So my girl and I went fourwheeler shopping saturday. we came across a held over 2007 honda 300ex. they are asking $4499 for this machine. i know in 2007 they were 4899 new and for 2008 they are $4999. should we try to get them to lower the price a little before we commit to buying? also they had a 2008 honda 250ex there for $3999. my gf has very limited experiece on driving a manual clutch ATV. i let her drive my 400ex at her parents camp. she got it going after a while, but it took her a few. she doesnt like the 250ex because i told her it wasnt as fast as the 300ex. which i know that on the trails they are probably damn close. we ride a lot of top end speed roads and she didnt like being dusted on my 01 trailblazer(dont blame her). i know that the honda 250ex will be a better machine than the trailblazer. i just dont know how she would do with having to use the clutch all the time. if she really wants the 300ex i will definately work with her to perfect the shifting. basically im wondering what people usually pay for a held over wheeler, and how close is the performance of the 300ex, and the 250ex? top speed, ease of use(i know how easy they are myself but for a beginner) acceleration. thanks for anyone who reads my rambling on and hopefully i can get some more light on this subject.

 

I have owned both. Wish I had kept my 300, now that my kids are older. The biggest difference is that the 300 has real sport quad suspension (although it is only adjustable for preload), and therefore a better ride. The 250 is based off the Recon utility, and the shaft drive rear end design limits the amount of travel available.

The 250 is nice for beginners to learn to shift on (it is like a Rekluse clutch so it won't stall out if you forget to pull the lever when you come to a stop), but the 300 is a way better machine in every way. The one place I would recommend the 250 is if you do a lot of rocky technical type riding/mud/water, where extra ground clearance and a shaft drive might be an advantage. The 250 will go anywhere any of the 2wd utilities will go, and better because it is a whopping 50 pounds lighter....