Question for everyone... At what point do you quit repairing your bikes and get a new one? I have a 2003 Grizzly 660 that needs about $800 worth of work. It has 5500 miles. I always wonder if its worth fixing or getting a newer ride with fuel injection, etc. Thoughts?

 

Do you have a friend lookin to get in to ATVs and you happened to find a smoking deal on something better? I got a deal of the century, passed the savings on to a buddy AND increased our head count when we go riding. Otherwise I tend to stick it out until either parts can no longer be sourced/fabricated.

 

Personally i bought a new machine just for reliability wise. Did not want to get stranded out some ware. I guess it would come down to can you afford it

 

Thank you both. I found some "fair deals" but nothing they were "giving away". I just always questions whether to upgrade or fix. The machine I have has been accurate but everything gets better every year. Thanks again.

 

I was in a similar situation as you, mine was a Grizzly 660 as well. I decided to trade for my current Brute Force. I got almost as much money in trade in as I would have had I fixed everything that was wrong with it. But again, had I fixed everything, I probably would have just kept it. I liked the Grizzly but the miles were creeping up a bit and I knew that continuing maintenance would be required to keep it going. At some point, it becomes a decision whether to keep an old ride going or trade up to something newer. I actually did spend a lot of money over the weekend, on a newer car. My 2004 Grand Am with almost 170K on the odometer was also going to need some work to keep going. Found a good deal on a 2011 Honda Civic with just over 36K on it for just over 10 grand. I had decided to downsize a bit to more fuel efficient compact car and the Civic was the best bang for the buck I saw locally. There were other cars in that price range but with 70, 80, even 100K miles. I wanted something with low miles so I wouldn't be in the same boat 2 or 3 years from now. I even found out my credit score, which I was worried about because of past issues, had improved greatly and I did finance the car. This loan should bring my score up to excellent level by the time the car is paid for. This is important to me because I plan to move into a different home by then and the boost in my credit score should make it easy to get a home loan. I guess I got a little off-topic there but I guess it applies to automobiles as well. At some point, its better to trade up instead of spending money on an older model.

 

Tough question to answer as it really boils down to perception of value. In strict $$$, it will always be cheaper to fix a machine you've already have. I say that because a new machine will cost a lot and it too will need servicing in relatively short order (it's just the nature of the sport considering the harsh operating conditions).


The perception comes into time spent if you repair your-self...many don't want to fix their own machine and feel the time spent could be better spent elsewhere...I personally enjoy working on them...I learn more about my machine...I have confidence the work was done right (lots of info & vids these days) and it's economical.


Break-downs can happen anytime with any machine (new or old)...it's part of the sport and why you should never ride alone...

 

Understand completely. I think I'm going to get a more accurate assessment of cost and go from there. Thank you everyone for all your help and insight

 

And it depends how attached you are to the machine you already have. I don't really form much of an emotional attachment to any vehicle I've ever had. Its just a machine to me.

 

I agree. No real attachment here just trying to make the best decision long-term