Ok, I've been lurking here for a few months and I'm finally in a position to get a quad but I'm not sure which one. I'll be riding a mix of trails and maybe a bit at the dunes, but mostly just casual easy riding.

Help me choose between these 6 quads. If you were me, which would you buy?

2003 Banshee 409 Big Bore: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rvs/452852342.html


2003 KFX 400: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rvs/453202006.html


1999 Warrior 350: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rvs/454531405.html


2001 Honda EX400: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rvs/454959443.html


2003 Suzuki LTX400: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rvs/456280590.html


2003 Raptor 660: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/rvs/456897776.html

 

If it was me, I would be looking at the KFX400, the LTX400 (LTZ) or the Raptor 660. The banshee is not set up for trail riding, the Warrior is a good quad, but dated.The 400's would better suit me. The 400ex has had some mild engine work, I would want to know the person and how well they knew what they were doing with the mods.

 

No casual easy riding with the banshee, the honda seems a little over priced, I would go with the Suzuki, but then again I've never been a big Kawasaki fan. The others I wouldn't bother with.

 

I presume you are in Vegas...so you are a desert rider. The great desert quads are the great trail quads, with modifications like being widened, full skid plates, desert fuel tanks, etc. I look to the big desert endurance races (like Baja and Vegas to Reno) to know what machines will cut it...the 400EX won Baja many times, and the current king of the desert is the Honda 450R!

I couldn't get the links to work, so I couldn't look at these particular machines, but here is my general take on these models:

Skip the Warrior and Banshee! These are 20 year old designs and there is way better stuff out there now, so lets just let these two die a natural death...ok! (And, a built Banshee will give you noting but problems!)

Raptor 660 is narrow and tippy. It carries its weight up high in the frame and the axle is skinny. The first year (01?) had transmission problems. Fun torquey enging though. All my friends who bought 660's (a bunch of them) never kept them very long...that should tell you something!

The 03 Suzuki and 03 Kawi (a Suzuki clone) both had problems with the front top shock mounts that year! Look carefully for cracks on those, and if they weren't gusseted or they didn't get the Arens Bros brace, I would be very very wary.....

The EX is a solid machine, but will be underpowered in the dunes. I have an 01 that is still going strong! It is my old desert quad, but I retired it to woods trail duty in the local mountains (which are currently on fire!) these days.