My husband and I have the option of purchasing a 1997 AC454 from a friend for 2700.00 with reasonable miles(taken care of) or we found a 01 AC400 for 3700.00 with low miles/winch or a 01 AC500 also with low miles/winch for 4600.00 OR a new AC250 with warranty for 4000.00 after rebate(plus tax). Our primary use will be hauling things on our trailer,hunting,riding for fun(both of us on one atv and NOT Fast),etc. We don't have to worry about snow,however,hubby duck hunts so getting in/out of a small swamp/pond might come into play. Thanks in advance.

 

Girlridr,Sounds like some good prices on all models you listed.If you're going to be riding double, I would go with the 454 or 500,but the 400 shouldn't have any problem either.The 250 will be under powered for two up riding.

 

Girlridr;

My wife and I bought a 96- 454 Bearcat about a year ago. When we bought it, it needed some tuning but once it was set up it has run fine. My wife likes to ride behind me and the machine handles it well. Because the front is heavy we have had no trouble keeping the front on the ground and the power is great. The steering is harder than our friends Honda; the Cat needs more room to turn around and sometimes is more work on a tight trail; I built special footrests to accomadate my wifes short legs; we have never had trouble going where everyone else goes. All in all we like the machine very much. As for price comparison I could be of no help as I live in Canada and our prices are much higher than yours. All our riding is in foothill country which can be very steep, quite rough and also quite muddy.

Hope this helps a little,
Kenh

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. Today I bought a 2001 AC300 4 x 4 with 21 miles. Got it for 3500.00 No tax! I figured with the low/high torque setting we could get the pull power we need plus it wouldn't be too heavy of a bike for me to handle. P.S. Got it from Hales in Ft.Oglethorpe. Great people to deal with. Highly recommended.