so it has to work a little more.

If you're comfortable with that price range, I would think that the sled would be a nice upgrade for you.

 

[ridingthe600edge]

i'll sell ya my 2001 600edge x for $2500 US dollars!!4500 miles,windshield bag,sno stuff canister 144 picks 3 or 4" riser(i took it off) still have stock muffler too. and a brand new well used 1 season edge x polaris cover

 

[jesse500]

im wondering why this 99 500xc was rebuilt with only 4000 miles............. if its ridden easy, i can see this a little weird.

 

[Kawasaki_Kid]

im wondering why this 99 500xc was rebuilt with only 4000 miles............. if its ridden easy, i can see this a little weird.

good question. it was the last ride of the season last year, i believe it was somewhere right around 0'C(freezing point), and it was after a long run down a wide long river. goin about 80mph. i may have to correct myself here. its been ridden easy, generally speaking.