i had general questions, i am soon to be a first time buyer of an atv and need to more or less advise from some of you guys who have been where i am. i wondering about buying used vs new, and if used like how many years old is ok to go with, and also miles. and for anyone who has opinions about wat brand/s might be better. some people said get a polaris sportsman 700 rather than a kawasaki brutforce, ya know stuff like that. the help with really be apprecitated........ and if this isnt the place to ask this kind of question let me know, this is my first time on this website, thanks

 

Can you be specific about your riding conditions??? Trail quad/work quad/both??? Do you insist on an automatic transmission??? What cc range do you think you need to be in? Etc.....

I part company with most everybody in here, because I dislike automatics....either all the belt drives, or the Honda's. That limits me to just a few manual transmission machines, but I only need a medium size trail quad anyway, so that is just fine with me.

For me, I have a Honda Rancher 420 and it is happily more sport quad than ute! It is super stable, SRA, and the fuel injected engine rips right off the bottom. My next purchase (to replace my 10 year old Rancher 350 that has never had a single problem!), will be the new Rancher 420AT. It is IRS and has a totally unique gear-on-gear dual clutch transmission that can either be shifted manually or left to shift on its own.

 

I agree with recon ranger about going manual, you get far more control. I would say either a rancher or brute force. Try and get something with a shaft rather than a chain.

 

it all depends on what you want to do with the machine. will you need 4 wheel drive? need to tow stuff? or just a general trail riding machine? before you buy one sit on all different machines and find the ones that feel most comfortable to you. and since you are a new rider, please do not think that bigger is better. you are better off on a medium sized machine than a big bore atv with gobs of power. good luck

 

the quad im looking for is more trails and stuff like that. im only 20 and am looking to go out and have some fun riding on trails/mud. as far as auto or manual-i think id prefer auto only cuz thats all i have ever road on a quad. and as far as cc's go.... not too sure. i was just told by friends that 500+ would prob be best/more fun i guess. wat do you guys think about the miles and hrs on a quad when it comes to buyin used?

i had a few i was looking at-
one was a 07 polaris sportsman 700. 800 miles, and the place wants $5000
another was an 08 kawasaki brute force 650 w/ 800 miles and they want around $5000 for it

 

Those are both good prices for that kinda millage. You are dealing with two good quads. The way I would look at it is that the Kawi will be the sporty'r of the two and the Polaris the workhorse. I am personally not a fan of Kawi's 4x4 system (Lever actuated) and am a bigger fan of Polaris's belt drive system as well Both will serve you well as they both have about the same HP Polaris aprox 44 Kawi 46. The big diffrance will be in the weight of the two machines Polaris Aprox 750 lbs & Kawi is 600 lbs Something to think about is do you want EFI, IRS? Here is a comparo to help you decide you cant go wrong wit either IMO, but if you can buy new NOW is the time to buy as with anything you won't find a better deal than now on new! Good luck with your choice!
http://www.powersportsnetwork.com/en...e2=39312&go=Go

 

Well hey thanks too all so far. It is helping me on deciding. I guess I still have some things to think about. I just have to think about wat ill be using the quad for. As of right now mostly just trail stuff, or to start off but once I get more comfortable then ill get a lil more risky. Another question. do or can dealers go down on the prices of used/new quads like cars.

also wat would you recomond cc's size for a first time buyer (not rider)

 

Well hey thanks too all so far. It is helping me on deciding. I guess I still have some things to think about. I just have to think about wat ill be using the quad for. As of right now mostly just trail stuff, or to start off but once I get more comfortable then ill get a lil more risky. Another question. do or can dealers go down on the prices of used/new quads like cars.

also wat would you recomond cc's size for a first time buyer (not rider)

 

Yep, you can haggle/deal with ATV dealers just like car dealers. Works the same in principle.

And in terms of cc's, if you've rode before, then you can probably go with any. More is better haha. I'd take the Kawi 650 over the Polaris if you are still looking to buy used.

 

From your posts, I see that you've ridden atvs in the past but that this is the first one you buy yourself. I was just recently in the same situation. Bought the XP 850 but I was considering the King Quad 750, the Canam 800 and the XP 550. I decided that Polaris was the machine I wanted and the dealer easily convinced me that I would have no regrets with the 850. I know for myself that I would have brought home the 550 and regretted it shortly after. Trust me, the 850 will go slow if you feel like going slow. Most people that push the 400s and 500s have not driven the big bores. It feels great to have all that power at your disposal if you need it. Doesn't mean you are going to go 80 mph... but you could. My 2 cents.