My name is Nate, and im 15, and fairly new to atving. I have ridden on my friends Polaris 250 before, and have decided to get one. I am thinking about buying a quad. As i work as a lifeguard at an indoor waterpark(key point-7.50/hr), i am not in the financial position to go out and spend 3000 on something that will be just a toy. My budget is give-or take $1000(Gotta save 4 a car too), I have looked in the local area (adirondack mountains, ny) and there is nothing out there that is in reasonable condition used, so I have been looking on ebay. There are several chinese brands that look promising at around 1000 for a 250 cc model. My question is, are these worth even looking at? Some have a year warranty, and reasonable shipping. Sounds like a good idea to me, but what do you think?
Also, not having ridden a completely manual atv before(ive also ridden a honda rancher), is a manual trans. atv the way to go for me? Thank you in advance.

 

i would not want a chinese atv for a dude your age. you need something you can beat the **** out of. these chinese bikes are for little kids or girls that wont ride hard or much or grown older folks that arent going to go out and ride it like it is stolen all night and day,like you are going to.if not now then soon.

1000 bucks will get you a 250X honda 4 wheeler. nice bike

or it can get you all sorts of kick @$$ 3 wheelers. 3 wheelers are the best bang for the buck.

will your folks let you get a 3 wheeler?

i love riding 3 wheelers i have had about a dozzen of them. when i was your age and i had about your same budget that was all i would get was 3 wheelers. get your self a 200X any year are great. if you get a 86 you realy got something. and the 250sx the sx might just be the best 3 wheeler ever made.

when you out grow those and make more money in a few years get a brand new 4 wheeler.whatever one you want. but starting on a 3 wheeler is cool. and if they grow on you. get a 250R or 350X but dont start on those bikes.NOT TOYS! they will all bite you but those last 2 seem like they want to.

 

Yea don't spend a $1000 on anything new......

I've seen 250ex or Blasters for sale around that price. I've also seen the rare Warrior from the late 80s going for around that. Even an old Polaris 250 like your buddy's might be had for around that....

Either way if you get something that is older but can at least be fixed up you will have an investment as well as a toy.

I've seen a lot of Blasters for $1000-$1500 and they are simple a heck to rebuild from the ground up, and fun as hell to ride.......

 

Yeah. I wouldnt buy one of those Chinese Kymcos or whatever theyre called. As far as the tranny goes, I think either works. My Polaris is auto, but I've ridden manuals too and didnt mind. Not too much of a learning curve. I know how you feel with the $7.50, I'm in the same boat. I'm not sure what Polaris Trailblazers and TrailBosses are going for now and how many there are in NY.

 

Nate

You got a lot of work ahead of you by the way it sounds. Thats not a bad thing because these things can be fun (yea even checking them out lol) but also a lot of trouble if you get into a lemon or just a bad situation.

I know there have been plenty of threads already on how to pick what you should buy, but since I was just involved with this again for a friend who was looking for smaller models for his kid a lot is fresh in my mind, and I will share what I think may help you out.

First and foremost is being sure you purchase a machine that fits you physically, and since it looks like you will be 16 soon any model made will be legal for you at that point so I I am going to talk about larger models than the 90cc ones the govt thinks your needing to be on at 15.

Check out the 200cc, 250cc, and even the 300 and 400cc or even the 450cc models (I know the 450 is most likely out of the price point you have, but what the heck it cant hurt to check them out lol) and see which ones feel right to you. Even just sitting still see which ones make more sense etc, and then start asking yourself the following questions.

What kind of rider are you (slow trail rides, fast ones, mud water etc, or even aspire to race etc) and what do you intend to do with the machine, or what kind of riding is more important or do you expect or enjoy most.

It makes a difference in what amount of overall enjoyment you will get if you are honest with yourself and dont buy too much or too little etc. and with a lower price to pay you are even more limited, and may end up with a fixer upper, or even a lowered valued new machine that actually can end up being more trouble in the long run.

Lets say for example you really like riding fast, and would most likely end up modding your ride to make it either better, safer, faster or even better handling down the road. Then it could make a lot more sense for you to search out a older model of a previous sport machine that has some mods, but may need some good ole tlc or even some mech work rather than to purchase a new chinese junko that you would only end up selling later on due to the lack of perf parts availability and potentially any parts at all.

There are plenty of older 400 300 and 250 ex's, quadracers, warriors, blasters, and plenty of others around that can be had around your price range.

The condition and cost of getting them into top condition will vary, and obviously the more you can spend up front the less you will down the road, but since you may not have all the money you would like now you may have to purchase what will end up being a work in progress which will allow you to ride as you get it the way you want.

Part of the being honest with yourself was towards how these various models will fit your needs. If you have a big emphasis on performance then you would most likely find the most for your money in the long run from a 400ex, but if basic trail riding is most important then you might do better to just find another like the 250x or a warrior that would be in better overall condition for similar money.

IF you take the time and answer your questions honestly I think you will find the right one eventually.

Lastly I would stay away from the chinese stuff because there is a reason they are the prices they are, and even though the major players do charge a premium for their reputation its worth it (especially comparing used to new chinese) and you dont have to continue to compare your new machine to every piece of junk you see in the dollar store!!!!!!

Hope that helps [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Welcome to the forums bro. I just happened to vacation near Schroon Lake last summer, and I brought my quad with me to hit some of the trails. That is a pretty sweet area of the country. The first thing I will say is that I don't think many of the off brands are going to stand up to all the ROCKS and mud you will encounter out there. I trashed an aftermarket skidplate in one day of trailriding, a tough part that you can't even buy for the cheaper models from what I have seen. I think about the best thing you can do is keep saving your money and be patient. I think about the best quad you could buy in your situation is going to be a slightly older Honda 300EX. They are tough and reliable, and can be had for under 2K. Another model to look at are the late 80's early 90's Suzuki QUadracers. I bought an '85 a few years ago, paid about $1500.00 out the door including a brand new helmet and a few other little things. Good luck and be patient, you are young, something will pop up eventually.

 

I would suggest you try to find a used Honda 250EX. The EX is based on the Recon utility quad (a Recon wouldn't be a bad choice either), and it can do anything the Recon can, but has a more sporty ride because it is 50 pounds lighter. It has an easy to ride autoclutch manual transmission (just like the Rancher you said you have ridden). These machines are lots of fun!