I'm looking at used 4x4's to start with. I know next to little about them. So bare with me while I try to get educated. How many miles or hours will a utility quad go before major repairs? I understand regualr routine maintenance is important on these things.

I see a lot of rigs with 5 ot 6 years old with 700 to 2000 miles on them which doesn't seem like a lot. I've found a few with 5000 miles on them and they are 8 or 9 years old. These have a much better price point but I don't have an understanding of what is a lot of miles on one.

As an example....a 2002 Yamaha Grizzly 660, 5000 miles +/-, winch, front and rear bags, etc. Looks like in decent shape. $3800. To me that seems like decent price if it's been maintained. Would this rig last another 5000 or 10K miles before major issues? I have no clue.

 

How it's been taken care of is far more important than the hours/miles.

Can't say how long the grizz would last, but if it has been taken care of, I don't see why it wouldn't. Ask about it's maintenance, look to see if any parts look "newer" than others. I'm sure others will have some good tips for buying a used quad too.

 

I just bought my first atv. I got a 2002 Honda 450s Foreman. It had 230 hrs and 1400 miles on it. It's in excellent shape, just needs tires. I paid $3000. I think I got a good deal.

 

High milage / low hours would indicate an atv has been ridden fast- in the desert, no big deal- but here in the northeast where the trails are like a mine field, that means a beat quad.

low milage / high hours would indicate a quad that's done a lot of slow riding and sitting idling. Typical of a hunters quad of an older owner who took it a bit slower on the trails...

I really don't base a purchase on milage / hours. I give the atv a solid inspection first.

I wouldn't buy a used atv off any of the guys I ride with

 

Miles/hours do play a factor but you can get an idea of how the quad was treated by a general inspection. I'd rather have a quad with high miles that was taken care of vs one hardly used that never saw a shed.

I have a friend that has over 7,500 miles on his 11 Rincon right now. That's just one of his machines. I've seen Kawasaki's, Polaris', Yamaha's, Honda's all with 15,000 miles on them in this area.

It's no different than a car, why does one reach 200k with minor work and another is worn out at 100k or less.

All that being said, you cannot look it over close enough and 5 minutes will not do.

 

You really need to see the ATV and judge for yourself if it has hard miles on it, or if it has been taken care of, maintained, and not abused.

I sold a 2007 Grizzly 700 on ebay a few years ago. It sold to a fellow on the east coast, and had to be shipped most of the way across the country to get to the owner. The truck driver that picked up the ATV had delivered hundreds and hundreds of used ATVs. As we were loading my Grizzly onto his truck he commented that he had never seen an ATV with so many miles on it (2700 miles). He then also said that he had never seen a used ATV in such good condition. It still looked and ran like brand new.

So there is a lot more to it than how many miles it has on it.

If I were to say how many miles is "too many", for an ATV that has been very well maintained, more than 5000 miles is too many miles for me. If you're buying an ATV with 5000 or more miles on it, the price would have to go way down, irregardless of how well it has been taken care of. The ATVs with fewer miles on them, that have not been taken care of, also would have to go way down in price though.

 

I have owned my 2000 honda Foreman 400 4x4 since new. It now has 8000 miles on it. This thing still runs like factory new. No kidding. It doesent smoke a drop, burns no oil, starts at the touch of the button, and just runs great in general. It has had oil changes every 500 miles and I have had to replace a few parts on it like the front wheels bearings, a couple batteries, the starter, and the rear axle, but I would not be afraid to ride it out to the middle of nowhere and come back on it too. Its mainly been ridden and used on a farm and some trails with some creek riding at times. Its worked pretty hard at times too, pulling wagons full of hay, tractors, etc...

Basically, if it looks good and taken care of, i believe the mileage is not a huge concern. Id say an ATV with 5000 miles of trail riding would 9 times out of 10 be in much better shape than an ATV with 1500 miles of playing in creeks, rivers, and deep mud.

 

I'm going to look at an 03 grizzly 660 on Saturday. It's got 3300 miles and 600 hrs on it. The photos look good and the owner says it's be "well maintained". It come with a gun rack, front and rear rack bags and a warn winch. His bottom line is $3200. Guess we'll see.

 

The engines should last thousands of hours, the rest of the atv may need bushings, balljoints, tires, brakes atc ......starting as low as 50 hrs. All depends on whether taken care of or not!

 

That is very true