Okay so consider me a retard when it comes to ATV's, cause I don't even know where to start comparing models. Here's the deal- my family owns an RV park on a river bar in northern california. We make nightly rounds on the bar and in the area around it and it takes FOREVER by foot. The ATV needs to be a 4x4, and the bar has some VERY soft terrain that my Jeep just can't even come close to. There is also rough terrain in the mud and silt and some good steep stuff as well.

So I drove up and down the area talking to dealers and they're all jerks and unhelpful. One was kinda cool and said that he is going to take delivery on some 2005 Foreman 400 4x4's and said that he's doing it for $3500 a pop. I Went to another honda dealership and the guy said that there is no such thing and pointed me to some Foreman's closer to $6000.

AAAAAnyways I have no idea what i'm looking at really. All I know is that $3500 is better than $6000, becasue I bought my '98 5.9L Grand Cherokee for $7000 and I would just rather put some paddles on it and cut the roof off instead of paying that much for a quad.

I would buy used but I can't seem to find much around here in the MIDDLE OF FRIGGIN NOWHERE. Not only that, but this is a company machine, and if there is a problem we can't waste company time fixing it. I would hope for some sort of warranty or something so that we don't need to worry. Again, $3500 sounds spot on and I am using this (so far as i can tell) fictional machine as a basis for comparison.

I also have only a few dealerships around- i've seen suzuki, yamaha, and honda... but not so sure about polaris. Any help is appreciated.

 

http://powersports.honda.com/atvs/utility/

The Foreman 400 is an old, solid work quad that has a reputation for being tough and reliable. Not all that powerfull, but it has low gears and can pull a load. It has limited suspension and a pure utiltiy ride (rough by today's standards). As I recall, it does NOT have Hondas new limited slip differential, so that may be a consideration in your purchase??? I notice that it is missing from the Honda website lineup, so IT HAS PROBABLY BEEN DISCONTINUED, and that may be why the good price??? (There may not be an 05, so the "other" dealer may be technically correct???)

Remember, that may be $3,500 for the bike, but they may try and tack on ~$400 for set up and ~$400 for transportation, not to mention tax, so ask about that before you decide! Still, you can check the prices of the other models, and see that $3,500 is a good deal, for any machine. The only thing close in price are the 2X4 Recon and 2X4 Rancher. (One note, the 433cc Foreman on Honda's web site is called the Foreman 450, and is NOT the same bike as the old Foreman 400.)

If you have an RV park, you can use a Foreman for all kind of work that you may have never thought of. You can haul around tools and materials, get an ATV trailer, etc............ And, if you are in the water/mud a lot, it is an advantage to have shaft drive and a sealed transmission (not rubber band drive). If you have specific questions about this machine (or any other Honda), post them in the Honda forum. There may be other owners in there that can give you advice.

 

Well I did more digging on the issue and what the guy is selling is called "mountain lion 400" 4x4 which is apparently built overseas with some honda parts. It still looks like a fair rig and for $3500 it could be worse. can't find much but this site has it- too bad i only speak a little spanish http://www.rof.net/yp/eurodirt/id178.htm

 

The Mountain Lion is just out, so nobody knows anything about it! I think you would be taking a big chance if you got one!

If you are on a budget, I can highly recommend the Honda Rancher 350 at $4,899. (That is the best price you are going to get on a 4X4!) It is a solid machine with a great track record. I would personally not get the ES however.

 

I just bought a brand-new '04 Rancher 4x4 ES in Chattanooga, TN for $3949 out the door. It's Southern Honda Powersports. You can see all their prices online.