hi i have been lookin for quite a wile.........for a good 4 wheeler that is foreman or rancher style.......i found one that is 2006 foreman 500 4x4 , the thing is it has 853 miles on it and 400 hours on it and was told one owner with a farmer fixin his fences , i am wonderin if it would have motor problems or if i shouldnt worry bout how much it was idled........ they are asking 4300 for it and not sure it is worth that much with the mileage and hours on it..........i need some help i dont want to buy a lemon......

also wonderin how what the difference in power steering 4x4 and if its very noticable.........with lower speed driving........i would mostly be on gravel roads not going thru steep hilss or much trail riding with bunch of mud.....i have kids in toe.......lol thanks look for3ward to reading responses........

 

A buddy bought a Rubicon with about that milage/hours ratio. It was used in an orchard, so it probably spent a lot of time at 1 or 2 mph spraying weeds and stuff like that.

If it has been serviced and treated decently it will have a ton of life left in it. You can trash any quad in less than 50 hours, but if its taken care of Foremans have been known to rack up thousands of hours with only routine service and small things.

How much it might be worth would depend greatly on condition, whether it has service records, and any extras like winch, upgraded tires, and a rack bag or whatever...

KBB or other ads might give you an idea.

Anyway, welcome to the forum, and let us know if you buy it.

 

As long as the bike has been serviced and in good shape it should be a good buy. As far as the hours its a honda they last forever. I've got a buddy that has the power steering and it makes some diff in the tight trails but most turn so easy I personaly dont see a large enough diff to spend the extra money, its just one more thing to go wrong. he does have stock tires so maybe with larger ones it would be a life saver.

 

Oh yeah, I meant to reply to that part of the question, too...

For an able bodied person I don't know that power steering is a must have...

Next time, though, I think I'll get power steering.

On the trail, when you smack that rock hidden in the grass, the bar can really slam back hard. Just a damper would help.

On the farm you are unlikely to smack many rocks, but you might be steering with one hand while running a sprayer, holding a swing pipe on the rack, or whatever. We used to run down potato rows to service wheel line movers, and the width of the deep rows doesn't match the width of the tires and can pitch you around.

 

i didnt get my tax money yesterday like i expected but i did go try a 08 foreman 500 4x4 with power steering and loved it..........i think that is what i am going to get..........got a quote for one for 6000 and tried to go to get this dealer agree with 5500 but they wouldnt go for it.......oh well the first one that said 6 is local and other guy is 43 miles away so local will win..........all the other one said is he would do same price.......by the way have psoriasis arthritis which is sometimes in arms or legs but not alway there just when psoriasis is flaired up it is simular to rhematoris arthritis.........so that is y i need power steering and after driving one today i think it will be a good choice for me..........i will let you know when i get one!! i cant wait.............jabber

 

If smooth ride is a top priority with your health situation, you might want to consider machines with independent rear suspension, as opposed to the solid rear axle of the Foreman and Rubicon.

IRS will ride much better over rough stuff, but isn't quite as sporty and planted feeling.

The Rincon has an excellent ride and just glides over rough stuff compared to the Foreman, but isn't available in power steering.

Honda just came out with an IRS version of the 420 Rancher, with a 5 speed double clutch auto, and power steering is an option.

The Yamaha Griz is another machine on the market with IRS and power steering that you might want to at least look at, if not test ride.


Happy shopping, and let us know what you choose.

 

I agree with jeffin try some other quads before you commit to a 6000.00 investment,and if you want to talk the sales man down 500.00 bucks show up with cash ...it tends to make sales people more giving...if he still says no kindly walk away ,and see if you make it out the door