Looking at a new core 500 for my daughter to drive and the grandson to grow into (in several years). Just wondering, does anybody out there have any experience with the Arctic Cat core line? Pros and cons, would like to hear it all. Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

We have 2 2014 cores.. great machine have had no issues or complainants. Only issue i found with mine when i went to install a lift the steering was at to much of a angle and hitting the 4x4 actuator to much. need to order different steering arms. With a good set of tires just like any machine they will go anywhere. I may not be able to go as fast as the big boys but i can go anywhere they can with it.

 

I would consider buying one as a less expensive option for myself if I were to buy a new quad. Unless you want to race your buddies would seem like enough power for most people.

 

Thanks for the answers. Power not really a concern as she is just starting to drive on her own. Going to be putting around the farm for about a year to build up her skills and confidence levels. We have two AC machines now and neither one has ever let us down. Basic research shows that with IRS,EFI, 4 wheel disc, diff loc, etc. etc. for an out the door price of 6299 seems to more than meet her requirements. At that price competition may have more power but fail in other categories.

 

Depends on where you live, there's a Polaris dealer down in Tennessee that is selling Sportsman 570's for incredible discounts. 2015 Polaris® Sportsman® 570 EFI Sage Green Stock: | Abernathy's Cycle $4544 plus fees for a new Sportsman 570, so probably figure about an extra $800 for the out the door price or about $1000 less than the Arctic Cat. I live about a 3 hour drive from this dealer and the drive would definitely be worth it. About $1500 less than the dealers around here. I have an Arctic Cat/Kawasaki dealer about 5 miles away though.

 

Read the bottom of the add where it says prices exclude taxes and a few other things as well as prices subject to change. the dealer probably only had one in stock and more than likely just a gimic to get you in the door.. if it's to good to be True then it probably is. Also my cat will do circles around that Polaris all day. To little ground clearance gets stuck on everything.

 

Yes I know there are fees included but its still cheaper than a core 500. This dealer claims to be the largest Polaris dealer in the country, also sells Honda and Yamaha. I don't know what you're driving over but the Polaris has plenty of ground clearance. But yeah, it could possibly be only for that model but they have big discounts on every model. Want one with EPS, its $5300. The point is, this dealer most likely has the lowest prices of any dealer anywhere. But if you don't live near Union City, TN, then it doesn't really matter. As far as your cat doing circles around it, I kinda doubt that. Though this is an Arctic Cat thread, so your opinion is obviously biased and thats ok, you like what you like. Polaris isn't my first choice either, I'd rather have a Grizzly 550 if I wanted a 500cc class machine. I was simply showing that although that is a pretty good price for a core 500, depending on where they lived, they could get a better deal on a similar machine.

 

Go look at the ground clearence on their core models I think below 600. They are at least 5" lower than a cat model. 600 and up have good clearence. Just using 600 as a rough number since I don't know the Polaris sizes. If I was riding one of those I would not be able to go half the places I do now. Going around usually is not a option where I ride.

 

Arctic Cat has 11" ground clearance and the Sportsman 570 has 11" of ground clearance. I have no idea how or where you thought the Cat had 5" more ground clearance. No clue what you were comparing them too or how you would not know any of the Polaris models either. Nobody else uses the term "core" other than Arctic Cat. Even if you never plan to buy anything other than Arctic Cat, wouldn't you want to know what the competition has to offer?

 

We did research before we bought and part of the equation was that the AC dealer was 5 miles from the house. At the time the next closest dealer was a Kawasaki dealer at 20, then a Honda/Suzuki dealer at about 35 miles and then a Can-Am/Yamaha dealer at about 45 miles. In the end, for the type of riding we're doing, the others just didn't have a big enough advantage or didn't have the bikes to fit my needs.
Kind of trying to stay away from Polaris as I know several people who have had issues with their atv's. Not saying they are bad, just didn't want to chance it. They're out there everywhere so they must be doing something right.
Being close to the dealership is just more convenient. My son in law did stumble onto the deal of the day and found a Brute Force 750 with 300 miles on it from some kid at work who needed money and let it go for $3K.
I'm not dead set on the Arctic Cat brand, but as I've stated the two machines we have from them have never let us down. I needed a two up, so my wife would be comfortable and a youth model for my grandson.