Greetings knowledgeispower: Your user name is something the ATV industry would rather not talk about. I joined these forums for the same reason you did, to aid in an ATV purchase decision. My number one criteria was reliability as here in Colorado you can get a LONG way out there and it is a LONG walk back if their is a breakdown. Manufacturers and independent organizations ought to start talking reliability in my view.

You are narrowing you selections. I was between a Polaris and Can Am for several weeks. I selected the Can Am because: I liked the overall style, it has the Rotax engine, the fit and finish was better, it had more standard features (along with a higher price), and from what little I could glean from the internet, the reliability seemed a bit higher. Not like the Japanese brands, but a bit better than the Polaris and Arctic Cat so it seemed. I also liked my local dealer and their service department better.

I purchased the "2 up" machine with the longer wheelbase and a legal passenger seat. The Japanese brands don't make a 2 up machine. Can Am was the first to do it way back when.

I've got 17 hours on my Can Am and love it. It has the 1000r engine, well, why not? It rides very well, one tick below the Polaris. I've had no defects or warranty claims. I find it rather difficult to work on. You have to take the side body plastics to gain access for routine maintenance. The build quality is pretty good.

The Renegade is an Outlander with a different body and suspension. The Scrambler is a Sportsman with a different body and suspension. The raptor is a pure sports machine.

The guys on these Forums said "quit you fussing and just buy one". So that's what I did. I think I would have liked the 2 up Polaris or Arctic Cat too.

David

 

I like the Renegade myself, just recently saw a used 800 for a decent price and considered getting it. I wish it had a little more utility, at least the Scrambler has racks even though they are small and can't carry much. You can get an aftermarket rear rack for the Renegade, which would be the first thing I would add. I recently bought a bag to put on my rear rack on my Brute Force and I find it quite useful. I can throw quite a bit of stuff in it, including a small cooler and not have to worry about how to tie anything down. Yeah at higher speed and on rougher terrain you will hear stuff rattling around a bit but you can't really do much about that.

 

That is a great reply. Some good information. Its kind of hard to find unbiased information on atvs.