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I'm curious what the verdict is on the old vs. the new... In my area, a ~20 year old conquest that is in good shape is still commanding a pretty heavy price tag (10k-12K CAD)... It seems like if I drive a bit further, I can get a newer model Avenger (few years newer) that has that has the new body design and presumably some nice/new features..
I guess my question is, do argos, in general, increase in quality and capability the newer they get. Should I be looking for the newest avenger for example with the lowest hours; will that beat the tried and true 20 year old conquest? Or is there something special about some of the older models that the new ones can't seem to replicate.
Just some food for thought - My main goal with the machine is for plowing snow and ascending/descending a very steep incline. It looks like some of the newer models have a slightly longer wheelbase (a good thing) however, they have more clearance (probably a bad thing for me)... The other thing I'd like in the machine is for it to be fairly heavy duty for carrying heavy loads if need be... Just curious whether an older conquest can hold a candle to the newer ones when climbing/descending and in the payload department..
Long winded - I'm just kind of trying to decide what machine would be best for me - The new ones are a little too pricey for me, so I'm just to pinpoint the vintage/model that would give me the best bang for much buck and hopefully last me a lifetime if I take care of it.
10-12K for a conquest? Those are NB prices for sure. I don't know what it is about used Argo's here, but they are worth more here than they are anywhere else. There is a local FB group for Argo's in NB if you ever want to connect with some locals.
When it comes to choosing a machine, I think the ideal machine is probably an avenger era HDI. (the early Avengers are coming on 20 years old soon.. the early conquests are almost 30!)They have larger axles, bearings, tires, and low gearing. The low gearing is especially important, I see people complaining that some of the new 30+ hp machines can hardly get out of a ditch, while my old magnum with an 18HP Kohler has no issues moving the 1000 pounds its rated for up a steep hill. Your gearing is more important than the HP. HDI's will will run a lot more than a conquest though. Conquests are good machines in their own right, they arn't as heavy duty as the HDI's but they are still capable machines. They can be upgraded with the HDI axles and bearings. Just make sure you pay attention to the gearing.
There are some perks to the brand new machines, like the axles are slightly longer and the tires reverse for extra offset so you don't need axle extensions for tracks anymore. But I don't think they are actually rated for much (if any) more weight than the old machines, and are overall not that much different, especially if you're not sporting for an Admiral trans. There is something to be said for having a new machine that no one has mistreated though, and knowing that 100% of your parts will be available for years to come.
I ended up buying a 2009 argo avenger 750 efi since this post... It has some issues that I'm still trying to work through, but hopefully I got the right machine for the job (not exactly sure how it compares to the HDI)
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