I am looking at a 2004 Polaris Sportsman 400 bought in 2008 by a couple, now in their mid to late 70's so I know it has not been abused at least in the last 11 years. It has 850 miles and 250 hours. It has not been used for 2 years and it definitely has some issues. Rear wheels move in and out 1/8" +or-. According to owner winch does not work and starter does not work. She said it turned over once when she installed a new battery last year and she then tried to pull start it unsuccessfully. Both cables were on the battery as far as I could tell but there was a loose cable hanging behind the battery which may be the problem though I don't know why it would turn over once. I assume that the gas tank will need to be drained and carb cleaned. The gas valve was shut off which might be good news. It turns over with the pull cord easily. I did not try to start it so it is possible that she did not have the gas on when she tried to pull start it. She has no idea what to ask for it so I have to come up with a number to offer. Any advice or other input will be greatly appreciated. Larry

 

Many unkowns here, cant afford a " probably ok" so just based on what I would do...500 tops and be prepared to do some work. Sitting unused for long periods of time can be just as hard on a machine as riding them hard. Just my two cents.......

 

Thanks. That is about what I was thinking. It could be a simple fix and a great deal or it could be a money pit.

 

In working order its worth maybe $1500. A lot of unknowns here. $500 sounds reasonable. Obviously they didn't ride it much. Which is actually not a good thing. I see people buying an atv to ride it maybe a few times a year to go hunting. And then they just let it sit the rest of the time. I don't see the point. If I make that much of an investment in a machine, I like to get my money's worth. I guess some people only see them as a tool and not for fun. Why not both? And even if its winter and I'm not riding, I'll still go out and start it about every couple weeks and let it run for a few minutes so the gas doesn't get stale and battery go dead.

 

Got it for a bit less than recommended. Drained old gas and charged battery. Starter just clicked so i crossed the solenoid terminals to eliminate bad batter and starter. then pulled headlight cover and all the wires from the ignition are stripped bare some of the copper was chewed through as well. Question is, can you buy just that part of the harness or should I start splicing in short pieces? Also, Should I post this another place? Larry

 

Did you ever get this machine up and running?

 

Sorry for the long delay. I got it for $400 and brought it home. Drained the gas and repaired some mouse chewed wires in the headlight housing and could not get it to turn over so I took it to a local small engine guy who has a good reputation. He repaired more wires as well as cleaning out the clutch housing which was full of mouse nest. Also replaced solenoid and rear wheel bearings and rebuilt the carb. That was about $600. I then drained and changed all the fluids which were low and probably had not even been checked much less changed in 11 years. It starts easily and once warm, idles evenly. Occasionally when I put it in high, it will clunk a bit before it fully engages at which point it accelerates smoothly. It's not perfect but for $1100, I probably would not find anything that was. BTW, it has a Warn winch, which is nice. I welcome any comments about the clunking when going into high gear. Larry