ok guys, these are the two sleds ive narrowed it down to.

I like the yamaha nitro because it was rated #1 on snowmobile.com.

and I like the Polaris dragon because a friend told me they have lifetime warranties on the engines or something like that when bought new... I dont know how true it is.

so, I was wondering, what is the better sled out of the two? (or whats the best sled of all time?)

I plan on spending around 6000$ CAD on the sled. I dont want an old one thats nothing but problems, and I dont want to have to put another 2000$ in parts into the sled within 1 year!

so I need your guys' advice please. thanks.

First from your location I'm assuming your looking at Mountain sleds and not a trail sled.

From your budget I am assuming your planning on 2 things. 1> buying used and 2> no major modifications. That alone puts the Nytro out of the equation in my book. Pretty good sled however Very heavy and severely underpowered in stock form for it's weight. Add a turbo kit to the package and they are very potent but still heavy.

That brings me to the  dragon, 1st the best warranty available on them when bought new is 3 years on the engine. 2nd Great all around sled and 3rd the most important part is that the 800's have been plagued with engine issues. The 700's for the most part have been rock solid and are offering the same amount of power as the Nytro in stock form but in a much lighter chassis. Giving the dragon the edge in the options you propose.

thank you very much for the helpful answer. that definately cancels out the nytro.

so the dragon it is... now I will need help with tons of other things, engine size, year, track size, engine HP, etc...

I will be riding it in the rocky mountains, very little trails. we get ridiculous amounts of snow, im sure your rockies in colorado are pretty much the same. I can handle more power than the average guy so I would like something with a lot of punch in case I ever need it... you can never have too much power IMO!! it would be nice to have a sled that has mods already as chances are I will eventually put the mods on myself anyways... I definitely want to buy a solid, light, and powerful, low maintenance. sled. I know thats asking a lot, but im sure theres something close. what you say about the 800s doesnt make me feel very good... that would explain all the 880 big bores I seen when looking on 800s on craigslist/kijiji.

a 2007 dragon 700 around here is going for 7000$ right now.. if the prices of sleds are anything like the bikes in canada. I think it might be better to buy one from the states and save a few thousand dollars... do you know of any problems I might have bringing it across the border? my budget is 6,000-12,000$... it all depends on how good this year goes. so any year is in the question.

what is the price of an used 07 dragon 700 in your area? how about a brand new 08, 09, or 10 in your area?

I am estimating a brand new 09 to cost around 9000-10000$ here
a brand new '10 to cost around 11-12,000$ here
and a '11 to cost around 14,000$

Well, Lets start at the beginning.

First the years 07-10 there have been fairly moderate changes nothing real big besides the introduction of the 800 that came in 08 and has been out there since and still available for 2011.

The first of the Dragon models is the 700 in 07 along with that came the 600 RMK in the same chassis with a few less high end pieces. mainly the shocks. Then the 700 was offered in RMK trim for 08 -10 but has been apparently dropped for 2011. Originally it was to be dropped in 2010 but popular demand brought it back in RMK trim only. It makes an honest high 130 hp and the way it sounds you wouldn't be very interested in the 600 so I won't go there unless you have more questions. The 800's have had at least 5 or 6 factory ECU reflashes to try and cure the mapping problems that have caused tons of motor failures, and I won't even go into my opinions on the piston clearances that have changed at least 2 times since it's introduction in 08. Along with that there was another update last year to a different pipe, head and pistons. So yes there have been problems with it although when it runs right it's a very impressive machine.

Dragon vs RMK the basic platform and the engines are the same between the RMK and Dragon models, most of the differences lie in Shock packages, handlebars, and lightweight goodies. Now if your the tinkering type (and it sounds like you are) you are better served to buy the less expensive RMK model and upgrade it to your liking. Shocks are one of the best upgrades you can make for the handling performance of the machine and if your going to put money there your better off to get something suited for you vs the expensive high maintenance Walker Evans Air shocks of the Dragon model and then stick more money into them. I suggest Fox Floats or Z-Bros Exit shocks set up for your weight and riding style.

Now under the hood mods -

First and foremost is to get the clutching and gearing dialed in. There is more to be gained here cheaply (I use this term loosely hahaha) than any other aspect of the performance. All the hp in the world is useless if you can't put it to the snow effectively.

Pipes, heads, airbox mods etc are all good places to pick up moderate hp.

