Hey guys, I'm new here, but hopefully I'll be around more.

When I was a lot younger, we had some arctic cat snowmobiles. I don't remember the model, they were a 340 and a 440. I have a Polaris Pro 785 and I've been riding PWCs since I was 13.

I've been wanting to get back into snowmobiling now that I'm older and I can afford it on my own. I don't know what kind of sled to get though. I have a budget of about 700-1400, and I know that'll put me in the 1996-1998 year range. I was looking at some Polaris XCR 600s (a few 96s and a 97), but I heard they weren't very reliable. I was also looking at an Arctic Cat ZR600 EFI. It'd be nice if I could stick to Polaris or Arctic Cat (I'm a big fan of Polaris from my experience with my SL 750 and Pro 785).

What kind of sled is the ZR 600, and are there any other models in my price range that would be fun and powerful? I'd like something that has a strong lowend that can really get moving. I'll mostly be on the trails but I have a lake I can use too. I don't mind wrenching that much (I do own a Pro 785 afterall) and I'm willing to rebuild top ends and whatever.

All that stuff about a smooth ride is boring, I just want something that can handle and move, don't care if it beats me up.

Thanks everyone for the help.

The ZR 600 is definitely a sled you should consider, based on your described riding style. It's a known sled for cornering, and is wicked fast, and has great acceleration. The EFI is very reliable. 90's Cats had issues with the PTO (clutch) side driveline bearing failing, so keep an eye on that; if your speedometer quits working, suspect the bearing has failed. (The failed bearing allows the driveline to drop slightly, shearing the pin that drives the speedometer gear). If it has a 6-post Comet primary, those are in need of rebuilding more frequently than the newer 9-post Arctic Cat primary.

The EFI sleds aren't easy to modify for more power. You will be limited in parts availability. Clutching is probably the best bang for the buck if you want to spend some money on it. Black Magic used to make some pretty good stuff for AC, but they went out of business.

If it's a 97 or better, it has a pretty good suspension, the 96 and before had less travel, but were still acceptable. You won't get beat to death, honest!