I hear that. My daughter enjoys riding - but riding someone else' sled - she won't be buying a sled anytime soon - she'll come out of school - be career focused and let's face it - be saving money for a home - whatever that will look like by then.....   My son, is a total gear head - he will buy something and be in it - but he'll also need to be balancing saving money to not be living with me for eternity.    These kids face an extremely harsh "real" world - that we never faced. Yes, we all had to save, sacrifice, but not like today - sorry, but that's how it is.   Anyway, enough of the doom:   Had a great just shy of 1000 mile season - wish I could have done more - but time did not allow it - grateful for what I did get and grateful my 2012 Cat worked when I needed it to    

Sledding as we know it will die with our age group. Costs are a huge factor and I'm not talking just the cost of the sport. It's the cost of everything else in life.    If I have 20k (let's use that number) to spend on a toy it sure as hell isn't going to be on something i can use for a 6-week max season. It doesn't make sense at all economically. I'm also going to counsel my children not to do it either until they reach some sort of economical milestone and can afford it.   While sledding is a unique and great experience, something motorcycling has a way bigger bang for the buck for a ridable solo recreational toy.   Like it or not but modern economic realities that are completely avoidable (won't get political here) has destroyed our Canadian way of life. And let's face it, snowmobiling in some from is Canadiana through and through.          

I went to my friends 50th on Saturday. We counted 19 people in the room that all used to sled together. 7 of us still own sleds.   caught up with one guy I went on my very first trip with, the interest is still there, but he said walking into a dealership and seeing the cost is what stops him. Kids are 19 and 17, school costs are there, sleds just not doable right now.   to the point above, it’s not that he needs to keep up to the jonesss, but he is leery of buying someone else’s stuff, doesn’t trust it and can’t stomach buying used and then having an expensive failure.   costs is a big time issue

Exactly. Buy a used sled with all the bugs ironed out. Most sleds feel the same to me from 0-100kms and after that I'm sure not watching a fancy gauge cluster. Fuel and temp work for me. There's also something to said for extended ownership. If my ol' xcsp 700 has a hiccup at all, I know exactly what it is. I'd trust it to go anywhere, anytime before a new sled. Just no comfort or warmth. lol

Problem is people aren't happy with a sled unless they 'keep up with the Jones's' for lack of a better expression. Have to have an 850, 850 turbo, 9r or 900R, big shocks and big gauge, pushing 30k.   I have as much fun on my entry level Sport 600efi Expedition as any other sled, bargain price and has everything you need .   I don't have a trail pass on it ( other sleds) but have spent enough time on the trails with it doing club maintenance that it works just fine and leaves a smile on my face!