Hi, looking to purchase 2 older quads to get back into riding. One for me one for the wife. looking for 4x4 on both. my price range is around 2 to 2500 each. 2k or less would be better? The year ranges I have been looking at are about 2000 to 2006 ish. I am looking for reliability as my number one concern! and think I would rather have something carbureted and manual shift as I hear the older ES models are problematic. I'm ok with wrenching on one but want something that is that old reliable gets me home ( even wounded ) rig, we will be doing mostly trail riding some mud rocks but nothing extremely technical. We have been away from the ATV seen for about 20 years, I have been riding dirt bikes on and off for that time currently on a ktm 400. I have been looking at Hondas but most are ES models with problems in that price range also Yamaha grizzley etc. a friend of mine swears by Polaris sportsman but others say no? Like I said mainly interested in reliability and not fancy. Thanks!

 

Also not too concerned with power/speed

 

Most of the popu;ar mfgrs made good machines just a matter of how well they have been cared for! I would look for owners from the older generation, less chance of be abused. Also consider CVT automatic tranny's, they have been around for a long time and are bullit proof with just a simple belt change every now and then, much cheaper and easier than rebuilding a manual shift tranny. Stay away from the Honda electric shift, otherwise good machines. many people get carried away with big HP which is rarely used. I owned a Praire 300 for 16 yrs and it got me anywhere I wanted to go with no issues. For trail riding look for a 4wd machine, more popular and much better resale value and when you need it ...it is there! Good luck on your search and keep us posted

 

If you want a manual shift 4x4 your options are severely limited. CVTs typically run thousands on miles with no belt or clutch problems, and almost everyone makes them. If you break a belt on one it's most likely from something you did wrong, like burn the belt.

 

Thanks, anything to stay away from?

 

I would stay away from anything Chinese. If I had a choice between a brand new Chinese ATV and a used one of any of the major brands, I would buy a used one. A couple of people have said they had Chinese ATVs that weren't bad, but most people have had a lot of problems with them.

 

I had a 2003 Polaris Magnum 330. Every drive train part on that machine broke eventually. I got tired of fixing things when it started to look like the transmission was going out. But I probably seriously abused that machine by using the plow to spread gravel on my driveway. I had a winch hooked up to the plow and it was like having a little bulldozer. But the fact all the drive train parts quit eventually made me think I should have never done thaqt. My neighbor for the past 5 years also had a Magnum 330 that never had any problems. He didn't ride it all that much though and never through the kind of stuff I put mine through like deep mud and water up to the seat. It was a VERY comfortable machine though. And the AWD system worked like a charm. Watch out for full time AWD machines like older Hondas. They were extremely hard to steer in tight spaces.

I bought a 2000 Kaw Bayou 220 before I got into riding seriously. I bought it used and cheap. It had a manual transmission (automatic clutch) and a shaft drive system. it still works very well. I use it to haul garbage down the hill to get picked up and other work related stuff around my 5.5 acre place. I never had a problem with it until I let it sit too long. It's gone to a shop owned by my daughter's bf's father. I guess I'll gt it back some day. It's pretty beat up to be honest. I was off of it dumping dead grass from a cart I was pulling and I left it in gear because it was sitting in a hole and I never dreamed it would move. But the choke kicked in (it's old) and ti took off down the creek and rammed a tree. But I rode it for a year after that with a bent frame. Still ran great. It's been almost bullet proof and I used it a lot. My son always wanted to ride it instead of the Polaris when we went trail riding. He loved it. It was easier to steer. So not all manual shift ATV's have problems. That one has never had a hint of a drive train problem and it's seen plenty of abuse including pulling loads way bigger than I should have and running it through some pretty deep much. Obviously it wouldn't go where the Polaris would because it was 2wd but it went pretty well. I think they made some similar models that were 4wd at the time. But they too went to belt drive. The only problems I ever saw with belt drives were early on when they weren't made water tight and water and grit got inside the belt and belt clutch and that created a probblem. But AFAIK that was fixed long ago. My 2003 Polaris didn't have that problem.

I will say there were times I wish that 330 had more power. Climbing a steep bank and running out of torque can be a hairy ride on an ATV. But that was rare. I remember when a 250 ATV was considered a powerful machine.

 

In that price range, its hard to find a good used 4x4. An older Arctic Cat 4x4 would be a good one to look for. They were both auto or foot shift semi-auto. An older foot shift Honda Rancher or Foreman 4x4 would be good too. I have seen older Polaris Sportman 500's in that price range in decent shape too. Would probably be the best bang for your buck in the 2000-2500 price range. A fairly sporty older 4x4 you might be able to find for a reasonable price would be a Yamaha Wolverine 350 4x4. Lightest 4x4 atv ever built. Foot shift semi-auto. They were full-time 4x4(as are most older 4x4 atvs) but Warn made a very popular front axle disconnect kit that allowed you to convert them to selectible 4x4. Here's an example of a really nice 2004 model for $2200 locally, the ad is incorrect in calling it a 400, its a 350 actually 329cc https://stlouis.craigslist.org/snw/d...512776670.html.