I'm familiar with dirtbikes but not 4x4's or sport ATV's. So i'm going to need a little help here.

I'm looking for a nice reliable 4x4 ATV that I can ride with my girlfriend on the weekends. We would mainly trail ride and go through some mud pits. So it would need to be big enough to hold 2 people. I'm 195lbs and she is 130lbs.

I was hoping I could get a used one for $3000 +/-
I have heard that the Yamaha Grizzly's and the Kawasaki BruteForce's are good ones to look at. Not sure if they are out of my price range or not?

What 4x4 would best suit my needs? Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm a newb in the 4wheeler world.

 

One thing you want to check is if the trails you'll be riding require you to have a 2 person machine for riding together. If that's the case you are limited to Arctic Cat, Can-Am, and Polaris. Polaris ATVs with the 500 are pretty bullet proof. Look for a used Polaris Sportsman Touring or Polaris Sportsman X2. Can-Am makes the Outlander Max. You can get a Max in 400, 500, or 800 used. But your price may put any of these machines out of reach. They only came out with 2-up machines around 2005-2006. Not familiar with Arctic Cats.

 

I know it sounds like $ is an issue. I can tell you that you both will have a much better time if both of you have your own machine. The available used market will be much larger than looking for a 2-up machine so the costs will be more affordable. Any 2-up machine will be a compromise. I do NOT recommend EVER riding 2-up on a machine that is not designed for it.

The question is will the ATV outlast the girlfriend? Keep that in mind when spending $ on her behalf....

 

I have a rear "seat" from Cabellas on my 97 Honda Fourtrax 300FW. Since your girlfriend is on the smaller side it might work for you. None of the "seat" manufacturers recommend the "seat" for passengers due to legal constraints. With my 60 pound son on the back I can't even tell he is there.

The Honda is a great starter machine. It is extremely reliable and goes through anything I've thrown at it. It is small enough to go through tight trails in the woods and it has climbed very steep hills. With a passenger though I'd keep to the tamer stuff.

 

It doesn't have to be a 2-up machine. She is small enough to fit on the back just fine. We have plenty of private land to ride on in my area so i'm not worried about the trail laws too much.

Money isnt a huge issue. The only problem is that I have a project car that is taking up A LOT of my money right now. I'd really like to get the car back on the road before dumping a lot of money into dirt toys.

Eventually the plan is to let her ride the 4wheeler while I ride my dirtbike. I plan on getting myself back into a KTM 300XC with a plate kit. For now we just want a dirt toy that we can both enjoy together. The ATV may outlast the girlfriend but its not like she would be taking it with her when she goes.

I appreciate the input guys! I may just wait until next spring so that I can save up some more money to get the ATV that best suites my needs.

 

If I increased my budget to $5000 what would be the best used machine in that price range? I hear lots of good things about the Yamaha Grizzly and Kawasaki Brute Force!

 

Grizzly is a great all around machine. I would only buy the 2012 or higher Brute Force personally.

 

Are there any specific years of the Grizzly I should avoid? I found a few Grizzly 660's for $3000 - $4000 from 2004 - 2006

 

I'd go for the 2007???? I think that's the year they introduced the power steering. 700cc. They have power steering in the 550 and 450 now I think.