i am looking at two atv's now to buy, and it will be my first one, even though i've been wanting one for the past 5 years . anyways, the two are both 2002's, grizzly 660 and sportsman 500. i will probably be doing mostly trail riding at all speeds, as well as hauling wood in the winter for our fireplace. the grizz has 1680 miles and 463 hours, and also comes with a plow, winch, and clutch kit. the sportsman has new front tires and new bumpers. i haven't found out yet how many miles/hours are on it yet. i wanted to come here first to see the general opinion on the two was. so please help me out. oh, and the grizzly's owner is asking around 3k, the sportsman just above 2k. if you have any other questions for me, just post them and i'll try to respond. thanks!

 

The Sportsman 500 is a very sold machine with a great ride, but the 660 is no slouch and will be the faster of the two by a wide margin. If you want the best feeling ride get the sportsman for everything else including longevity the Yamaha wins hands down.

 

Both solid machines, and even as a Polaris owner, I'd lean towards the Grizz. I've had to replace the front bumper on mine, and it was because a tree bent it. That would make me wonder on the Sportsman.

Enjoy whichever one you choose. They'll both get ya dirty.

 

ok thanks guys. by the way, heres the ad for the grizzly i'm looking at, cause i don;t really have any worries about it, but just wanted to get some other people's

http://youngstown.craigslist.org/mcy/2447180859.html

oh, and would you consider the 1680 miles and 463 hours on the grizzly below average, average, or above average?

 

It varyies greatly what is average use. I will say it have done alot of vary low speed miles. Maybe it has worked hard or been driven on some vary tough trailes to keep the average speed so low. Or pehaps it has idled alot.
I'm usually around 10 mph for a average and I don't ride hard or fast. I am quite happy with my 05 500 sportsman. They are plush riding.

 

My best friend rides a 660 grizzly, the Grizzly does every thing the Sportsman can and has more power. 35hp vs 42hp. The only 2 things I like better about my sportsman is it has a more comfortable ride, not sure if its due to the Polaris nicer seat and not having to stop to put the ATV into true AWD diff lock. Polaris has no 3wd mode.

Both Bikes seem to be always reliable.

 

Buddy of mine has had a 660 Griz since 2003, and it has been very reliable for him....just the "boiling gas" issue, which was fixed under warranty by adding heat block tape to the underneath of the tank. Always though the Griz had a very smooth and comfortable ride myself