I'm looking to buy a used wheeler, but was hoping to get some advice beforehand. I don't have a whole lot of experience with four wheelers, so I thought this might be a good place to gain some insight. The only wheeler I've owned was a mid-90's honda 300 4x4. It was a pretty reliable ride, but I was really disappointed by the amount of suspension travel it had. I'm not that aggressive or heavy of a rider, but even at low speeds I frequently bottomed out the suspension. Does anybody have any suggestions for some older models (1990s and early 2000s) that I should look into with both 4 wheel drive and a little more suspension travel than my old honda? My honda had the Warn 424 2 wheel drive selector which I loved, if there's any models that have a 2 wheel drive feature built in, it'd be a big plus. I've tried doing research online, but can only find info on new models. If anyone could suggest some models to look at, or even places online to do research, it'd be a huge help.

 

POLARIS Scrambler
either a 400 2stroke or 500 4 stroke both have on demand 4wd and a great all around trail machine automatic transmission , disc brakes , full floorboards , very dependable

 

Almost all 4wd have selectable 2wd/4wd option stock now. The sporty 4wds are the Yamaha 450 Wolverine,Polaris 500 Scrambler,Can AM 800 Renagade and I would also maybe put the Honda 420 Racher in there as well.

 

I second this.

 

I agree with the scrammy! It will fit your budget, too. The renegade is great, but much more money, rancher wouldn't be near as much fun. The wolverine may be okay, too.
Just my opinion.......

 

If you can find a good used 350 Yamaha Wolverine it would be a good choice, it was full time 4wd but was the lightest 4wd ever made at 485 lbs. here is the specs on one. http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/en...hicleCode=1774

 

All the manufacturers call their utes "sport utes", but it is mostly just marketing hype.

There are a few models already mentioned that attempt to be "hybrids" that fall somewhere between sport quads and utes, like the Wolverine, Scrambler, and Renegade, but they all fall short of the mark. The one that comes closest, is the "old" Wolverine. My buddy has a "new" Wolverine, and my Rancher is more sporty than it is.

I would take a good look at the new Rancher 420AT which has IRS and a totally unique new dual-clutch transmission! It is however on the heavy side.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I think my budget is a little too low for the renegade or rancher, but maybe I'll look into the scrambler or old wolverine. A lot of my buddies have warned me to stay away from polaris quads, they don't trust the belt drive. Have any of you experienced any problems with polaris belt drive systems? I'm open to more utility oriented wheelers too, as long as they have more suspension travel than my old honda 300.

 

how many of them ever owned a polaris quad, you need to remind them polaris has been making snowmobiles for 50 + years with the same belt system with no problems , its a non issue , your friends are just afraid you'll make them look bad

 

All that is true, but the trouble is that they don't have any idea how to design a properly handling chassis!!!!