Big bores are the next step in the process and if you decided to go this route I can only recommend one shop to do that which is Carl's Cycle in Boise Idaho. Hands down the best and most consistent running big bores for Polaris sleds out there.  You won't find any hp numbers getting thrown at you by them as they have a philosophy of NOT engaging in the bench racing thing and let their stuff's performance speak for itself, and it does consistently spanking everyone else's butt on the hill. That and they give you an entire package ready to bolt on and go right down the the clutching and gearing that matches the motor setup.

Now for the top of the heap is a turbo kit an honest 250 hp at elevation is not uncommon on 700 and 800 2 strokes, 4 strokes Yamaha's are routinely getting into the 300 hp range. Turbo's are available from many different aftermarket companies like Boondocker, Twisted Turbos, and Silber Performance. Most all the kits are pretty rock solid and very impressive performers. Price and features vary widely and I can tell you from experience once you have one you'll never want to ride an naturally aspirated sled again.

Now keep in mind that I'm just giving you a quick intro to what's out there for mods and just kinda hitting the generalities of the subject. Also keep in mind that your clutching and gearing will change with every piece of added hp to the motor and like I said before all the hp in the world is useless if you can't put it to the snow.

I'm not real familiar with getting a sled across the border but as I understand it, it's not terribly difficult. As for prices they vary widely depending on location and the sellers motivation to move the sled. A good friend of mine just picked up a very low mileage 07 700 Dragon with a lot of great mods on it for $4800 in MN. I bought my 08 700 RMK new as a holdover in 09 for $7900.

You'll want to look at the same types of things as you would for a bike or car you're buying used. Mileage, general condition, maintenance habbits etc. Is it clean under the hood or did they just wipe the dust off it before you came to look at it? that kind of stuff. Look at the track and look for torn or missing lugs etc.  

Personally I've taken my sled to a bit of an extreme level for performance. Boondocker Turbo kit, Turbo specific porting work, Holz Coil-over Rear suspension on custom rails, Fox Float 2's up front Holz Spindles, Lightweight hood, RSI Bars and risers and some other stuff to make it better. I've got over $15K invested in it and it's an absolute blast to ride. Here's a few pictures for reference.

damn, very impressive post, thank you very much. that cleared up a lot.  I didnt realize that there was so much involved with the clutch and stuff.

what scares me is those engine problems... if I were to get the last year of the 08-09 700s which is what im aiming for, im hoping that I can get one thats not gonna have never engine problems/money pit like my 4 stroke dirtbike!! im hoping I can find a brand new older one from somewhere, I would kinda like to stay away from used but I dont want to spend too much money. theres a very fine line, I guess we will see how much money I have when the time comes.

what I would really like to work on is finding a sled for sale in the US though... like you said, 4800$ for a 07 700 versus 7000$ here. its worth the 2200$ savings to have it shipped somehow for a few hundred bucks. Im just wondering if I need any special paperwork, pay extra money at the border, etc...

thanks again for all the info, you are awesome and taught me a lot already!!

+1 for the Poo.... yamahas make decent sleds, but they're real heavy and don't have the power a 2-stroke has.

Weight is a huge deal with sleds.  They're heavy to begin with, and when you get them packed full of snow they're even heavier.  The #1 complaint I have with my 900 right now is its weight.  So if you start with a sled that's light to begin with, you're that much further ahead than the competition.  

I think XC's got the rest of it covered

I can tell you that you will eventually have problems with any of them, just like a bike. But the 700 CFI Polaris motor is one of the most bullet proof motors out there right now. I've torture tested mine with big boost numbers on fuel that was not always up to the challenge and it came out of it no sweat. I've had it detonate so many times it's crazy and have yet to burn that motor down. By rights it should have done it at least a dozen times by now but it keeps on taking it and doesn't flinch. I have what most might call "issues" with getting the absolute max out of my toys and this one hasn't let me down yet. Aside from regular maintenance items and self inflicted problems it's been pretty damn bullet proof for a heavily modified sled add to that the fact that in 2 full seasons now it's never been towed out once yet, that really says something for that motor.

That's why I have complete confidence in recommending that sled to anyone. I wouldn't do that with the 800 and quite frankly I'd caution against it.

That said, good luck in your search for a sled and if I stumble across something I'll send you a PM.

my cousin lives in revy and does patrol on his 700 dragon he has for years and absolutly loves the sled .

i have a mtx nytro and absolutly love the sled . i rode his 700 before mine as well as m8's and rev 800 . i just liked the nytro more , and when i turbo it the stupid factor will go up substantially .

for 12k you could pick up a nytro with a turbo on it . wont be an impluse kit but i have seen mpi equiped nytro's go for 12k .

if you buy a nytro expect 1700$ to spend on rear suspension , a couple hundred for a muffler and if you really want to have fun 4-10k for a turbo .