Polaris reliability? The usual statements from someone who has never owned one. In the first year I had my Honda Rubicon the shift sensor went bad and it blew a head gasket. In the first year my wife had her Polaris 400 ? 0 problems and 0 problems to this day.( over 2k miles and 3 yrs.). The only reason we hear of more problems with Polaris is because they sell 5 times the machines as every one else COMBINED. As far as the sxs,I bought a 570 Ranger mid size last fall and would never go back to a quad. The Ranger is twice the machine the P500 is for about 500 more bucks.

 

Honda has always charged a little extra for the name with a few exceptions. Until very recently, they have lived off of past glories while other mfg's ( like all the others ) give their fans what they want. Yes, Honda is tough. So is Yamaha. Go for the Yamaha, easy.

But...you really need a SxS for what you are looking to do. One with 3 passenger capability, which rules out the Pioneer 500. It might fit you and 2 small ones, but there are only 2 seat-belts, and all those 50" machines end up on their sides at times.

Probably the cheapest real 3 person SxS is a full-sized Polaris Ranger 570 which can probably be had under $10K new.
There will also be a ton of used Honda Pioneer 700-4 seaters for sale soon, since Honda is getting ready to sell a 1000. It is durable, but a gutless pig at elevations above 4-5K feet ( though anything you would do with kids in the machine it will probably manage ).
Of course, both of these are WAY bigger than a quad, so it may not be an option for you.

I think a 4 seat 50" machine would be a good seller for anyone who would make one.

Good luck.

 

I've owned several of them. Every one had problems. Never a new or even newer one though. Some were probably used up by the time I got them, to be fair. So my bad experiences with Polaris is because of poorly maintained old machines not because Polaris is junk. I looked at a Ranger 570 too. I've seen them priced for as low as $8999 brand new for the base model locally, that did get my attention. I do believe Honda "doesn't make them like they used to" though. Cheaper parts and cost cutting has made some of their latest quads not nearly as reliable as ones built many years ago. I probably will just keep the Grizz and not spend any more money on another toy now. Other things in my life will need addressed soon and I feel my money would be better spent on newer vehicles and possibly a different home in a few years as well.

 

The more I think about it, the more I will probably talk myself out of getting anything else right now. I have the means to own both, if I wanted to. I've even thought about simply buying another building to store it. I've seen the 8' by 20' semi trailer boxes for sale relatively locally, one of those would make a nice storage shed for about $1500+delivery. I think i may get one of those regardless, I can use more storage space for the stuff I already have. I do like the nimbleness and ability to use body english to muscle a quad. You can't do that even with the smaller 50" side by sides. The Rzr would be a lot of fun but its just not the same. I just spent a few hundred dollars on repairs and maintence on the Grizzly. Its ready to go, hopefully nothing will be needed for a few years other than fluid changes and probably some new tires. Its a lot easier to transport too. I would end up buying a trailer to haul the Rzr(more money). I'd lose money on the Grizzly by trading it in, no doubt about that as well. I think at this point, if I wanted to spend a few grand on something, I'd rather buy a newer truck first. I have a 99 exended cab Z71. It runs and drives great but the body has seen better days, got the usual cab corner, wheel wells and bed rust. My car, a 2004 grand am, is a bit long in the tooth too(155K miles and still counting)and will need replaced in the near future too. I'd like to move into a nicer home in a few years too. All these things cost money. I'd rather enjoy what I have and keep my frugal saving ways for a bit longer I think. Buying a side by side or quad that is worth more than the truck towing or hauling it just bothers me. That's just a personal pet pieve of mine that I don't want to violate. The Grizz is pretty close, the truck is only worth about $1000 more.

 

Of the 2 the 700 of course.
I'd be looking at Kymco's. (AC and other use their machine). 4x4 or sxs.
Rock solid machines.

 

I bought a used 2012 KIA Sportage suv and my friend bough a 2012 Toyota RAV4 and I would not trade him but 7 years ago I would of.

I think its more about the rest caught up. Kind of like cars ,at one time Toyota and Honda was king for reliability, but they forced the big 3 to quit making junk or get out of business after 2008. They realize people do not blindly buy junk now.

BTW, not sure what you ment about bad gas mileage on your Grizzly , my friends 660 Grizzly gets 100 miles to a tank, that's not bad from a 5.3gal tank. Strap a small 2 gallon gas can on the back and he is good for 140 miles.
Any longer ride then that and you will have one sore butt I don.t care what your on.

 

There's no way I would get 100 miles out of a tank in the Grizzly I have. Its all stock too so I'm not losing any mpg to bigger tires. I haven't rode through a full tank in a day yet but if the gage is accurate I estimate maybe 75 miles on a full tank at best. That's still a long way though. The last long ride I took was maybe 35-37 miles one day on pretty fast paced trails and I was pretty tired after that, that took about 1/2 tank. As far as the rest catching up, that sounds about right. It was the only real advantage Honda atvs had. Performance has been lacking in the utility line for years. But Honda could always say they were more reliable. I'm not so sure anymore. The playing field seems to be more level now. Honda will have to step up in performance or potential customers will just buy something else.

 

Kymco's would be nice if the price were less. The 700 side by side looks just like a Yamaha Rhino. The 700 quad like a Grizzly. Actually the quad looks more like a King Quad. Not nearly as much suspension travel either. If they cost considerably less(and they don't), then I can see buying one. Otherwise, I'd just buy a Yamaha. Though the 450i side by side looks interesting, I can see a lot of people looking at that for an economy priced side by side at $7999 msrp, that's very reasonably priced. Too bad its not a 50", its 56.7" so It won't fit on the 50" trails.

 

I have not seen a gas gauge I would trust. Especially a recreational vehicle. The first bar takes forever then the remaining bars just disappear quick.
I even had two trucks of the same year with same motor, and one would be on "E" and go for miles while the other would almost run out instantly on "E".
Best way to know for sure is fill up , while on reserve and set trip meter to zero and let it run dry then look at the trip. Best to have small gas can strapped on the back though.
I have seen his 660 do 100 miles but its all stock. The thing goes for a long ways with all the bars gone.
He does not even pay attention to the gas gauge, he just resets the trip meter after a fill up or pokes a twig down the gas cap hole.

My 350 with it's dinky 3.8 tank gets 70 miles on a normal trail ride.

 

I had a Grizzly 660 before and about 80 miles is what I could get out of that one before the low fuel light started flashing and I knew I was about to run out of gas. When you take the cap off and look down the fuel tank and see the bottom of it, you know you're not going much farther. My Rancher with its 3.2 gallon tank(I think) would get around 100 miles on a tank of fuel. I guess that's one of the perks of having modest power, tremendous fuel economy. The newer Grizzly 700 models claim much better fuel economy, especially the 2014 and 2015 models. Fuel injection is much more efficient than an old school carb. The gage may not be 100% accurate and with a reserve fuel setting, its hard to pinpoint exactly how far you can go once the tank gets low. I just don't want to be miles from more fuel when that happens.