I've been looking to get a general utility atv. Have looked at a lot of new and to get something that will do everything I want I think I'll be spending more money then I'd like but that's the nature of the beast sometimes. But I've been looking at a 2002 Sportsman 500HO and it's in good shape with the exception of a crack in the front rack but that rack could easily be replaced. The only thing that bothers me a bt is the miles, it has a little over 3500miles. The price is just under 4grand. So I'm not sure if it's a good deal or not. The kind of work I'm looking to do is plow snow, take care of mine and my mothers gravel driveways, drag trees away that I need to cut down and basically maintain the line fences around the farm. So I'm looking for opinions from the Polaris owners out there. I will say they are nice machines when looking at them in person. I was very surprised by the looks of them. I do know that one plus of the year of this quad is that it has grease fittings on it so pretty much everything can be greased. Any help is appericated. Thanks in advance.

 

In my opinion the mileage means little providing it has been properly maintained. Observe the present owners garage, does it look like he is a maintenance type of guy? Grease guns, spare oil filters and oil on the shelving. As for the quad check for looseness in the suspension components, U joints etc. Do a compression test, listen to the engine for unusual noises as you would when you buy any used machinery. The crack in the rack could have been caused by a roll over so check from all sides looking for twists in the frame and A frames etc. If this all checks out it's probably a reasonable buy.

 

I have 9300 miles on a well-cared for Xplorer 400, and it hasn't been back to a mechanic yet. I have replaced the brakes, CV boots, etc. but nothing over $200 yet, and the chassis is still fairly tight.

 

i have 2000 miles on my sportsman, still goin strong. also ask what he uses the 500 HO for does he go mudding alot, if so those are alot of hard riddin miles. or does he use it for hunting trips, casual long riding trips. 3500 miles really isnt too terrible, you can put a good 8 to 10 thousand miles on a sportsman with out any engine troubles.