Hi all. I have a chance for a 2004 artic cat 400 with winch and plow. It has 10 miles on it and has been garage kept the entire time. Guy got it as a present from daughter in 04 and had been sitting ever since. Whats a good price? Owner was thinking $4000. Im sure carb has to be cleaned out but what else should i be looking for? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!!
Oh, this guy is a client of mine and I've seen this thing sitting in his garage the entire time. He's moving and finally decided to sell it.

 

go through change all the fluids, drain and clean the carb, drain and clean the tank and all should be good... What a waist of a machine to just sit and rot..

 

Sounds like he didn't appreciate the gift very much. I would never let a machine sit like that. I can see getting a fishing pole as a gift and not going fishing but getting a new atv and not riding it, that just makes no sense to me. The funny thing is, you know what he paid for it. And with only 10 miles, he probably did zero maintenance on it so no money spent there either.

 

Sounds like a great find, those were nice machines but not premium priced, If you owe the guy a favor then your price might be OK but that does seem just a little high in my opinion just because you know the history. I am sure the battery will need replaced, need to see if it has corroded any terminals from just sitting and going dead. I would still want to fire it up and make sure everything runs properly, while it sounds like a great find you don't want any expensive surprises. Make sure it sat there from no interest, not because it had a problem!

 

Carb may be fine if they drained the carb bowl and shut of the gas. I don't think sitting for a long time effects motor oil and diff fluid. It has no coolant to worry about with the 376cc Suzuki motor in it. Same motor that's in the Eiger/KQ 400.
You may need a battery .

Good find but he's not giving it away. $4000 can buy a mint condition 2012 in that class with low miles like 800-1000. But a plow is not cheap so ,tuff call.

 

THAT is a great find, mileage wise. But notsomuch irt price.

 

Yeah, you also have to consider that you basically get a brand new winch and plow thrown in too. If those are things you were going to buy anyway, then you don't have to spend that money after you buy the quad. I think $3000 is a fair offer. Its less than what he wants but not so low that its an insult. Its still a 12 year old quad. This quad in average condition would bring about $2000-$2500 in my area. You can buy a brand new Polaris Sportsman 450HO for $5000+taxes and fees and it has more power than this quad.

 

I recently bought a 2002 AC 400 , they are a nice machine, not a slouch. Mine will hit 55 mph in 5th gear, doesn't seem to have a governor. $4,000 is still way to high imho, got mine for $1400 without a plow, but with a winch.

 

I wouldn't give $4000 for it. 12 years old and 10 miles? Was it ever started or moved? I'd dang sure give a thorough test as well. Think of what else you could get for 4 grand. Like 3 years ago I bought a used 2008 King Quad 450 for my mother. 673 miles on it for $3500 in pristine shape. Fuel injected, diff lock, the thing will just about keep up with my old 660, or more over, it will keep up with it to a certain speed.

I think not long after that, I found a used Grizzly 80 for $1300. Looked like it just came off the showroom other than a fender scratch where a mower had brushed it or something. One of those deals where a dude bought that and a 450, then got divorced right after and got rid of it all in a fire sale. Other guy bought the pair to get the 450, with intent to sell the 80, waited a while and the finally decided to move it.

Short story long, sorry -it was a pain to get that little thing running good, even now it has times that its hard to start. Sat for years with the same nasty gas in it, wasn't ever started or anything. Fuel lines, petcock, gas tank all gummed from this ethanol crap at the pump these days. I've put a carb kit in it and cleaned it all out, and even though it looks brand new, it still gives me fits and is a little bit of a smoker as well.

 

^^ This. You need to know the conditions, especially if it was stored properly. Almost brand new components sitting for that long may not in good condition if improperly stored. But it is indeed a rare and nice find, just make sure you will not getting a headache. Update us.