Yes actually I did build new for the house I have decided to retire in. Now sense you went there what do you call home?

JUST FOR YOU....I did look at the pre-existing houses before we built and they were pieces of 50K - 200K crap, where the people were trying to sell off their roach and rat motel or bank foreclosed homes in the crime riddled parts of town. Myself and my family in our early times in the military spent way to many years living all over the United States in those parts of town forced to live in rat and cockroach infested houses ruled over by slum lords who only cared about the rent money, and Yes we have had enough of living next to crack houses protected by the cops and the small arsenal of weapons that I made sure were seen by the crack heads down the street and Yes I kept them loaded in my house to keep my family protected; however, that was also in the days when the parent taught their children weapon safety and damn right I taught my two daughters how to shoot when they were 8 years old and they grew up just fine. Now that I'm able to afford and more than willing to spent over 200K for a house I want one that's not falling apart and its built where I wanted it to be so we can live quietly and safely. We built on the top of a hill overlooking the city of Barstow, CA. The area is new and the least expensive house starts at 200K and that keeps out the section 8 (welfare) housing and crack heads along with the gang bangers who try to rule streets with fear along with thier brothels and crack houses, this is where everyone still looks out for each other and their property and strangers are watched when they come driving through our area, the strangers don't linger long before being questioned and then asked to leave, every house has an alarm system installed and most likely insured by some sort of hand gun like Mr. Ruger and Mr. Desert Eagle who both reside at my house, everyone who has built up here are all off road riders so that means we all have a common interest and no one cares when the quads and sand rails get cranked up in the early am on the weekends to get loaded on trailers or backed out of garages to go riding. We all laugh up here because all the cars are parked out side the garages and the garages are used to store the toys and even though we may get the wind off the desert, when the sand storms blow through we watch the City of Barstow as it eats hours of blowing sand from our back yards while we are drinking a cold one and are cooking steaks on the Barby. Second reason why we bought new is we built our house less than a block from one of Californias premier ORV areas (Stoddard & Slash X riding areas) where people travel from all over the state just to camp in the desert heat and ride stupidly in the sand for a weekend 5 miles from our front yard. They travel for hours on the I-15 where if we want to we leave our air conditioned house to push our quads out of the garage and hit the sand in less than 2 minutes and come back a few hours later to a hot shower and that same air conditioned house when we are done riding damn ain't life a bitch.

The wife and I figure it this way it's our money and we will spend it as we see fit..besides that my two daughters will have three quads (one of them a racing quad) an SUV and a truck along with the trailer that hauls the quads, and last but not least a custom stick built "Green" home sitting in a prime residental area in California that is all paid off should either one of us die to fight over when we are gone.


I mean no disrespect to anyone who buys used over new and I expect the same. I have worked for the last 35 years to get what I have now and I plan on enjoying it with my wife and my two adult daughters.

 

I totally get where Sand Hog is coming from.

Sounds like he has the means to buy new...also sounds like he's doing some pretty cool riding. Good for you Sand Hog! Want to be my mentor?

I'm not in the same boat, until Sand Hog takes me under his wing at least.

I think everyones situation and needs are different. For now, the used stuff I've bought is just to get our kids out riding on our lawn....just to introduce them to the experience of riding.

Right now I'm looking at a 2003 Kawasaki 2x4 250 Bayou. Again, it's just for knocking around the yard and riding with the kids. Seller will take $1500 for it. I still have to go and actually ride it. If it doesn't look like a "money pit" I'll probably buy it.

Money, time, wants, and needs....ahhhh, the never ending battle of priorities.

 

Would love to ride with you but The Mojave Desert is a bit of a drive from where your at. Your exactly right the wife and I have worked many years (the wife 25 years and myself 35 years) to get what we have now and I now have the means to spoil my wife and daughters and that is priceless. If you ever make it to Barstow California look me up and I would be happy to take you out to ride in the desert sands.

 

Sand Hog- My parents tell me spoiling their grandxhildren is the greatest of all! Not sure if you have that to validate. They do a good job with my daughter all right. They really are great, she is very close to both sets of grandfolk, even live within a few miles. Also, we built new. Mostly. We attached a new house to a 1730 cottage. Lived in 500 sq. feet under sloped cielings for many, many years saving everything we made to pull it off. My daughter learned to walk in a construction site with a basement that had no steps OR DOOR! Yep, we were careful, still are I guess.

I do buy plenty of used, mostly really. Never had a car loan. Hate debt, deal with the mortgage. Bought a 10K-ish commercial ZTR mower for 4K reconditioned. Love it, but had an engine rebuild after two years. No fault of anyones, some little shrews (mice) built a nest in the motor in the off season. All kind of mess came out when I started it, but the damage was done. If anyone has suggestions how to keep that from happening, I'm all ears (eyes?).

Sounds like all good stuff... Thanks for your service while we are here!

 

The hotter the machine you're looking at, the more chance it's been wailed on. That utility quad that has the mud tires and snorkel? Odds are good it's had a lot of mud fed into its rotating parts, and that's like sandpaper to wheel bearings and suspension bushings. The sport quad with all the mods? They probably didn't do the mods just for looks.

So I guess it depends on what you're buying and who you are buying from. If you're lucky, you find a nice ute owned by a middle aged person who took care of it but decided they didn't have the time to really use it.

Besides, with all the leftover 08 and 09 models out there at a decent discount, you can save a bundle and get something new, too.

 

How well do I know what your saying here. The first 12 years the wife and I were married I was still in the military at the time..We have so been there buying everything used, living on beans and rice so my children could eat well and have good clothes for school, my daughters never made friends because dad moved them every two years. My youngest daughter learned german at the same time she learned english while living in germany. the list could go on and on.

