I posted a thread a few days ago about buying my first ATV. I've found a 2008 Polaris Sportsman 500 for $2,500. Sounds like it's in good shape. The dealership that is selling it said they replaced some bearing and that it has about 4800 miles and 350 hours on it. Comes with a winch, a gun rack, front and back gear racks, bumpers etc. He said I could take it for a test drive no problem and said it starts right up and seems like it's in good shape.

Does this seem like a good deal? What should I check when I go to look at it? Is the year and model reliable?

Any advice would be awesome!

 

NADA showing dealers asking low retail price for it.2008 Polaris Sportsman 500 High Output Standard Equipment, 2008 Polaris Sportsman 500 High Output Price & Specs | NADAguides KBB on one that's in excellent shape shows to be around $3600,BUT if dealer is that low($2500),I'd give her a good once over.http://www.kbb.com/motorcycles/polar...edretailvalue/ Could be a good deal with all the options.Again condition of the machine means more than the year model or even mileage.

 

Thanks for the reply man! So I went to look at it today and I guess it's like a special edition Browning bike or something- all camo and a bunch of features. I took it for a few laps around the dealership and it seemed really good. Lots of power, brakes were good, started right up. A little rust but nothing too bad. Tires weren't great but will last the summer at least. The only thing was that there was a rattling noise at lower speed (it went away when I speed up). I wan't sure what it was. I looked it over with the owner of the dealership and we started shaking pieces of the bike to check for noises. When I shook the shifter it rattled really bad (a rod connected the shifter was banging against one of the heat shields next to the exhaust). I jammed a piece of cardboard between the shifter rod and the heat shield and took it for another lap around. The rattling was about 75% gone! But still present. I'm hoping the noise has nothing to do with a major engine issue. What are your thoughts?

The dealership closed at 2pm today and I stayed till close but wasn't ready to commit to buy due to the rattling noise. I gave the guy a photo copy of my ID. They are closed tomorrow and don't open until 8:30am on Monday. He said if I want to buy it give him a call and put a small credit card deposit down and its mine. There was one other guy who said he was going to come and buy it on Monday.

What do you think? Should I buy it? Just seems like a great deal compared to the rest of the used market in the province of Ontario. It's probably 60% of the price of anything comparable I've seen.

 

If it shifts ok through all the gears,no erratic engagement or jumping out of gear,rattles would be something that you can track down yourself. As with all machines you buy used always do a full service from front to back unless you're sure the dealer has. It would be nice if he'd allow you a small warranty period of a few days or more in case anything major came up. You might throw that at him to seal the deal if you want it and he wants to sell it bad enough.

 

Again, thanks so much for the reply!! There was no erratic engagement or jumping so sounds like it should be fine! What does a full service consists of? I just want to make sure when I take it in for a service that I'm getting all of the things checked and serviced that need to be.

 

Front gear case fluid(Demand Drive hub fluid) engine oil and filter,air filter service,plug,check/adjust valves,grease any fittings available.Plus save yourself some money in the future and do it yourself. A simple 5 buck service manual can help with service and repairs.2008 Polaris Sportsman 500 Service Manual PDF Download

 

looks like I can handle most of that myself. What fitting should I grease? I'll also have to look more into adjusting valves as I've never done that before.

Thanks again!

 

A-arms if they have them, prop shaft u joints,rear suspension,ball joints,etc. Number of grease fitting differs on year model. Again an owners manual or even better the service manual can pay for itself in great info.

 

Perfect thanks! I downloaded the manuals and I'm reading through them now. Do I need to use the Polaris brand oil? Or can I use other brands? If so do you have any suggestions on what oil substitutions I can use?

 

Oh lawdy,oil questions.. You can use oem if you wish or ANY suitable good synthetic oil from a range of 0w40(what Polaris did use for years) 5w40,5w50 or even 10w50 if you live in constant high temp areas. A lot of people have stayed with 0w40 (Mobil1,Amsoil,etc) some 5w40(Rotella T6 ,etc) or 5w50(newer wt oil that Polaris came out with to replace the crazy 2w50 they had). Think Mobil1 has come out with 5w50 also now. Kinda have your choice as there isn't a wet clutch to worry about slipping on the cvt systems.Same for the filters,your choice.
POLARIS 3084963 - Alternative oil filters