Hi I need to know the pros and cons of two machines I am looking to buy this coming weekend. First I have only $60000.00 to spend so thats the reason I am looking at these. The first is the '02 Arctic Cat 375 auto 4x4. My friend bought one and I kinda like its act suspension. Way too much body roll but I think that can be corrected later. The second is a '00 Polaris Sportsman 500. Its lightly used with only 400 miles on the clock. I really like the extra power and IRS. Both are the same price at about $5k. The Cat comes with a free winch but with setup will and tax will be about $5800.00 out the door. Polaris will end up being about the same but no winch. Is one a better deal than the other? Should I go for the new smaller unit or the bigger used? I definately like the Auto tranny. This is mostly for hunting and trail riding (of course some mud,hills,rocks, etc....) Well whaddya think?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I would stay away from both brands, but that is just my opinion. You should look at maybe a Honda Rancher and the Yamaha Big Bear before settling on the Polaris or Artic Cat. It's not that those brands are bad. It's just that the other guys are so much better.

 

I personally thought the Cat was underpowered. Sportsmans seem to be a good machine.

 

I don't want to get into a brand-bashing war here, however...

If you want information on either brand - look at their forum pages. The Polaris site reads like a maintance manual, one thing after another broken and needing replaced. I know people love them though. They ride nice, and have plenty of power.

I can't say anything bad about Honda or Yamaha, since I don't have personal experience with either, but I can say that I did look them over before I bought my AC 400i. Honda was nice, but with so many electronic gizmos, I was more than a little nervous about them breaking. I really didn't like the ride of the Yamaha.

The AC 375 is nearly identical to what I purchased, mine in manual shift though. The 375 engine is really a few cc's bigger than the 400 too. Ride is great, ground clearance is awsome, and power is more than enough to do anything I want it to do. I plow snow with it, and do other yard work, and have never had any problems. I would not say the 375 is under powered, unless your comparing it to some big-bore machine.

It all depends on what you plan to do with it. Is top speed important to you? Than the AC probably isn't your best bet. If you want a tough, tank-like work machine, that also is fun to ride, than really consider the AC. That price for the 375 with the winch is pretty good. I'd look into installing the winch yourself. AC has made it a snap to put in, it only took me a little over an hour. In addition, the AC is American made, if that is important to you.

Every rider has their own preference. Ride them all. See what you like. You really can't go too wrong with most of the brands out there. They all have their strong and weak points.

Good luck!

 

You might take a look at the new Suzuki Eiger (same engine and tranny as
the AC Suzuki mekes all AC motors) Suzuki has a special deal going on the Eiger now. good luck / ride safe

 

My riding partner has the suzuki vinson. He picked it up for 6,000.00 out the door. I think this is an awesome machime. It has power, speed and appearance. Plus, suzuki is offering a great deal on them right now. I would not go with the under powered machine, nor would I go with a used one, because you never know how it's been maintained. Good luck.

 

Unless you want the quad right now, which everbody always does, hold out for something different. I was going to buy a 375AC, but money got a little tight, so I waited. I ended up with a 2000 600 Grizz for under $5000. Winch included. Don't get me wrong, I think the AC would have made me a great machine, but most people on this forum will tell you the 2000 & 2001 Grizz's are reliable quads. They don't have all the things that can go wrong like the newer quads. And now that I've ridden the Grizz, the 400 and 500cc quads just don't seem to have the same SNAP. I'm not telling you to buy a Grizz, but since the 660's came out, you can pick up an excellent 600 for between $4000 & $5200. Check out Ebay, is where I ended up finding mine. On the Polaris though, don't mention Polaris and reliable in the same statement. They are high maintenance.