2008 Yamaha Venture RS GT advice/review/experiences request.

[Saskyiknow]

Hey all, I have a snowmobile question for this forum and I am hoping for some sage advice.

Gf's dad has decided to sell his 2008 Yamaha Venture RS GT less than 1500km on it, honest showroom condition. Gf loves the two up comfort of it and is encouraging me to buy it. I have been off handedly mentioning that I could use a utility sled at my place, and would likely be buying one in the future. I asked how much he is offering and he said make him an offer... (oof no idea!)

Problem is I know basics of things about sledding /values from my '08 M8 Cat; but next to nothing about the utility sleds. My assumption is the Venture is a lumbering tank/caddilac akin to comparing a dirt bike (M8 2-stroke) to a big quad (Venture 4-stroke). Also utility sleds generally hold their value better. What can you all tell me?

My applications/context of use:
-towing people up a moderate sleighing hill, think taboggan or GTing
-mix of ungroomed quad trail / breaking trail / touring around moderate hills, 2-up riding
-Ice fishing gear hauler/people shuttle (I live on a lake)
-I live in North Central Saskatchewan, expect: -20°C (-4°F) to be around the coldest I would venture out on it very long, average around 48" of snowfall in the winter for my area
-Not gonna ever see the mountains with it, and no I don't use my M8 for those utility jobs


What would like to know :
-What can you tell me about what kinda money this should be worth on the used market? Browsing used markets hasn't helped me narrow in a consistent value.
-Are there any notorious cons for this machine in comparison with its peers
-It laks eps, so is this a beast to man handle?
-I don't mind a sales pitch, what praises does it have?
-general opinions / experiences.

 

[maim]

welcome!


it will not be as good as a pure utility sled but will do the job quite well still as have a few guys around here that use them for that.

there is a pair here on kijiji with similar milage for over $5000 each. as it is family offer him $4000 and see if he like it as i would say between $4000-5000 would be decent around here.

motor is the same one as nick kellers vector witch has 99000 miles on it and is still running.

for your stated use, i would clutch it for more low end belt pressure as stock is quite soft for breaking trail and towing sleigh. brother had a 13 venture gt and that is what i am basing my opinions on.

if trail breaking, make sure it has a skid plate as rocks and stumps suck, never mind ice chunks. you are going to want to change the front skis if he has not already as they suck in powder/trail breaking. around here we like the 09 apex xtx ski as it floats well and turns pretty dang good. throw on the ski shim mod from the tec pages and the steering effort is about the same as stock.

one thing for cold starting, use a full synthetic 0w30 or 40 oil as they can be a bit picky below -30 c starting.

one other quirk is that the rear handwarmers will not turn one unless cruising and the battery is fully charged but roc's toyz makes a kit to fix that if needed.

anything else just ask.

 

[Saskyiknow]

welcome!


it will not be as good as a pure utility sled but will do the job quite well still as have a few guys around here that use them for that.

there is a pair here on kijiji with similar milage for over $5000 each. as it is family offer him $4000 and see if he like it as i would say between $4000-5000 would be decent around here.

motor is the same one as nick kellers vector witch has 99000 miles on it and is still running.

for your stated use, i would clutch it for more low end belt pressure as stock is quite soft for breaking trail and towing sleigh. brother had a 13 venture gt and that is what i am basing my opinions on.

if trail breaking, make sure it has a skid plate as rocks and stumps suck, never mind ice chunks. you are going to want to change the front skis if he has not already as they suck in powder/trail breaking. around here we like the 09 apex xtx ski as it floats well and turns pretty dang good. throw on the ski shim mod from the tec pages and the steering effort is about the same as stock.

one thing for cold starting, use a full synthetic 0w30 or 40 oil as they can be a bit picky below -30 c starting.

one other quirk is that the rear handwarmers will not turn one unless cruising and the battery is fully charged but roc's toyz makes a kit to fix that if needed.

anything else just ask.

Thank you, that is exactly the advice I was hoping to find from experienced hands.

I can't delve too deep into the suggested modifications without actually having the machine; but knowing a bit about them definetly makes me feel more confident. As well hearing that they have no majorly prohibitive flaws to the engine or chassis.

For my purposes I think this might be a great machine cut my teeth on the world of utility/touring sleds. If I purchase this machine I will definetly be revisiting here, diving into the archives.

Thank you, again!