I wouild stay away from anything with a chain on it. Thats 1800's technology.
Sport bikes are great on the trails - they mark the mud holes. I'm always towing them out...lol
No - I don't agree that Polaris are high maintenance or unreliable. I've had hmmmm... four. They have been rolled, sunk, swamped, run hard and banged into. The only problem was one belt that my idiot nephew smoked while stuck in a log pile. All the crash repairs I did myself and I'm not a mechanic. Actually I would put them in the durable category.
Right now I think Arctic Cat has about the best deal going - cheap Financing and $69 winch, 2 year warranty. They have great drive trains, high ground clearance, a reputation for being durable work horses. Maybe not the fastest quads but it will do 55 which is enough for most adults.
Choose wisely and good luck.

 

yea but ive read that the AC's are hard to steer and anyways i dont really like them.-i kno that they are reliable and stuff im not saying i dont like the AC brand i just dont care for how they look and stuff. but right now im thinkin bout the 05 Vinson 5004X4Manual or the 05 kodiak 4504X4 but how are auotmatics????????

 

I don't know anyone who dislikes the automatics. And the guys who have switched from manual to automatic tell me they love it. For trail riding, the manual guys are always stopping to down shift. I just go...

 

cool so now ill prolly get the 2005 Vinson 500 4X4 auto and either the 05 Z-400 or the 04 400ex.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Scrammy is a good choice but its gunna beat you up in the trail.,.. id go with the kodiak... you never need 660cc of power but you still get styling, diff lock and low gears like the grizzly. or just buy a recon like me.... haha jk