I am looking at two used machines: 2001 Arctic Cat 300 4x4 and 1999 Polaris Sportsman 335 4x4. The Polaris is in nearly perfect shape (has less than 400 miles). I have owned Honda's and Kawasaki's in the past, and have been satisfied with both. The problem here is that I have no experience with either of these brands. What are the pros and cons of each? This machine will just be used around the farm, including pushing a 46" snow blade. I will also use it out in the woods for cutting firewood and pulling a 1000 lb wagon (mostly flat terrain). Before you tell me that I am "overloading" my machine, just know that I have a 1987 Kawasaki Bayou 300 that has been rock solid its whole life doing these same things. The only reason I am considering a newer machine is because I want a 4x4. Other than that, the Kawasaki is performing just fine everyday. In fact, I've owned it so long, it has almost become sentimental to me...

I have a friend who has some other friends that live in the Candian forest regions, and they all swear by their Arctic Cats. The only problem is that this particular Cat has a 5 speed trans. with the heel-toe shifter. I ride a Harley a lot, and I never use the heel portion of the shifter. I've read a lot of posts on here, and it seems that the Arctic Cat owners are very pleased with their ATVs. The Polaris owners seem to be hot and cold, mostly due to reliability issues (that's just my perception based on what I've read). This Arctic Cat (asking $2500) has more miles and is not in as good of condition as the Polaris (asking $3000). The Polaris owner is a friend of mine that I've known for many years, and I trust him implicitly. I found the Arctic Cat in an ad, so I don't know that guy at all.

So the bottom line is this... the Cat is not as nice as the Polaris, but it is $500 cheaper. The Polaris is the same as new, but I am concerned about potential reliability issues.

What are the watch-out items for the Cat 300 4x4 and the Polaris Sportsman 335?

I plan to test ride both machines this weekend, so any advice would be appreciated. Sorry to be so windy, I just wanted to include as much detail as possible regarding my decision factors.