I am new to ATV's and need some help. I am looking to purchase an ATV for riding on my rural 'Hard Pack' roads ans some off roading. I live very close to the Wayahutta ATV train system in Western North Carolina and would like to explore that also. I am a retired guy - take that into account.

I saw a 2008 Honda Rancher used on Craigs List for $4000. I am a little scared of purchasing a used machine. Is The Rancher what I need? What do you look for when looking at a used machine.

If I were to buy -New- what features should I look for?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

What Rancher model was it? 420? what options does it have? you can look up the value on Kelly Blue Book, or NADA, and get a good idea what its worth. Unless the owner is a total idiot and abused it badly, the Honda is pretty bulletproof, and would last you for many years of trail riding. If you need a comfy ride, Polaris has about the best riding suspension,very plush. The newer quads starting in 2007 with Yamaha Grizzly 700 now have EPS (electric power steering) as an option, very nice for long rides, take a lot of the work out of maintaining control, and soaks up trail bumps nicely. For the last couple of years, almost all offer power steering now, so that opens up your choices too. Best thing is to go to some local dealers and sit on or test ride as many as you can, see what 'fits" you and what has features you like.

 

Buy a new Suzuki KingQuad 500. Shop and you can find one new for $5500. With 0% finance from Suzuki, you will find no better bang for the buck. great machine.

 

Also, let us know your general build, experience on quads, and where and what kinds of conditions you'll be riding in. There are lots of different quads that can do a lot of different things. Most work oriented is the Polaris Sportsman X2. Great all around machines are the Grizzly, King Quad, and Polaris Sportsman. Don't know much about Arctic Cats. Can-Am makes the fastest per cc utility machines. Kawasaki makes the Brute Force in 650 and 750. There are tons of 2wd machines if you're not going to be in mud or snow or nasty rock climbs.

 

I would recommend riding a few different models for the type of atv you want. I don't think there really is a good or bad one; it comes down to maintenance and taking care of things. I also wouldn't shy away from buying used.

Good luck in your purchase!

 

Yes it is a 420 ES and the only option is an after market winch.
I do like the idea of the power steering, so it might rule this Honda out.

 

[QUOTE=MooseHenden;3121966]Also, let us know your general build, experience on quads, and where and what kinds of conditions you'll be riding in./QUOTE]

As for my general build, I am about 6'1" and weigh in at about 215 lbs. I am retired but in pretty good shape (knock on wood). I am looking for an ATV to use on the hard packed roads in the rural area I am in. Also it is very mountainous. I would like to do some woods riding, as I had posted, there is a large ATV trail area within a couple of miles of my home. In the future I might want to hook a snow plow up to it and also a trailer to haul materials around the lot.

 

For what you're describing I'd get a 4wd. Yamaha has the 550 and 700 Grizzly which both offer power steering. Polaris has the Sportsman XP 550 and 850 available with power steering. Suzuki has several King Quads with power steering and Can-Am has the Outlander available from 500-1000 with power steering. Polaris is a very nice ride with comfortable ergonomics for a good sized guy and has the best on board storage options for gear. Grizzly and King Quads are great all around machines. King Quad can often be the best for the buck deal-wise. Outlanders are most powerful for their cc classes and are also great all around machines. Kawasaki doesn't have a 500-550 class machine and the 650 and 750 are pretty torquey. Basically, any 500 or above machine will do what you're asking. If you're anticipating lots of hills with snow or mud and rocky climbs I'd recommend something from 650 on up. A 500 can be a little overtaxed in the snow speed-wise, if you like to open it up. Other than high elevations which can tax an engine and snow riding where you lose a lot of speed to the snow, a 500 will do everything you're asking for. Another thought on the Can-Ams is that they get really good gas mileage. My son's Renegade 500 got about 32 in the same conditions where I was getting 24 or so mpgs.

As others have said, if you can, take a ride on each machine and see which one suits your needs the best.

I haven't mentioned Hondas. Hondas tend to be most reliable but come up short on features that other manufacturers have added. Honda also does not have a way of getting full 4wd. They have a limited slip front end. This will only be an issue in really deep mud, off-camber rocky climbs, and snow. I've been in a few mudholes where full 4wd barely pulled me through. It's a small difference, but can be major if it's cold out, you have to go through the hole, and you don't want to get wet.

 

this guy would do well with a polaris xp 550 with eps or a 500 sportsman.
they are good heavy stable atv's that have a user friendly AWD system and a plush seat- better than any of the japanese 4x4 atv's.
I think a can-am would be a little too sporty & quick, the BF has that silly diff loc lever and is also very quick on the low end. The king quad is ok, but the seat is a little on the stiff side.

the polaris has the softest seat of them all, easy gas & go controls, disk brakes all around, easy AWD- (not having to mess around with locking in a front diff) lots of front & rear rack space, nice wide footwells... I think it's great for a retired guy just looking to explore the trails and not feel all cramped up.

and I agree with JM above- used atv's can be fine as long as the person took care of it.

 

And you can get a mint condition used one for $3500 and spend the $2000 you saved for a trip to las Vegas.


I always buy used,and saved thousands and never bought a bad one yet. I,m on my 5th used one (2007 350 Grizzly 4x4) and all the used ones I bought I sold to friends who are still riding them. Oldest one being a Yamaha 1987 250 2wd Moto 4!

Remember everyone on this forum is riding a used ATV,there consided use as soon as you leave the show room,and the warranties here are only 6 months long so there of no use anyways.

I know a Girl who won a brand new 660 Grizzly as a door prize and had to sell it for $1500 (Canadian) less then what it was worth even though it never was even rode once.

The money I save buying used , I could blow up the motor and buy a new created motor or totally rebuilt from top to bottom and have it installed and still come out ahead if worst came to worst.
Lots of mint shape used ATVs out there now selling for half the price the poor guy had paid for it originally.