I'm a 71 yr old newbie looking for my first ATV. My son has a Polaris Sportsman 700. I would like to buy an ATV to get me to and from my deer stand, pull my trailer around the property and possibly plow snow ( I have a long driveway). Is there any inherent problems with any particular brand? I am looking for used in good condition 3500 -5000 price range. Any advice would be appreciated.

Jim

 

Well in your price you should look for buying a name brand, certainly going be much easier for you. Look at names like Honda, they have extremely reliable ATVs meaning you can buy used without too much worry.
To do any of those tasks on a Chinese ATV you'll have to do a good bit of fabrication since a 'utility' ATV doesn't really exist as they're just 'sporty' frames equipped with a different set of plastic.

 

Best to get a Honda,Yamaha,or Suzuki.
You'll be pulling that Polaris.

 

I say Yamaha or Suzuki over Honda. Honda just added IRS and Diff lock at once this year while most others had it for over a decade now.
Plus Hondas are foot shift with only a low 1st gear while the other are gas and go Auto CVT with a dedicated low range.

At your Price range a good 550 Yamaha Grizzly or 500 Suzuki KQ.
At 71 you want IRS believe me.

 

Suzuki 500s and Yam 550s are good bikes, but near us, a farmer has had his Honda stolen, and had borrowed his Uncle's 400 Auto Honda to tide him over, it broke down, so we lent him a 450 King Quad while we repaired it (dirt in carb). We thought he might buy the KQ, but when he fetched it back he said it was too big, he has arthritis of the spine and had trouble climbing on. One of the smaller bikes 350-420 may be more suitable for an older rider.

 

I forgot to mention that as well. Its easer to get on and off a Mid sized chassis as oppose to a Full sized chassis plus a Mid sized chassis has a tighter turning radius which can be handy.

A 350/450 Grizzly and 420 Rancher is a Mid sizes chassis yet a 450KQ (replaced by the 500 now) is a full sized chassis just like a 750KQ for example.

I like my 350 for tight trail riding and just running around but my Full size 500 is still needed on my fishing trips where we load the hard and heavy with gear.

 

"Plus Hondas are foot shift with only a low 1st gear while the other are gas and go Auto CVT"
And that is why I've bought my last honda utility till they go CVT.

 

Plus Honda has the only 500 class Utility that is under 30hp and the only 700 class 4x4 that can't break 40hp.
That just will never change since they are the only ones that use OHV motors vs OHC.

I understand foot shift sport ATVs or manual sports cars but on Utility ATVs and 4wd trucks who wants to think about if they are in the correct gear or not.
That's why manual 4x4s are rarer then a Italian war hero now.

 

depend on what honda your looking at. they have thumb control or u can use it in auto tranny mode. Looked like a good little machine on dirt trax tv. my dealer does not even bring the manual trannys in.

i ride arctic cat and love it. bought 2 new ones this year. one had a few minor gremlens in it a fouled plug on second trip and a fuel pump relay that must have had moisture in it and froze up in -10 weather. once it warmed up it was fine and never acted up again.

 

In that price range, my choice would be a Yamaha Grizzly 700. Good power, great cvt transmission with low range. More power than any Honda and lighter and more nimble than any Polaris. A Suzuki King Quad 700 would be another good choice, very similar in performance and price. For a little less money, you could get an older Yamaha Grizzly 660. I've seen a few for sale in my area for $3000 or less, one as low as $2500 in good shape. Its still a very solid machine and gives a nice comfortable ride and still more than enough power for most and will leave you with a few more dollars left in the piggy bank.