An auto is equally, if not more reliable than a manual in my opinion

 

Well, if you're willing to sacrifice IRS for a manual, the Suzuki Vinson 500 is perfect for you. You can find them at great prices, they go through almost anything, and it's got a 5-speed.

 

OK, after talking to a buch of people, they've convinced me automatic is the way to go.
I went to the Delaership that has the Outlanders, but they were closed by the time I got there. I did get to sit on the arctic cat and the brute force. I shook them around pretty good and the arctic cat has a softer more cushiony suspension with lots of rack room, builting full length skid plate, and high ground clearence. The Brute Force had a slightly stiffer suspension and more seat room for a second rider, but don't know al the details of this model.
The dealership was selling The 650 Brute Force for $6,600 before taxes and the Outlander 500 for $6,550 before taxes. The Arctic Cat dealership was selling the Arctic Cat 650 for $6,900 before taxes.
It's going to be between the Arctic Cat 650, the Brute Force 650 v-twin, or the Outlander 500 v-twin.
So wich would you choose and why?
The Outlander and the Arctic Cat have 3 year warranties, the Brute force and the Outlander have the engines. The diff lock on the Brute Force was kind of a pain to pull back because it was so close to the brake handle.
I've narrowed it down some but still need to finalize my decision, and suggestions and reasons will help with that.
I'm wanting to purchase withing the next two weeks.

 

It depends on what you will do with it most of the time. For trail riding, top speed, and sportyness try the Outty. For outdoor stuff, like hunting,fishing camping, and mudding or rock crawling, try the Arctic Cat. They are both great quads, and it would be a tough choice for me too, but in the end, i would get the Cat, because im an avid outdoorsman, and if you know anything about Arctic Cats speedrack system, youll know why

 

My dad's got a BF650, and all I can say is power galore!

 

I didn't even think about the grizzly 660

 

Mr. gohip2000,, May I suggest to visit www.powersportsnetwork.com and read the reviews. These are real reviews from real ATV owners and when I read these reviews I come to the conclusion that the most expensive ATV IS NOT the best. Arctic Cat is a good machine but they are more expensive, yes they have more features but these more features tend to break down more and require more maintenence and are expensive to repair. You also said you wanted a full automatic. The AC full automatic means its a belt drive, the Honda full automatic uses NO belts. The 2 gear drive models of the Arctic Cat still have an automatic clutch. there is no clutch lever to pull, you can freely shift gears as you run it. The dealer is going to do his best to talk you into a belt drive cause that dealer is going to wanta make money on you buying new belts and sheet metal pulleys in the future, plus he's looking for ur future repair business. If you want a full automatic thats reliable get a Honda, I see it all the time, guys with brand new ATV's have some serious problems only after a few days when new, they get a sick feeling after they paid $6 to $7K for a new ATV and after a few days they have to pay a $800 repair bill. Remember, the belt drive system isn't covered under any warranty. Its a normal wear item like tires. The dealer will lie and tell you it is, but when you do take it in for a problem he will bill you and tell you its either abuse or a maintience problem you failed to maintain.

 

What's the ground clearance on the honda though? Hondas tend to sit quite a bit lower than the others.

I notice, gohip2000, that nobody has mentioned the Polaris 500 sportsman to you. V2 isn't bashful about promoting Arctic Cat, so hey, I'll put on in for Polaris. I love mine and it's gone everywhere I wanted it to go (and a few places I didn't!!!). The ride is awesome. It's second only to AC in ground clearance. Has awesome power for a 500, and has heaps of storage.

 

Remember, the belt drive system isn't covered under any warranty. Its a normal wear item like tires. The dealer will lie and tell you it is, but when you do take it in for a problem he will bill you and tell you its either abuse or a maintience problem you failed to maintain.

>>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>>

Only the belt isnt covered in the warranty, which is a 40-80 dollar belt, that i have no wear on after over 1100 miles. There is nothing wrong with a belt drive, in fact they tend to produce more power. New belt drives are as good, if not better than gear drives in my opinion

 

OK, today I got to test drive a few quads. I went to the AC dealership and told them I wanted something in the 650 class, they let me drive the 400 Auto. After driving others, I think the cat isn't the best fit for me. I went to the Kawasaki/Suzuki/BRP dealer and the guy was trying so hard to sell me on an outlander, but I'm not willing to pay the premium price even if they are in a class of their own. I told them I was thinking of the Brute Force 650 or the King quad. They let me test a 650 v-twin prairy. After that I am now convinced I want at least a 650. even though it's a different model I am now hooked on that power. I didn't get to test the actual quads I was thinking of buying though. The dealer said they sell nothing but top quality quads (lol,I'm sure they sell good quads, but a dealer telling me that isn't going to make me believe it.)
So I thought I'ld go to the Yamaha dealership in the same town and they had lots of 06 Grizzlys for $5999. The lady how ever, told me there was no way she could let me test drive it cause the city of Lakeville won't let dealers test drive ATV's in their parking lots. BS, then how come the other two dealers let me. She did tell me that everyone seems to be happy with their grizzlys and they start in the cold reliably and the belt drive is the best belt drive.

So, the AC is most likely out for me cause it just doesn't fit me that well, The BF is still an option along with the king quad, and now the Grizzly is thrown in the mix. If I can find a place to let me test drive the actual models I want, that would be great. Time to start cheking out other dealers.
Can anyone tell me if the Grizzly gets up and goes like the 650 v-twin would? now the 700's aren't out of the question for me either after trying the 650, so going with a 700 in another model to match the power of the v-twin 650 is an option too. so more opinions please. Are the 07 grizzlys any different than the 06's?
Oh yeah, I'm not considering the polaris cause my brother has one in the 650 and I can just ride his, plus if I get something different he can try mine out too.