Updated 9-19-2005

About

I decided to create this page to go into detail about the remarks I've made about local snowmobile dealers on the homepage of my snowmobile. It's disappointing that most of these remarks are negative. It's important to note that these are my opinions only and should be taken as such.

Tom's Snowmobiles & Service (Sierra City, CA)

This is where I purchased my first snowmobile, a 2004 Ski-Doo Summit 800. They came highly recommended, but my experiences with them have been anything but stellar. Let me just say that if you choose to do business here, do not ask for anything extra or out of the ordinary. For example, if you want a sled of a certain color, get a sled that comes that way... don't take another color and let them swap parts, you'll come out on the losing end if you do. They also will give you 10% off accessories at the time you buy your snowmobile, but after that, no more discount. I disagree with this policy, as it does not motivate me to want to buy anything else from them after the fact.

From a service standpoint they seem to be pretty good. They did a good job with the clutching on this sled. Also, they put in new piston rings over the Summer to avoid motor problems caused by Doo's defective factory rings. This was done pre-emptively, so I have to give them credit for being proactive about it. The downside, however, is that when this work was done, it was to take only one day. What happened was some sort of pin in the motor came loose and caused some damage before I ever got it into my trailer. They covered it, but they ended up keeping it an extra week, and I had to come pick it up again (a long drive) after they had promised to bring it to me.

My problems with this dealer center around its owner, Tom Dines. He doesn't like to give discounts, he doesn't like to take any merchandise back (such as the cover he sold me that didn't fit after I put a 3" riser on my handlebars). He finally did, grudgingly, but I never got any credit or refund out of it, and I never pursued it any further because I was so sick of dealing with him. What's worse is that I hear from his various buddies about all the great perks they get... so it's clear that he favors some and prefers to ignore others.

Cope & McPheters (Reno, NV)

This was the first snowmobile dealer that I visited when I started looking. They carry Arctic Cat and Ski-Doo.

I spent three hours here visiting with a very helpful salesman. What I didn't realize until later was that, in typical salesman fashion, he was more interested in moving older inventory than selling me what I really needed or wanted.

He was very adamant that the perfect sled for me was a leftover 2003 Ski-Doo Summit (ZX chassis). He told me very little about the newer 2004 REV models, and told me to ignore the Arctic Cat sleds entirely. I had come by to find a deal on a leftover 2003 Mountain Cat 900.

I went back to speak with them again about snow-checking a new Arctic Cat M7 for 2005, and found that their prices were less than stellar. I think they were taking $500 off of MSRP. I found another dealer in Spokane that was selling AT cost (they still get a percentage of holdback just like new car dealers do so they'd still make something) and another dealer in Twin Falls, Idaho that would sell at $100 over cost.

The parts department here is quite good. I've only dealt with them once, but they definitely impressed me. I had lost three of the five rubber grommets that hold the windshield on my sled. They didn't have the parts in stock, but they sold me grommets off of an in-stock sled and then ordered replacements for it, rather than make me wait.

Their service department is a freakin' JOKE. I took my sled there after hitting a tree, for an estimate. Well, they tore it down and looked it over, and charged me $200 for the estimate. I said I needed it itemized to turn into my insurance company. They hadn't done that yet. They promised it'd be done on Monday or Tuesday (this was a Thursday). Came in the following Tuesday and got the same story all over again. Basically they were doing nothing while I was waiting to get the thing fixed in the hopes of still being able to ride this season. I finally picked the thing up, paid their $200 and took it to Reno Cycles & Gear (see below). Cope & McPheters will never again get any business from me for any reason other than crucial parts.

Anytime Powersports (Sacramento, CA)

I met the owner at the Snow Show up in Kings Beach back in October. She was extremely helpful and answered all of my questions. I purchased several hundred dollars' worth of clothing, and she went out of her way to exchange some pieces that were the wrong size, and got me the right size. She also got me some additional items that I wanted, all of which were year-end closeouts.

Then I went back when I wanted to snow-check a new 2005 model snowmobile. This is when I saw their true colors. The deal they offered me was nothing short of highway robbery. I was looking at a price of $10,500 out the door on a snowmobile with a list price of $9850, and that was BEFORE sales tax. I told them I could get it from a dealer in Twin Falls, Idaho for $8850 OUT THE DOOR. The owner swore up and down that they misquoted me the price and that there was NO WAY they could sell it for that, that there was only $900 markup in the sled.

I guess I should fax her a copy of the signed order I have here showing that I have one coming for $8850 OUT THE DOOR. I really hate liars. All she had to do was just say sorry, we won't sell it for that.

Reno Cycles & Gear (Reno, NV)

The local Polaris dealer. They are the shining star among dealers. I have never in my life met a dealer as GOOD as these folks.

I purchased my 2003 Polaris Predator 500 from them in December of 2003. They have always treated me well, and to this day still treat me well. They have answered all of my questions, worked on my stuff without hesitation, gone out of their way to fix problems, and I also get a discount on everything I buy there. None of the other dealers give ANY kind of discount after-the-fact.

What's unfortunate is that Polaris doesn't make anything that I want in the way of snowmobiles.

DuPont Power Tools (Quincy, CA)

This is an Arctic Cat/Polaris dealer. A friend bought a new M7 from them a couple of weeks ago because they had a good price, and he recommended them to me, and I purchased my new M7 from them as well.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place. The guy who runs it, Duff, is very nice and seems to be a stand-up guy. He isn't necessarily the most knowledgeable guy around when it comes to the product, but he makes up for it with a very nice shop that's clean, organized, and has lots of stock. The place was a lot bigger than I thought for such a small town.

Triple-S Polaris (West Haven, UT)

This is a Polaris dealer. I found a snowmobile listed on KSL.com that was at their dealership. The price was right, so I chose to go out to the Salt Lake City area and purchase it.

The appearance of this dealership is top-notch. The first guy I dealt with there, Brad, was really cool and helpful. The guy I dealt with on the phone and later on after getting to the dealer, John, was not.

Update: After bringing the sled home and attempting to ride it, the motor overheated repeatedly. Upon disassembly, I found a broken water pump belt, and also found that both cylinders were badly scuffed. Both pistons, rings, and one cylinder had to be replaced, in addition to the broken belt. Total cost to me exceeded $500. I called the dealer back to see what they'd do about it, and they've refused to return my phone calls.

When I purchased this snowmobile, there was no As Is No Warranty form signed, and I was sold the thing in good faith that it was in good running order. These bastards have refused to do anything about it, so I am embarking on a full-blown campaign against them on the Internet. I want everyone to know how they treat their customers, and that they should be avoided at all costs.