HI,

I have went for my first atv trip, and was hooked. At the moment, I don't have much cash to afford a halfway decent machine. My friend showed me this add on craigslist as he knew that i was looking for a quad, and he said that this might be a decent way to get one on a budget. I contacted the guy, and he told me that the transmission and engine are all good. It ran, but not that well. He believes it is a carburetor issue. He said that it has kick start but it's a pain, and that it would need a new battery for electric start. However, the last time he drove it was a year ago when he parked it outside, and it has been left outside in the open ever since. He told me that the engine and transmission is definetly not ruined because of this, but I don't know if that's true or not. There are also no fenders for the front, only the back. Indent care much about that though as far as getting dirty goes. For $100, is this atv worth buying? My buddy who showed this to me said that he has a fourtrax, and that he might buy it off me if I can't get it running. Is this worth buying, or is it probably shot from being outside and too hard to fix?
I should also mention that my atv trips for now aren't that long, they are maybe 20 min in the woods from the main road. And I have friends with ATvs that can tow me out if something breaks.

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/snw/6092553020.html


thanks

 

The frame by itself is worth a hundred bucks if it isn't rusted out. However that atv is in need of a serious amount of work. If you are up to the investment in time and money ..... As well as the guy having the title. The fourtrax is a time proven atv. My brother in law has an 87 he purchased new and still rides as it is his only atv. I put a new rear axle and a carb rebuild kit in this past winter, it is still a strong running quad. Just remember the one you are looking at is considered a basket case and will need allot of time and money put into it.

 

I'd look for something in better shape. I bought a 2wd 300 fourtrax about 3 years ago for $800 and it didn't need anything. It was ready to ride. Its going to take a lot of work to get that thing in running order.

 

How much work and money would I be looking? I dont mind putting some time and resources into it, but I'm not sure how much I would be talking. I will probably leave the fenders as is, with none, as I don't mind getting dirty. I understand I might need tires and brakes, but I wint invest in those until I get the thing running. So considering what the guy told me in the original post, will it be a fairly expensive fix? Thanks

 

There's just no way to know. For $100, you really can't go wrong, but you may be getting yourself into more than you realize. Make sure it's not locked up, and make sure it's all there. You're going to want the fenders (a couple hundred bucks); it looks ghetto without them, not to mention you'll get covered with mud, and also get mud and water all over parts you don't want to get wet and muddy. You're going to need a battery (about $40 from Wal-Mart, they're fairly universal.)
First thing to buy is a shop manual, I like the Clymer.
If it won't crank, try the following in this order: fuel, spark, compression.
If no fuel, clean the carb and tank (free) and if that doesn't help, rebuild the carb and replace all fuel lines ($20-40), and maybe the petcock ($20).
If no spark, first check the switch ($10-20), then the plug ($3), then the coil (a lot), then the CDI (a whole lot). Fortunately, in my experience, ignition problems are rare.
If no compression, adjust valves (free), then try rings ($20), then try piston, rings, and rebore ($170 or so).
Transmission problems are unlikely but will not be evident and will be a real PITA.
Brakes are roughly $20 for new drums or pads, cables will run $10-20 each. If this thing's been setting out you'll probably have problems with these.
Also, the first thing I do is change the oil and rearend fluid.
As you can see, it could cost anywhere from nothing (unlikely) to $100-300 (most likely) to upwards of $500 (possible but fairly unlikely) and a month or 2 to get this thing going. I bought 2 mid-90s Kawasaki Bayous about a month and a half ago, neither ran when I bought them, both needed top end rebuilds, which I expected. I'm going to end up with about $300 in the one (got lucky) and probably $700 in the other. I hope to get between $1000 and $1500 out of each of them so I'll make money, but that doesn't count my time. If I count the hours I've got in them, I'd have been better off getting a job at Burger King.
Hope this helps.