Ok, here's the situation. I'm not looking for a 400+cc race ready quad or an overweight/over-sized utility I'll never need. Simply put, I'm a bargain hunter and a minimalist of sorts who just doesn't see a point in spending thousands on a quad and paying for a quad with a 4 digit displacement and letting all that speed, power, torque and price go to waste. I have a YFM225S that suits every bit of casual trail riding I do wonderfully, but I want something satisfying that I could rip around turns in, jump a bit and just have some good old fashioned fun in...while still keeping up with the 4wd's and bigger quads on the trails without holding them back too much. So here's what I've been able to find that I would consider a possibility:

> Yamaha Warrior 350: Pretty much the maximum displacement I want.
> Yamaha Blaster 200: Possibly too sporty for me, but oh the fun.
> Kawasaki Mojave250: Hear nothing but good things about this quad.
> Honda 250/300ex: Yet another all around good quad.

That's all I've been able to find in the 200-350cc range. But as far as criteria goes, here's what I want out of the quad:

> Speed, agility and handling. No need for a pure race quad, but something I can rip on and have some fun with.
> Capability to get from point A-B while maintaining a low center of gravity, and still maintaining enough travel to clear common trail debris, ruts, branches...
> Low cost, anything more than a grand or two is just not within my range. I'm more than happy to ride an old quad that just needs some TLC and care.
> Common. I need something relatively common because I can't travel too far to pick up a rare or not so common bike. Not to mention have worthwhile aftermarket/OEM support I can call/order and get what I need without looking in scrapyards and calling collectors.

Just leave your opinions, and why and maybe you all can help me choose the best quad for my needs.

 

Of the 4 you listed I've only ridden the Blaster. With some modifications it's fun to ride, B]if[/B] you like a manual clutch, but it's built for people smaller than I am. It's a good girls quad. You should try to test ride everything you can and sit on anything you can't ride. You wouldn't want your knees in your face on a too small quad.

 

Simple reason why I'm not questioning these small quads is because I'm 23 and only 5'4''. I won't settle for anything other than a 5-6 speed manual either
I'll look around for some of these quads, but I've only found one local, a warrior that don't run (unknown reason as of now) But could very well purchase soon if she was the one. Not much selection in my local dealer either, only a couple trx/raptor 250's and a cluster of utilities, utv's and bikes. Not much in the sport quad department aside from 450's.

 

Go for a 400 EX. Plenty available in your price range. Better performance than the 4 on your list. Capable of everything you have stated you want the quad to do. On most days the 400 is the most common machine listed on Craigslist, etc.

 

I just found a 2003 z400 off craigslist for $2000. It seems very clean and taken care of. I also found a 2005 660 raptor and 2006 700 raptor for $2500 and they looked really nice.