All good points made. If mostly used for utility purposes the Polaris Sporstman X2 has a dumpbed with a second seat stowed away for the occasional passenger. It also is the only quad with a 400 lb. rear spring rating for the dumpbed. Can't get power steering on it though. Polaris Sportsman has the most comfortable ride but others with IRS are not bad either and also the best on board storage options. Yamaha makes a great all around machine. Suzuki, as said, has good bang for the buck. Kawasaki, oddly, doesn't make a 500 class machine. I don't know a ton about Arctic Cats. If you can, take each for a ride and see which machines you like the best. I, also, would not go below a 500 class machine. I'm 6'3" and 100lbs. too heavy at 350. I got the original version of the Polaris Sportsman X2 when it had a 6 gallon fuel capacity in addition to a ton of storage underneath the front rack for gear. Great fit for me but doesn't work for everyone. Give as many of them as you can a try.

 

i agree with the above, test drive all of them and that will tell you alot. good luck!