Hi, I'm a first time atv buyer who has never rode an ATV. I have some questions on which to buy but I'll provide some background first...

-I'm 32 and 5'9''. I weigh about 180lbs.

-I have access to miles of trails directly from my house. They are through New England woods. Nothing too nasty. I see people on the trails all the time in everything from crazy modded jeeps to dirt bikes, atv's and normal 4x4 pickups. There are some more treacherous areas as well as some smoother faster straights, rocky areas and tight twisties. It's fairly rocky.

-I have owned snowmobiles, hot rods and raced go karts. I'm not at all timid and am comfortable and accustomed to powerful machines.

-I'm not very handy with a wrench at all.

So which ATV to buy?

-I have a maximum of about 1600 to spend.

-I'd like it to have some get up but I dont need a rocket ship.

-Manual or automatic is fine. I'm sure I can pick up riding a manual very quickly

-Wouldn't mind being able to put my girlfriend on the back for a short spin occasionally

-Will be riding alone 100% of the time.

-Need very minimal maintenance. I can change oil but I don't want to be constantly having problems. I NEED reliable.

I have been looking at Blasters but am concerned about maintenance and especially brakes on the older models. I would probably have more faith in a Honda but haven't seen many in my price range.

Would I be better off with more of a utility quad?

I tried to give as much info as possible and any opinions would be appreciated!

 

In New England with its rocks and water/mudholes I'd recommend a utility. 4x4 with good ground clearance works best but I've also seen some 2wds get through some pretty nasty stuff. Snow is also a factor and another reason to look at 4x4s. You can take pretty much any utility machine with racks and get a box/seat combination for a passenger that attaches to the racks. Not as safe as a dedicated 2 person machine though. To get a quad in your price range you're probably looking at a mid-90s machine or older. Best bet is to just keep an eye on Craigslist. Of course, watch out for the scammers that say they are selling a two year old loaded Can-Am for $2700. Suzuki, Honda, and Yamaha are good, reliable quads.

 

Is there really any good, reliable 4x4 in my price range that isn't going to be beat up? I browse all of New England craigslist every day and about the only thing I have seen that fits that description is a few mid 90's Polaris Sportsmans. I've always owned Polaris sleds and loved them so definitely wouldn't be against that...

 

I don't know much about the Polaris quads from the mid-90s other than that the things Polaris introduced like CVT transmission, foot wells, etc. have become industry standards. The earliest Sportsmans that I've had or ridden, or ridden with are about 2000 and newer. The ones I've seen and had have been pretty good. However, $1600 is pretty low to find a 4x4. The range to get a 2000 or newer Sporstman or any other brand would probably be more like $2500 or more unless you find someone who really just wants to sell theirs.

 

Dont leave out 2wd atvs if you have to ,I seen many 2wd go down some nasty trails.

Nice thing about utility ATVs vs sport ATVs is there shaft drive with more ground clearance and much less maintenance then a chain drive ATV.

 

I really don't feel like a 4x4 is necessary. I drive my bone stock Chevy 1500 down 90% of the trails I'll be riding on and don't even use 4wd most of the time.

I'm really leaning towards the 250EX (If I can afford one), an LTZ250 or a Blaster. Which one of these will be the most reliable? How much tinkering will I have to do with the Blaster?

 

The Blaster is 2 stroke but much faster then a 250EX 4 stroke. Your choice.

Both my ATVs are 4x4 but I seldom ever hit the 4wd button. There in 2wd 90% of the time.

But 4wd gives you the ability to go further and deeper before getting stuck and walking back home.

 

Ain't that the truth. I always say it this way; "The difference between a 2wd and a 4wd is how much further in the woods you get stuck".

I've seen plenty of Honda Recons, Kawasaki Bayous, and Suzuki Ozarks in your price range on Craigslist. These are all considered 250 cc class machines, have racks, and mostly semi-automatic shifting.

 

right on, i'm partial to the recon, but they should all be reliable. as long as your dont go through tooooo deep of a mudhole a 2wd will get you around all day long.