For what you are looking for, you are probly going to spend about 2500 by the time its all said and done, parked in your driveway. And thats buying new. Probly a Yamoto, or Sun L or something along those lines. Theres a dealer near me that sells RedCats. Althou the displacemant of the motor is good, the frame is way to small IMO. For your daughter, I would probly look into a Eton, and there are about 20 of them on ebay right now. I would probly say to get a 90R model (R means REVERSE!!). They can be had for well under 1000 dollars. For your son, your probly going to have to search around some till you find the right deal. By what you said about your son being a,, uhm,, larger than your average bear, kid, finding a frame is what is going to be key for him. The ETON 150 Yukon or Viper would work great, but I cant find any of those used, and new its already blown your budget.

Heres the one I recomend for your daughter that is well priced, althou it isnt in your area..
2005 Eton Viper 90R

Maybe something like this for your son, It just isnt a name I recognize at all..
Unknown 200CC quad

This one fits the bill for both your needs, but once again, its a no name type thing..
Family Pack no Name

Check out this seller. Has a bunch of Sun L quads (even some pink ones for the girls)..
Ebay Sun L dealer

On a side note. I love the Eton 90R shifter. Its a electronic toggle switch on the handle bars. If you can turn on a light switch, you can shift the gears on the 90R. I really love the design on this one.

Either way, good luck...

 

Dane for what you need I would recommend looking aT Raceway. I understand you dont have alot of cash for 2 quads and name brands are going to be hard to find for that cheap. For the 8yo I would recommend the MS125 And if you can swing it the JM 125 or 150. I think if he can learn how to shift a semi auto the JM125 will be perfect. If you can turn a wrench then these are not bad. It all depends on how much time you spend on setup. If you think you can gas and go it will fall apart. If you take time to locktite nuts and bolts, make sure everything is tight, carb is adjusted, change fluids then you can get trouble free time from them. Also look at the JM110 for both. It all depends on if you want full auto or semi auto. I like the semi auto but the kids like full auto.

 

Dane2 - Honestly, the off brands are cheap for a reason. Just remember, you get what you pay for. You may save money now, but if they break down all the time, you end up spending more in the long run. I have had wonderful luck with the Polaris quads. My daughter races a 90 and it has been a great machine. They also have a slightly bigger quad for your son too. Check them out!

 

Like he said he does not have alot of money to buy 2 name brands. Also depending on the Chinese quad they all do not brake down. I have had good luck and bad luck with the chinese quads. I have been buying these for a cpl years now and know what to stay away from. Not all these are bad. These are for kids that are just starting out. Maybe in a year or 2 you can upgrade. MY oldest son started out on a Yamoto 110 over a year ago and I have NEVER had a problem with it and he rides every weekend. Now that he has seat time and is getting more agressive I bought him a Desert Cat 90 (same as the Predator90). My youngest son (4/12 yo) started out on a kazuma meerkat50. He has seat time and is growing like a weed so now he is on a Roketa 90. No problems with any of these. I also got a Sunl Mini delux100. The first one my oldest put it through a torture test and cracked the front upper a arm mounts. This was my fault because I did not check the shock mount bolts, the shock came apart and put the a arm on too much of an angle and cracked off. I got a new one under warranty and this one has been fine. So NOT ALL are bad. Just take the time to set them up right.

 

Guys,

Thanks for all the input. I fully understand the cost over long term, and I can deal with that. It's a lot easier to plunk down a couple hundred here and there over time than having to have several thousand more up front. I can wrench, done a lot of tinkering with engines and motocross bikes over the years, so spending time to prep, etc is not a problem. The issue is the initial outlay. I just simply can't afford to spend $4,000+ to get started.

So, is there any particular brand/make of the chinese bikes that stands out? I see Jetmoto listed a lot (and my son likes the Jetmoto 150) and a lot of good about them (at least good as I would expect from a chinese bike).

Raceay ATV seems to get a lot of nods as well, so I am looking at their stuff.

 

JetMoto is by far the best Chinese quad on the market. I have a 150. The suspension is great, it runs like a top adn is pretty quick. This is not an MX quad so dont expect 4ft jumps and table tops. Perfect for trail riding. I can tell you that NO ONE has better service and parts than Raceway. John will take care of you even after the sale. They are great people and try to find the good and weed out the bad. Jet moto gets better and better and I can bet they are at the top of the game come next year.