I am looking to buy my first atv and need some advice.
After searching around and doing some research I am thinking about a Polaris Sportsman 400 HO might be the way to go for me. I'm not too big into speed, like power, use it for hunting and trail riding, and I really like how they would fit in my F150 with the tailgate closed. Polaris Sportsman sounds like a solid machine too.
Now the questions-
- Looking at CL, ebay and dealer sites the used prices I'm seeing are all 1-2K higher than what is listed on KBB and NADA for used atv's in general. Are these 2 price guides kinda out of touch with reality or is it the sellers I've been seeing? (live in CO)
- Having a hard time finding the Polaris Sportsman 400 HO used, do people tend to hold on to these? Nobody buying them to begin with? Too new to be reselling yet?
- Is buying a brand new atv like buying a new car? Probably not the way to go?
- What are some questions I should be asking the sellers? What is high mileage for atv's?
Thanks for any help!

 

One thing is the Polaris 400 has seen two different chassis if I'm not mistaken. The present 400 is actually a 450cc quad. There was a midsized and the present full sized chassis. Don't remember which years are which. You'll know as soon as you see them. Sellers tend to have a higher price than KBB or NADA lists. Sometimes it just takes time to wait out the right deal. If you can get a new condition quad in between the seller's price and KBB you've probably got a decent deal. The 400 wasn't built in the kind of numbers the Sportsman 500 was/is. There just aren't as many of them around. I don't really know what high mileage on the 400 would be.