My 14 year old daghter want's an automatic..Not to many choice's
in the 250 class...Thanks for any suggestion's....

 

let her test drive a ds90 with semi-manual tranny with autoclutch- if she can drive that thing good/safely, i would get her a suzuki z250 or a honda 250ex. These machines are both very reliable, can't go wrong with them, the ds250 is good too,
i'm not sure how reliable the trailblazer 250 is as it is a 2 stroke, but if she ever wants more power- the trailblazer can almost double it's horsepower (stock is low 20s? after 800$ it can be high 30s)

 

Have both, Blazer and DS for the wife. One thing the Blazer has going for it is it size. It is a full size machine, so she won't outgrow that. The power is available, so that can grow with her skills. It also has full floorboards. This is a plus if she's new to atv's. Lots of aftermarket, and ebay, parts for the Blazer. Drawback to it, is it a 2 stroke. It likes to be wound out.

The DS is what I'd call a mid size. Actually, for her age, it would probably be a better fit. Doesn't have quite the zip the Blazer has, but still not too bad. Virtually no aftermarket performance parts for these, so far. Would highly reccomend nerf bars if she's new to the sport. Unfortunately, only Can am offers them and they are not pretty. Nor is the 279 asking price.

I would take her to sit on both machines. Whichever one she feels the most comfortable on, get that one. Sadly, kids grow up and if she really enjoys riding, she's gonna be asking for a new one in 2 years. Both would be great for her to get the fundamentals down, and have her ready to move up to a bigger model in the future.

 

go with the trailblazer the polaris two strokes will last forever if u take care of them, its automatic and fun for all. and quick

 

How big is she? How much does she weigh? You are choosing between two very heavy machines. A JetMoto 150 automatic with reverse only weighs 314 lbs. It is perfect for my 80 lb ten year old. WE use a weight guideline of 5 to 1. That means a quad should not weigh more than 5 times the weight of the rider. 4 to one is a target. (e.g. 80lbs x 4 = 320 lbs.) You are right, there is not a lot to choose from. The 250s are heavier than the 400s, because they are using older, cheaper and heavier components.
JetMoto makes a 360 lb. 250cc but it is manual tranny. I have seen a lot of problems with the Phoenix and it is heavy too. One thing about the DS-250, it is very reliable.

 

I think as far as 250s go I think the 250 Artic cat is my favorite of all the 250s on the market. Its a automatic liquid cooled 4 stroke, with shaft drive. I would say it hs to be the lowest maintinace 250 out there. I have a 200 Rally for the kids now and if I had to do it over again I would be looking at the 250 cat real close. The rally is a nice little machine, but it does have a chain, and thats just one more thing I have to mess with. link to ac 250

 

The AC250, is a rebadged Kymco. You could save a few dollars if the stickers weren't important.

Kymco does make a good machine too.

 

that jetmoto 250 looks real nice, 8 inch travel on front, 9 inch travel in the back, and only 362lbs- im not sure about the reliability though, for 1700$$ cheaper than the suzuki z250, i think that suzuki and honda would be out of business if these things didnt break down

 

The quality of the Jetmoto brand has certainly increased as of late. I think Raceway has a lot do with them getting it together. In a few years (maybe less) I can see Jetmoto being a real threat to the big 4. But sadly, think the price will also go up. Still a good deal though.

EDIT: As far as the average rider goes. They won't be a threat to the 400/450 sports being produced now.

 

True, its made by kymco, but if I understand the kymco lineup. You have to go to the 300 to get the shaft drive like the 250 cat has. I am not familar with kymco pricing. So maybe the kymco 300 still cost less than the cat 250, that would be good to know.