<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Scootergptx

People do. There's 2 in my yard now. Also a CanAm, Kawasaki and an Aeon.

To me, buying because of a brand loyalty is buying with blinders. Sure, it's a good place to start with that brand. See what they have. But I'd also look at others too. Find the one that has most of the features you want. None of them will have all the features you want. You may wind up where you started, or you may even surprise yourself.

None of the top manufacturers are putting out trash. At the same time, they all will have a unit that sure seems like it. Someone will end up with that unit and the entire brand will be intolerable to them. Same as someone will get that one unit that just won't break down.

My 00 Trail Boss seems to be in the unbreakable department. Not a big seller, nothing stellar about it at all. It's the loaner ride, been rolled and wrecked. Yet it's the one that has given me the least problems. I guarantee that if I told you that's what you need to buy, they'll be 100 people saying I'm crazy. Heck, even I acknowledge the fact this thing should have bitten the dust a long time ago.

But when I was looking for a sport model, I went to my Polaris dealer and checked out what they had. Then went to other dealers. Utlimately the kfx (z400) was what fit with what I was looking for.</end quote></div>

I think buying based on brand can be a good thing, as long as you understand what the other factories offer. Sometimes the familiarity of a known manufacturing process is a nice thing. It always makes fixing things much easier that's for sure.....

Just like I prefer Ford pickups to GMC. I don't hate Chevy/GMC, I just prefer the Ford design and familiarity. But if I'm looking for a new truck, I won't not look at a Chevy if the deal is better.

Of course I agree being brand biased just for the sake of it is silly.....

I admit that when buying a new ATV there are three main places I look first, and that is Suzuki, Yamaha, and Honda. I've owned them all my life and they've always been pretty good to me. I generally like the quality, feel and finish of them best.

But that is more personal preference, it is not because I think Polaris, AC or Can-Am etc....are junk.

 

Does any one have input on kawasaki kfx 700 I thinking about getting one new? used? best year

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: muddynick

Why don't people choose a Polaris... cause they sound pretty good to me. Is it just a cost factor? I hear great things about the suspensions, and now with the power steering coming out... why not!?</end quote></div>

1 out of 5 people DO choose Polaris. The Sportsmans are the best selling line of ATVs in the whole world. The Sportsman 500 has been one of the single best selling models for <u>several</u> years. The price is the same as it was 12 years ago and and everything else is going up. Anyone who doesn't buy it must have a reason other than cost, like predjudice against anything without a Jap name. It has 1.5" more front suspension travel and 20% more power than it used to, for no more money, so... why not give 'em a try?

 

Everyone has their own preferences, so asking a general question such as 'which is the best Ute' etc is going to a huge mixed bag of responses, few of which will probably apply to you and your particular uses.

Go testride some! Try them out, sit on them, check them out, see which dealers give you the best service, which ones gives you the best prices, etc.

With that said, if you want a machine for varrying terrain but have no need for a utilitarian machine, then maybe look at a Renegade, Scrambler, or Wolverine.

 

I like full-size 4x4 utes with IRS so I stay with Sportsman 500s. Plenty of power and better mileage than the 800s. If I wasn't a full-size (actually jumbo-size [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]) guy I would look at the mid-size Sportsman 400 H.O. which is actually a 455. It wasn't that long ago when 400s and 500 were considered big and this has a big engine in a mid-size frame. It's a 455cc engine in the same exact frame as a 299cc Sportsman 300. Think about it a minute. Same frame, 52% bigger engine. Are you smiling yet? If I wasn't over 300 pounds and 6' I would get one. I'm just too darn tall for it.

You want the good, the bad, and the ugly? I've never seen a Polaris frame bend or break unless it was totalled out, like hitting a deer at 50 mph. I have seen some things break for no apparent reason, like rear A-arm bolts. I had a whole rear A-arm break on one of my 4 Sportsman 500s because of a bad grease zerk that never let any grease in for several years, then it broke after the 700 pound beast jumped several feet through the air with my my fat a$$ on it. The Fuji single cylinder engines are d*mned near bulletproof and I hear good things about the USA made Polaris twins too. NOTHING rides like a Polaris and they have the best 4x4 system available. They aren't for everyone but they're the best there is for me. Everytime I buy an ATV I look for the features I need and want and end up with a Polaris every time. I'm getting ready to buy my sixth one now because nothing else meets my needs as well.

If you want a sport ATV any 400 and up will likely perform well enough. I can't recommend any one of them. If you want a ute, look at Polaris first then look at the rest. One of them will work for you. if you want a sport-ute, good luck.