Hello,
I'm doing some investigating, looking to step up from my old ATC's (I'm getting older and my Butt is getting sore). I don't hunt enough to justify $5,000 - $7,000 for a 4 wheeler and so have been looking at some of the cheaper Imports. (Loncin, Commando, Qianjiang, Cfmoto, Yamoto, Phantom, Factor, Tomahawk, Eton, Marshin, )

I think that I want 250cc (or larger) shaft w/reverse, 4 wheel drive if available? liquid cooled, front & rear racks and probably disc break(s), automatic transmission. hopefully under $2,000. am I crazy?

what would y'all suggest?

thanks in advance for your help / info. if you have any ATC questions, feel free... Esp. 1984 200 S.

biGjOhn
A.K.A. "SuaveGato" A.K.A. "Mainline"

 

If they go out of business in two years....where do you get parts? When you go to sell...is anyone gonna want it..at any price?
It only costs a lttle more, to buy a known , established brand, that will have support, and a willing market for a used one.
Look at used 4 wheelers, 3 grand goes a long way, and its only a bit more for a used 4x4.
my 2 cents

 

You could find a good used 4x4 in the 250 - 400 cc range pretty reasonable, should be a lot to choose from in the Polaris,Yamaha and Honda line, Arctic Cat has some nice 300 cc models, depends on if you want a work horse or a sport utility. The brands you mentioned are hard to pin down parts and service wise, and a lot of tests have shown they are far behind in dependibility and reliability, the money you "saved" on the purchase price would soon be used up on parts and repairs, and it might take a long time to order from far away distributors or sources.

 

Hey, thanks for the info. I have been looking at used name brands too but it seems like either they are still in the $3,500 - $5,000 range or if they are under $2,500 they are beat to high hell... and who knows how dependable an old beat up one would be in comparison to a new cheap import? They way I figure it, anything is a step up (in stability, reliability and comfort) from my current Honda ATC's. (1984 200S's) I am "tinkering" and fixing on them constantly. and getting too old to ride them "safely" and comfortably. I'm not looking for something to scream around on... just push through mud out to the duck blind and cruise fire roads to get to the deer hunting areas. maybe some minor rock crawling or off roading, but like I said, minor and just crawling, not fast. i just want to have 4 wheels on the ground instead 3, the ATC's are just too tippy on any uneven ground, even when putting...

I just wonder what the BEST of the imports is? and even if they only last 1/2 as long, they are 1/4 the price and so I could just buy a new one when / if I need to replace it? bottom line, i can't find a decent used one that I can afford and financially I can afford the cheapy import.
thanks,
biGjOhn

P.S. I just noticed the two responses I have gotten have the handle of "Pro-Riders" and mine is "weekend warrior"... that kind of sheds some light on what I am looking for... I guess if I was a "pro rider" I would of course want the best but for 4-6 hunts a year i need some thing cheap. Heck, i'm riding a 1984 ATC right now, anything would be a step up... Just wondering what the best cheap one is... if that's not an oxymoron?

 

Pro rider ...doesnt have anything to do with our riding skills, itd be nice if it was that simple. lol
It has to do with how many posts weve had. I think after 200 posts, it will change to pro rider.
Where have you looked for quads? atvtraderonline? checked with friends and people youve worked with? tried a wanted ad?
Just remember there can be alot of difference between asking price and selling price.
my brother in law , used to always have a saying.."it only costs a little more to go top shelf." Sometimes the cheap upfront cost is low for a reason..in the end, the cost is the same, and you could be hanging on to a second rate quad, thats so unpleasant or unreliable, it doesnt get used.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

You get what you pay for.

 

MainLine, look around for a suzuki 250 ozark. I have seen new ones go as low $3000. It sounds like that is about what your looking for. That might be a little more then what you want to spend, but in the long run you will be money ahead. Plus it is a nice little scoot. lol

 

FYI I'm no expert, that's for sure. I did buy one of the Cheap China made inports. I posted a review of it on another section of this forum. I baught a Red Cat Kazuma FX-150. My local dealer sold it to me for 1450 tax included. He set up the carbs and assembled it for me, nothing for me to break. You can buy the same quad for 1350 at Raceway delivered, you just have to assemble the thing and set the carbs (tinkering with quads should be something you are use to with an atc 200!!!). That particular machine probably won't do what you need; however, the KMZ-150 or KMZ-250 has the racks and so forth.

The 150 will have the same engine/ auto-trans W/reverse as mine. I have been very happy with it so far. I weigh about 250lbs and it pulls me around fine. They are very easy to work on and service yourself. Knowing what I know now I would definatly order one through raceway or a company like raceway to save some money. Everything is very easy to work on and adjust. Like you said, for the money, if it breaks I'll just buy another one.

good luck
Ken