im going to look at this 02 400ex tody, the guy wants 2900 for it. he said it runs fine. do you guys think it is worth it. my other question is i havent rode in a long time so im still trying to catch up with everything new in the sport so do you guys know any websites that sell prformance parts for this 4wheeler. thanks

 

It is worth it if:

1) The plastic is all intact and not scratched up to hell and back
2) The front a-arm bushings and balljoints are tight. Most likely, it will be the upper bushings that are loose. Check by jacking the front-end up and wiggling the wheel back and forth. You are checking for play.
3) The upper shock bearings are tight. Check as you did above. Also check for wheel bearing tightness.
4) You can loosen the swingarm bolt and begin to tap it out. You want to make sure it isn't seized.
5) The rear axle bearings are tight
6) The brake pads aren't worn completely away
7) The brake rotors are straight and fairly smooth (not all gouged out from wearing previous pads down to the metal

I will come back and post some more. For the 1999-2004 400ex, the year really doesn't matter as much as the wear and tear. There are plenty of 2000s out there that are in better condition than many of the 2003s. The main thing is you don't want to spend $3,000 for a quad and then start having to do work on it to get it in shape. There is nothing wrong with it if the bearings are loose or the a-arm bushings are shot but you should deduct the parts from the asking price.

The newer 400exs are worth a bit more since they have reverse.

/Jon