Honk
TY 4 Stroke Master
whitedust1 said:
whitedust1
TY 4 Stroke God
Honk said:
Honk: Sorry it is that bad where you live. Snowmobling is big bucks where I live in Northern WI so clubs are well funded & well maintained. UPMI also big bucks but they do have trouble with trail resouces just not many people that live in area to groom, trim & repair trails but conditions are good there too. If trails are in bad condition WI / UPMI the public goes nuts won't come back so groomed smooth like a baby's #*$&@.
Honk
TY 4 Stroke Master
WOW That sounds awsome! or SO Smooth! I think we are well funded, its just that ya can't keep pushin the same people over and over. State puts more regulations every year. Along with poor winters, prices of sleds is gonna slow the system down. Oh yea, then the state steals a million a year for five years. People (club members)are sick and tired of bein treated so poorly. so they just drop out, never to be seen again.
Honk said:
yep, good ol' ny treating us to hell even though its supposed to be fun!
danq
Expert
Why are new sleds so expensive? Because that is what the market will bear. The following is 100% opinion.
I think yamaha took notice that they can still sell some acceptable number of sleds in canada with prices in the $15K range. So using the same logic (both USA and Canada have similar standards of living) they have the opportunity to set the USA MSRP for the new Apex. I think they think they can market the new features for more money so they jack the price up considerably. What was the price of a 2010 apex? $12K? so they figure add power steering and exhaust valve raise the price to $15K. Note they didn't raise the price of the other sleds in the same proportion as the apex. So the cost of the $ doesn't come into play.
As a result, I think they will sell far less 2011 apexs than they sold 2006s, but if they make enough per sled, they can live with the reduced number.
If people don't want to pay the price there are other vendors who will take your business. I think the Polaris "Shift" line got polaris a bunch of business by building to a lower price poiint.
The $15K Yamaha Apex isn't going to kill snowmobiling. There are plenty of other options out there. In my mind, the question is will Yamaha be hurt by the new price? Its a test. If you see bigger incentives in the fall, we'll know they overestimated what the market will bear in the USA for a "premium" 4 stroke.
I think yamaha took notice that they can still sell some acceptable number of sleds in canada with prices in the $15K range. So using the same logic (both USA and Canada have similar standards of living) they have the opportunity to set the USA MSRP for the new Apex. I think they think they can market the new features for more money so they jack the price up considerably. What was the price of a 2010 apex? $12K? so they figure add power steering and exhaust valve raise the price to $15K. Note they didn't raise the price of the other sleds in the same proportion as the apex. So the cost of the $ doesn't come into play.
As a result, I think they will sell far less 2011 apexs than they sold 2006s, but if they make enough per sled, they can live with the reduced number.
If people don't want to pay the price there are other vendors who will take your business. I think the Polaris "Shift" line got polaris a bunch of business by building to a lower price poiint.
The $15K Yamaha Apex isn't going to kill snowmobiling. There are plenty of other options out there. In my mind, the question is will Yamaha be hurt by the new price? Its a test. If you see bigger incentives in the fall, we'll know they overestimated what the market will bear in the USA for a "premium" 4 stroke.
whitedust1
TY 4 Stroke God
Yep I do think we will see the word REBATE in Fall. 
It's all based upon supply and demand. Sled sales have been in decline from the high in 1997. There was a minor bump in 2001, but sales have decreased every year. The fewer units the OEM's sell, the more they ask for each unit. It is a downward spiral since the more they ask for each unit, the fewer sleds they sell every year.
The economy has taken a toll on the recreational products industry. A car is pretty much a necessity to life, a snowmachine is not. IMO, the OEM's should further reduce their line-ups and standardize on one or two chassis. Ski-doo is doing pretty well at this. Yamaha is the worst. Polaris did an great job at this in the 80's with the Indy and went on to become the market share leader for 14 odd years.
In any case, I think sleds are too expensive and I won't be buying anything new anytime soon. It doesn't bother me, since the '11 Nytro is hardly any different than my '08, so why replace it?
I think Yamaha will be in a better position come 2012 since Cat and Polaris are going to have difficulty meeting the emissions requirements. How anyone could justify spending over $12,000 for a short lived, 800 two stroke twin is beyond me?
The economy has taken a toll on the recreational products industry. A car is pretty much a necessity to life, a snowmachine is not. IMO, the OEM's should further reduce their line-ups and standardize on one or two chassis. Ski-doo is doing pretty well at this. Yamaha is the worst. Polaris did an great job at this in the 80's with the Indy and went on to become the market share leader for 14 odd years.
In any case, I think sleds are too expensive and I won't be buying anything new anytime soon. It doesn't bother me, since the '11 Nytro is hardly any different than my '08, so why replace it?
I think Yamaha will be in a better position come 2012 since Cat and Polaris are going to have difficulty meeting the emissions requirements. How anyone could justify spending over $12,000 for a short lived, 800 two stroke twin is beyond me?
NytroRider77
Newbie
At the end of the day, unless everyone refuses to pay 15k for a sled Yam will continue to charge what they want. They will also continue to get it because people love to snowmobile. If you can't afford to spend 15k on a sled you don't its as simple as that.
BombaPolaYama
TY 4 Stroke Master
No doubt it is the low volume of production when compared with autos; and also the lack of competition in the sled industry that is keeping the prices higher and I don't think that model will change for the good. The the new Apex is aimed at a specific market and should not be used as a benchmark for snowmobile pricing. That logic would be like saying that no one can afford to buy an automobile because the Corvettes are too expensive. If I wanted that type of sled and could afford it, I would buy it and enjoy it as many will do. Like others have said, there are many options (like buying used) to get into this sport but the manufactures have also got to do a better job at producing entry level machines to promote the sport. For example, whatever happened to the reliable 2 stroke Venture 500? Warrany costs must also be considered as they really cut into profits for all manufacturers and add to the high MSRP.
