I think I'll go with the Wolverine. Anything to watch out for?

 

What about the Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4?

 

Personally, I would just get a good all-around quad like a Z400 for what you are going to do. If all your friends have sports I would not go the sport ute deal. I think that would be a big mistake; but that's just me.
If you really want to go this route then the Bomb 400 would be a good choice.

 

I almost bought a z400, but then I realized that I ride with my dad and his friends every weekend, and my friends maybe once every two months.

The Bomb. 400 doesn't have enough power, and the 500 costs too much for my budget. Would I be best off with a Vinson?

 

You have thought this out well. If most of your ride time is with 4x's then I would get a 4x. If most was with sports, then I would get a sport.

The only thing I can say about the Bomb is the 400 is competive with other brands of 500cc's. I have read this many, many times with people that own both.
I'm not pushing Bombs, there are many many good quads on the market. IMHO the Outtie fits close to what you are trying to do, although other brands will fit the bill also.
Good luck and have fun with your choice.

 

Definitely check out the Srambler 500, it's a lot more powerful than the Wolvy 450(421cc). I sat on one yesterday and it looked like it would be a fun little ATV 500cc is good motor for it's size, you can jump it and it's got 4wd so I say definitely check it out.

You can't jump a Vinson 500 or Outty 400 without the risk of cracking the frame...just to heavy...The Vinson 5 spd. manual would be fun though...but Srammy looks really fun to ride IMO.

 

How's it (Polaris Scrambler 500 4x4) do in the rough stuff (ex. rocks, mud, etc.)?

 

It seems to do really good, I don't know if it's chain driven or shaft driven(hopefully shaft) so you may want to ask about it on the Polaris forums...I do know there's a lot of happy Srambler owners on there.

 

Polaris has a Sportsman with a 500 cc engine. It's a strong 500. Suzuki's Vinson has a strong 500 cc motor too. Another option would be the Honda Foreman (including the Rubicon). They steer very nice and easy.
>>>>>>>>>

Can Am will have a 500 V-twin Rotax Outlander very soon. Will have the most power in it's class by far.

 

Yes that is true it'll have more power since it's a V-twin, but it's also priced near the 700 class so...such as a KQ and BF 650i