OK, so I'm not broke, but I'm also not rich and budget is certainly a concern. Here's the deal. My 8 year old stepson wants a quad or a dirtbike. If he gets one, that means I also need a quad or a dirtbike, my better half also needs a quad or a dirtbike, and it won't be long until my 3 year old stepson also needs a quad or a dirtbike. His Fisher Price quad with a big battery will do for now, but not for long. I figure we'll mostly be riding around the camp, mostly trails, gentle grades, no real mud or tough stuff. I'm 6'0" 175 lb (grew up with quads, had motorcycles for 20 years, always wanted a 250cc street and trail), she's 5'3" and lighter ("needs" automatic, prefers quad, grew up on farm), 8 y.o. is 48" and growing like a weed, 3 y.o. is already in a booster seat. Should we get bikes for everyone, I need a trailer with room for all of them that I can pull on 400 mile round trips back and forth to camp 20 times a year with my Tacoma, preferably a lightweight enclosed trailer so I don't have to spend another $3,000 on a shed, $40,000 on a new truck, or give up my 18mpg while I'm at it. For you folks that have raised families with ATV's, where do you spend the money early on, where do you wish you hadn't spent it?I know that slowly, over time, I'm going to upgrade every bike, but if you were in my shoes, on a budget, what would you go out and get? I am looking for reliable. I am a skilled mechanic but I don't have time to take on major projects, If I could keep my wrench time under 2 hrs a trip that would be great. Budget - $2500. Sell my boat and buy smaller boat I'll actually use budget - $5000 Sell my motorcycle budget (Must include reliable street and trail bike for me) - $7500 All of the above budget - $8000 + $2000 down payment on new SUV for better half that could potentially pull a bigger trailer. In a perfect world I'd like to keep my Gold Wing and get a semi-reliable street and trail (NX250-XR250 dual sport maybe). I'm not opposed to Chinese bikes, especially for the kids, particularly interested in models most likely to run until they grow out of them. Not opposed to 4 quads. All bikes able to be ridden by adults need titles, will have to be registered in PA. There are 2 6x12 enclosed trailers available locally used for $1500 so it looks like I'm selling the boat. Wouldn't mind being able to get most of my money back if family loses interest if at all possible. Bonus points if trailer can also be outfitted for camping with 4 fold down beds, awning, heat (old camper roof air unit?), water, and/or a kayak/canoe rack.

 

You can probably get Honda Recon 250's for about $1000 on the used market. Good for everyone but the littlest guy. If the 8 year old shows skill and would behave I wouldn't be too hesitant about getting him one. They do have automatic versions if I remember right. Nice, light, super reliable quad. Littlest guy should probably see about one of the 50 cc quads out there made by the big players in the market. Can get one of those for $400-500 if you're patient. If you can find an old snowmobile trailer that's 12'x101" you could probably fit all of the above on it. Not up on bikes. I would not get anything Chinese made on the used market. Usually someone who can't stand all the work they have to do on it, all the time trying to unload it.

 

I don't think you can get everything you want for that kind of budget. I would look for a used Jap ATV like Yamaha for the kid who needs one now. Sometimes you can get them really cheap and get most of your money back when the kids outgrow them. I would also look for used name brand ATVs for the adults before I even considered brand new Chinese quads. And I don't see how everything would fit in a 6x12 enclosed trailer. Landscape trailers are available in sizes that could haul it all. You don't need a shed to store them in if you just chain them all together and put covers on them.

 

1 step at a time there...

Who knows, maybe ATV's aren't for everyone in your family.

I say start with 1, let everyone ride it a bit, and go from there.

 

Honestly I think I can fit 3 bikes and a quad in a 6x12 trailer without much trouble. $1500 trailer + $1,400 Chinese Enduro leaves me $2100 to get a used quad (like a recon) and used or Chinese dirtbike (or two). Can't really take it one step at a time, can't let 8 year old ride alone, must have at bare minimum 2 dirt bikes. I definitely need storage, live in a residential neighborhood, city frowns upon other storage solutions.

 

First, if you want to ride trails as a family, it could work very well to buy two quads that are two seaters rather than 4 different quads.

Also, enclosed trailers will be a lot more expensive than other trailers. Just keep checking on craigslist and dealers to see if a good deal comes up.

 

Keep in mind you will get what you pay for.....going cheap can cost a lot more in the long run. Be sure you can get parts for any machine's you buy!! Don't take somebodies word on it check for yourself, people will say anything to make a sale. To find decent machines and a trailer to haul them is gonna cost some bucks....no way around it. It is not a cheap hobby, so plan on doing lots of work on them with the budget you have. Not being able to store your own things in your own yard is the main reason I live in the country....will never be a city or housing development dweller again.!!

 

As far as storage goes, perhaps you could rent a storage unit. I have actually considered getting one for myself recently. I literally live right across the street from some storage units but the last time I contacted them a few months ago, they were all filled. They were asking $45/month for a 10x10 unit, the largest size they have. It costs a lot less than getting a garage built or buying a quite expensive enclosed trailer.

 

Every time I see the title of the thread I think, "that's not a good combination". The OP hasn't posted outside of this thread and there's no telling what they came up with. Too bad storage isn't as simple as in my city. My quad is parked in the driveway year-round. I don't think anyone would care if I parked it in the front yard.

 

Yea. We have land and a large barn (not large enough) for all of our toys. Its pretty big but we are almost out of room. We have 4 quads, 2 lawn mowers, a dirt bike, a boat, a Seedoo, a generator, and some supplies. Lol, we need less toys or more space