What you people think of a 2003 400 auto i live in northern minnesota lots of clearence is good what else can confince me to buy a AC. Please help me out here. my friend keeps bugging me to get a honda rancher but why should I? tell me everything from price range to the little things. thanks

 

i have a 2000 cat 500... nice machine... the 400 is nice also... i would go with the 400 cat... but probs to honda.

 

It all depends on personal preference. If you like paying top dollar for old outdated technology then buy the Honda. If you like to have the money applied to current technology then buy an AC. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] I know the Honda gives you a cool digital display but I will take my analog display on my AC and the ACT suspension anyday over a solid axle, drum brakes, and a digital display!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] If you can't tell I am not a Honda fan!!! but setting that aside...
First decide what you want in a machine!!! This will depend on the riding you are doing. Second, get the specs for each machine that you are interested in and compare them to your list of wants. Which ever machine has the closest match to your list is the machine for you to buy!!! Just remember everything has a good and bad point!!!
If you are new and want some things to consider
fuel capacity larger tank lets you travel further. Downside is the fact that you are carring extra weight
Longer travel shocks, smoother ride, but may cause more body roll/higher center of gravity (depending how they are valved)
automatic/manual. depends on your preference!!!
Oil cooled/liquid cooled- Liquid cooled keeps your engine temps more consistant therefore increases power and logevity, downside is that it has more parts that can fail and leave you stranded.
Solid swingarm/semi independent suspension/independent suspension- smoother ride and more stable in rough rocky in terrain. downside more body roll. solid swingarm gives you a rougher ride but has a greater resistance to body roll. I really don't care how many shocks you stick out back if it is a solid axle it will give you a rougher ride!!!!
Drum/disk brakes- Disk brakes easier to maintain, offer greater stopping power, handle varying conditions better, won't break if they get water on them and it freezes. downside is they tend to wear faster. Drum brakes--name one manufacture that is still using drum brakes besides Honda???? YEP you guessed it NO ONE!!!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

The biggest thing to remember is to take care of the machine and it will take care of you!!!!!

good luck!!

 

From what I've seen, the Honda has more power (at least compared to the 2002 cats, the 2003 cats have uprated engines), while the cat has more of just about everything else. Reliability and durability are about the same on both, which is to say excellent.

The cat is about the best rough terrain quad made today. I've taken my 500i through some very rocky stuff, and have scraped the skidpad only a couple of times, and have yet to get stuck. Not a lot of glitzy stuff on a cat, but guts where it counts: IRS, disc brakes all around, available manual transmission (if you prefer that, I do), 12" ground clearance, engine and tranny have very high snorkels for deep water, highest rack payload, the list goes on and on. There isn't much on the cat that doesn't contribute to getting through the roughest possible terrain.

Specs don't really tell the whole story - on a trail, my cat is a delight. Very smooth riding, doesn't rattle your kidneys loose, but still hangs a turn as well as the rest, if not better. Shrugs off rocks on the trail, doesn't hop around when you hit something unexpected. Climbs like, well, a cat. The long suspension travel keeps all four on the ground, even on (or especially on) hillclimbs. Mudhole types bemoan the absence of a differential locker, but I haven't needed one yet. The fit and finish shames the Japanese companies, those Minnesota boys can put a quad together. And it feels solid, a big torquey quad that just rolls over anything. I suppose the absence of electronics or a locker might deprive you of bragging rights, but I didn't buy this machine to brag, I bought it to get me seriously off road. That, it will do.

Don't know if that fits your needs, but it sure fit mine.

--John
02 500i

 

Since a 03 400 is a 02 375 I figure I'd jump in... You'll be able to buy anything and everything for a Rancher. Look in the catalogues or in the magazines and you'll see all the ads. People don't offer much for Cats. Why? Well their sales keep improving every year, but they come straight from the factory with more. Cats offer more suspension travel, more ground clearance, and a 4wd system that works better than most. Take a look at the difference in oil cooler size between the two machines. Notice how much larger the one on the Cat is. Never once have I ever had an overheat problem (most of my riding is done 2-up also). Check out the brakes, Cats offer discs while Honda’s are drums. The best thing for you to do is to test ride both and to take it from there.

 

Well, You already seem to like the Arctic Cat and are being asked by your freind to look at other options. Believe it or not, that is VERY good advise. Looking at competeing models is great way to see just how great Arctic Cats really are.

Since you are being advised to look at the Rancher I'll compare it to that.

For one, you are asking about the Automatic transmission equipted Arctic Cat 400. One obvious thing should be the fact that the Rancher has no automatic transmission avalible. The next thing you will notice is the difference in the Engines. The Arctic Cat has a 376cc Engine, vs the Rancher's 329cc Engine. And trust me, after rideing both, the Arctic Cat Clearly has a power advantage. Both have air cooling fins on the engines with oil coolers. Then (as another poster already stated) look at the sizes of the oil coolers. The Cat's cooler is roughly 3 times the size of the Rancher's.

Moving on to other parts, you will notice that the Cat is avalible in more than one suspension configuration. Now, with either one you choose you will still have more than the Rancher. Thats more Rack and Towing capacity, more Ground Clearance, more wheel travel, more power (as previously mentioned), more gas capacity, and even more. With either model (Regular or ACT) you get single lever disc brakes, not the outdated drum brakes of the Rancher's. You get larger tires, and 12" wheels front AND REAR, vs 24" tires and wheels with 11" rear wheels. Selectable 2wd/4wd is also standard on both Cats, where Full time 4wd is what you have to live with on the Rancher. Then you also get more protection with the Cat too since it has a full lenth skid plate on the bottom of the Regular model,and a skid plate that ends at the end of the frame on the ACT model (a skid plate that reaches from the end of the frame to the rear axle is an option that cost less than $35 dollars).

Now, for the Rancher's defense. It is a GREAT bike. I actually think the Rancher is my Favorite Honda ATV. It is a very sporty and fun to ride bike with lots of accessories out there for it. But it just gets overshadowed when compared to Arctic Cats.

Now about price, from what I've seen lately Honda is starting to lower there prices. So, you will probaly find a lower price on the Honda than the Arctic Cats. But if you look at how much less you get with the Hondas, then you will see that even with the lower prices they are still high for what you are actually getting from them.

Anyway, I wish you luck with your purchance and say that either way you go, you are still gonna be getting a very good bike.