I am planning on going to look at a 2001 Honda Rubicon with about 900 miles on it tomorrow. The guy is asking $4100 which seems reasonable. It has a winch and ITP tires/wheels. Is there anything in particular I should look at on this machine? I know I need to check drive axel boots. Anything else?

Thanks

 

Let me ask this question a different way. Is there anybody out the who owns a Honda Rubicon that has had any unusual issues? What should I look out for? Please respond with the issue and the year of the Rubicon.

 

They're basicly great machines.

Have an 01' Rubicon that unfortunatley is now suffering some transmission/electrical related problems.

You can see my link below ..... it appears to be a fairly common problem yet with differing types of repair solutions.

http://forums.atvconnection.co...tid/8/threadid/533052


$4,100.00 also seems to be a bit high to me .... I'm thinking mid-3's would be about correct but let the more experienced ones here chime in.

Good luck!

 

Where is a good spot to determine what ATV's are worth? I have looked at NADA online but you do not get to enter options or miles.

 

Both the www.kbb.com website & the NADA is online ......
Not bad for ball-park references ....

http://www.nadaguides.com/defa...=MC&m=0119&y=2001&ml=H

You'll have to add extra for options & certainly more for one in top shape.

 

First of all thanks for your help and input.

NADA lists average retail at about $3000. This machine has a 2500lb winch and ITP tires and wheels. Would $3700 seem like a fair price or do you think that is still to high. I know if all depends on how clean the machine is. I have learned through this forum to check the pull start cord if it has one. Apparently these can take on water and cause some damage. This is easy to check. Is there any easy way to check the tranny?

 

I've personally found the Honda's retain excellent value ... so my guess is that the published prices by NADA & KBB may be a bit on the low side.
They do make exceptions for higher demand market vehicles as with cars & I would think Rubicon's would fall into that category.

KBB publishes an 01' retail value of $3,400.00 but this is buying from a dealer who would normally be obligated to give some kind of warranty. Buying from a private party, one would expect to save a few extra bucks for taking on the added challenges.

I'd bring along someone who is at least mechanically inclined when viewing ..... Basic mechanics pretty much follows the same guidelines.
Look for obvious signs of abuse, damage, oil in the coolant, coolant in the oil, leaks, frame & plastic cracks & or twists, odd noises, smoke, odd tire wear etc..
The Rubicon has no recoil starter .... Take her out for a spin to be sure she shifts smoothly through all the gears ... In D1, D2 & ESP positions.

Happy shopping .......

 

I have an 01 Rubicon. I got it in '03 with 1500 mi on it. I now have over 5000 mi. I hunt and trail ride but mostly plow snow in the winter here in MT. The only thing I,ve done is replace the battery and had the carb rebuilt (carb was fault of a mouse nest in the air breather). It might die tommorow (gotta plow snow again) but it has proven very reliable. I don't like the low gound clearence and the full time 4wd (fatigues you on trails where you don't need it) no complaints otherwise. Its not the fastest 500 out there but fast enough for me and its always gotten the job done and carried my butt and the dead critters back home. My perfect machine would be a Rubicon 700 EFI with IRS and more ground clearence.

 

That brings up another subject I was very curious on ... How well does your Rubicon plow?
I had various plow trucks in the past but was contemplating adding one to my Rubicon since it would take up a lot less space.

I'm assuming one would have to add weights & chains? .... Located here in the Northeast & we get our share of the heavy-wet stuff.

 

Rubicons plow well. You do not need chains. They shift from F to R easier than the Foreman.

I think that price is on the high side. I sold an 04 with a plow, winch, radials, and heated grips for that.

My biggest gripe with the machine was the ride. My advice is to buy a newer one (05 and up). Some of the 01s had oil pump failures. Eventually you are going to have to deal with the drum brakes. Even though it is not a necessity, being able to shift to 2wd is nice. I know it's subjective, but I like the newer body style too. Pull start cord thing is if someone used it in deep mud or dirty water. I never had a problem.

If they ever straighten out the ride I'll buy another one. The transmission is sweet, the build quality is excellent. Funny, you never realize or appreciate the thought that goes into some of their features, right down to the plastic rivets that hold the body work on. I just bought a 10 pack of those things to replace the ones on my Suzuki.