Hello, I am going to be buying a new atv soon and I was wanting to gather info before I go in to buy. What fees are they going to try to tack onto my bill? What is mandatory and what is dealers trying to get an extra buck? What is considered a good interest rate for a 60 month finance plan? I'd like to buy it on my own. I have a 693 credit score, but I don't have that long of a credit history, at least I don't think I do. What is the minimum dealers usually make you put on a down payment? I'd like to put as little as possible since each 1000 down only lowers the payment around 20 a month. Any help is appreciated.

 

Your probably going to be paying a high interest rate with your credit score, and the dealer will be adding freight/shipping which can be up to 750 bucks plus tax and title work and any prep that may be required. You might consider a nice used machine if this is your first machine. No sense spending big bucks for 5 years for something you don't really like after you get it. By finding a good used one you will save at least half and probably more so if you don't like it, you won't loose nearly as much. Depreciation on a new one is really stiff!! If you want to make mods on a new machine then you will void the warranty in many cases so used now starts to make more sense.

 

I'm with Kymco as far as buying used vs new. I've owned 3 used ATV's, 1 Polaris 400 that I fixed and sold for a small profit and the 2 Arctic Cats that I own now. I really like the old Arctic Cats, paid $1,400 for the latest 2002 400 with 3,700 miles. I got my 2001 AC 500 for fixing a friend's Dodge PU, 3 years ago. I've put over 2,000 miles on it trouble free, now has over 7,000 miles. Better save a few bucks, then buy a $1,500-$2,500 price range model and not have a payment, and keep building up your credit. Guess what, you can have exactly as much fun on an older model, may not have power steering or locking differential, not a big deal imho. BTW the old AC 400 manual shift will hit 55 mph, maybe more, you also don't need a 1,000 cc screaming monster to have fun. Here's a pic of my $1,400 AC 400, has the stock Warn winch,

 

New quads are so expensive. $8000 for many of them, some even more. They depreciate so quickly. By the end of the 5 years it will have lost close to half its original value. Its up to you. Do you want to make a payment on a brand new machine or spend a lot less on a used one that will do everything it can but won't be as fancy or comfortable or have as many cool features? Maintenance costs will definitely be higher on a used machine as well. It depends on how comfortable you are buying something used as opposed to buying new.

 

It's tougher to get a loan for a used machine than a new one. Most banks won't write a loan to a young gent that doesn't have much credit history for a used machine. With some of the introductory models like the Polaris 570 and Can-Am Outlander 450, I think it's not a bad way to go if you're not too mechanically inclined. I've seen people get burnt believing the seller who doesn't tell him about the issues the machine has.

Fees that are usually tacked on by the dealer are, freight and shipping, uncrating/assembling, and office fees. The freight and shipping is pretty much mandatory, the other two can be negotiated down. My son and I have bought 4 new machines from our dealer. We don't pay the shipping, freight, uncrating/assembling, or other fees when we buy now.

 

I wouldn't mind buying used if I could find a good deal on a machine that hasn't been used much. The problem though is that's like finding a unicorn around here. All the used bikes I could find are near the cost of a new one, and if you can find one for a decent price it's beat to hell. I also don't like the idea of not knowing how the bike was treated. Around here most people use there recreation atvs for mudding. I know from experience with my trucks that plating in the Mud is a good way to mess something up. Especially if they are gunning it the whole time. If I have to I can I have plenty of people that will co sign for me. I'd just like the peace of mind that no one has abused the atv yet.

 

Same anywhere atv's are popular, you may consider driving some distance to find a good used one. The other thing is it does take time, a lot of searching is needed. Most are in to big of a hurry and want the first thing they come across, when I sold my Praire, the gent that bought it said he looked for months before he stumbled across mine and he drove over 100 miles to get it. Look at other cities within a reasonable driving distance, especially where atv trails are not as popular. In popular areas the machines will be used hard. Also learn what to look for in used machines so you will be prepared when you do come across one that is good. I have never had power steering on my atv or my utv nor have I ever saw the need for it, my 450i has diff-lock and can easily be steered with one hand while in difflock mode and my Praire was no different. Some of the newer bells and whistles are just that....bells and whistles and really mean nothing when it comes to riding ability. Heck my Praire 300 went everywhere I ever wanted to go with no issues in 16 years. I may not get there first but I always got there...

 

It get worst then that, by the time you get it home it lost $1000 if you tried to sell it the next day. I kid you not.

Would you not just get a personal loan and not mention what it is for? Does the bank care if you want cash for a ATV or a trip to Vegas?

Don't be scared of used, everyone on this forum is riding a used ATV. They are considered used as soon as they leave the show room floor.

A girl I know won a new 660 grizzly in a draw. She sold it without one ride for $1000 less then the dealer sells them for. If she tried to just sell it for only a few hundred off the people in that price range would just go to the dealer and get it in the color they like.

So she had to take the $1000 hit.

 

Thats's true, used, no matter how little used, is still used. Still that girl who lucked into winning the Grizzly and rode it once and still sold it for thousands of dollars didn't exactly lose. Even if she hadn't rode it at all, the dealer probably wouldn't have given her full msrp for it anyway. Their reasoning would be we'll give you this much money right now or you can have every Tom, Dick and Harry give it a test ride and hope they don't wreck it or steal it and maybe get a few hundred more 6 months from now.

 

The girl never rode it once, the organization that raffled the ATV may of put the ATV in their name and that may of been a issue.
In any case she did try to get the dealer to take it back but even they did not want it back either because a second title change makes it a used ATV even with zero miles or they are not in the business of buying back ATVs.

Ended up a friend of mine bought it for $7000 Canadian. This was in 2003 and the ATV is still going strong.