We all live through our own american dreams building our lives hoping to make the world better for our children than we had it.

Over the years I learned almost the hard way to always cherish your children while you have them because they eventually grow up and then its to late.

I wish you well my friend it sounds like your a very rich man with a family and parents to spoil your children. Parents was something I never had so I never had the joy of watching my parents spoil my daughters.

God Bless

 

Here's an article from Carbuyingtips.com that might help when buying a used atv. Regards, Jim

16 Tips for Buying (or Selling) a Used Quad
November 19, 2004 — OK, let's admit it up front. For most of us, money is tight.Real tight.
But you've got to have a quad, either another one of your own for the garage or one for the spouse or one for the kids.
Heck, you're feeling generous. Quads for everybody!
So what do you do?
Buying used is the way to go. Deals may be hard to find, but they're out there.
So here are 16 tips on what to look for when buying a used quad to be sure you are getting the best machine possible for your hard-earned cash. Or, if you look at it another way, here are tips for checking your machine and fixing what needs to be fixed so that you can get top dollar when you sell.
Also, we've included information on how to keep from getting ripped off in Internet scams, which are becoming more and more common.
When you go to look at a used quad, you may want to take this issue of ATVA News with you and follow the tips step by step. It could save you from some serious unwanted surprises after you get the machine home. If the owner has a good machine for sale, he or she won't mind.
Remember, though, you are buying a used machine. So don't expect it to be showroom quality.
Good luck.

1. Have a friend or the owner help you raise the ATV up and stand it on the rear grab bar. This will allow you to inspect the undercarriage for any serious dents or damage.
2. Look closely at the frame, especially the shock mounts, A-arm mounts and intersections of frame components for any signs of rust. This is normally a sign of a stress crack and would require welding and repainting.
3. On 4x4 ATVs, inspect the CV joint boots. They should be in excellent condition. Any crack or tears will allow water and dirt to enter and cause costly repairs.
4. Also on 4x4 ATVs, if possible remove the front and rear differential inspection plugs. If the gear lube looks like chocolate milk the oil is contaminated with water and there could be damage to the bearings.
5. Check the engine oil to see whether it looks contaminated.
6. Shine a flashlight into the gas tank and look for rust. Yes, a gas tank can rush, and rust can cause carb problems.
7. Raise the ATV and support the front of it with jack stands. Then try to move each front wheel in and out from top to bottom and side to side to check for worn wheel bearings and ball joints. Do the same for the rear.
8. With the ATV on the ground, move the handlebars back and forth. This will identify worn tie rod ends.
9. Remove the seat and take the air box lid off. This is often overlooked. An air box can collect water and damage an engine. A clean air box and filter is a good sign.
10. Check all head lights, tail lights, the engine shut off switch and key switch.
11. Check the hand, foot and parking brakes. Do they operate smoothly or stick? Check for damaged or cracked cables.
12. Check the exhaust. Has the spark arrestor been removed? Almost every state and national forest requires that you have one. You don't want to get to a forest and then find out you can't ride because you don't have a spark arrestor.
13. Check for worn out tires or tires full of plugs. It's not really a problem, but worn tires or plugs should be a negotiating point on price. And the tires should be replaced with new ones. If you have never taken a tire off a wheel, don't do it. They are extremely hard to remove. It's much easier to remove a car tire from a wheel than an ATV tire.
14. Look closely at the front or rear sprockets. Each point should be uniform. If they are worn more on one side or have a hooked appearance, a new chain and sprocket set is in order.
15. After you buy a used machine, it's a good idea to change all the fluids so that you know you have fresh oil, etc.
16. Ride the machine.

It's best to buy a used ATV from a dealer or locally. But they can be hard to find, so many people turn to the Internet. There are legitimate buyers and sellers on the Internet, but, unfortunately, there are also scammers trying to rip you off.
Here's a look at a couple of scams we've heard about at the ATVA that seem to be growing in popularity.
As always, the rule is simple: Buyer (or seller) beware. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Buying: One scam involves ATVs posted to classified and auction sites at too-good-to-be-true prices.
In this scam, the seller often claims to be living in Europe, while the quad is in the United States. The seller then asks for payment to be deposited with an on-line escrow company while the ATV is shipped.
Ideally, the escrow company would hold the funds until the buyer has received the machine and approved the transfer.
The problem is the on-line escrow company is part of the scam. Once money is deposited—often by Western Union or other wire service at the behest of the seller—the seller and the escrow company vanish, leaving the buyer with nothing.
Selling: You list your ATV for sale on the Internet. A buyer offers to pay you the full asking price, with a generous amount over that to cover the cost of shipping it to Europe, Africa or another overseas location. The buyer demands that the quad be shipped immediately, but in exchange, he agrees to pay the full amount up front with a cashier's check.
The problem is that the cashier's check turns out to be a forgery. And there’s probably no way for you to know that until the quad is already long gone.
Your local bank may tell you that it will put a hold of about five days on funds from a foreign check. But even if you wait until the end of that period before shipping the ATV, that doesn’t mean the check is good. In fact, it can take weeks for a foreign check to clear, and when it bounces, you lose.
The bottom line here is simple: Be careful when you’re selling your quad to anyone—and especially careful with an overseas purchase that sounds too good to be true.
For more information, see the detailed listing at: CarBuyingTips.com new car buying guide, avoiding dealer scams, new cars, used car buying

 

Good 16 tips.

I myself saved $3000 buying a used 500 H.O 4 years ago I may have put $300 tops in the ATV so far,so yes used can save you big time.

 

Very well said- Thats why i'm hoping to get a 95-99honda fourtrax 300 to ride around and push snow-to save money I'll probbaly be scrapin for a year to get one