Our son is five years old now and has been riding it for about nine months. I expect it will keep him busy until he's at least 8-9 years old, other than the lack of 4WD. I have yet to find a youth quad that has 4WD, and would buy the first one available. That's a HUGE missing feature.

I politely disagree with those who say the LT-A50 lacks power on the hills. At our lake place we have some very steep roads and the 50 climbs those with ease. Don't forget that ours still has three of the four factory restrictors in place, including the throttle limiting screw which is screwed in pretty tight. As his weight, age, and skill increase we plan to remove those restrictors one by one. Beyond that there are the popular and inexpensive airbox and filter mods, etc. He will physically outgrow the quad before he outgrows the engine. There is a LOT of untapped potential in there.

As to resale value, I just saw an advertisement from a local pawn shop for a 2003 LT-A50. They were asking $1200. I paid $1100 for a 2002 model, so after the initial hit they hold their value extremely well. Basically anyone you know that has kids in the proper age range becomes a potential buyer - just let their kids try it once! [grin]

Plenty of power, readily available parts and service, resale value, no problems with bad welds or poor assembly or low quality... I'd stick with the LT-A50 or another name brand. A few more dollars now will save precious hours of fun times later, and you'll get your dollars back when you sell it.

 

Yes, we have the Arctic Cat DVX 50 as well (the '06 4-stroke model) and it's great. Has lots of low-end power (to pull even a 250 lb. rider up a hill), and you can remove the clutch variator later to increase top speed from 9 mph to about 15. Put more aggressive tires, on, however, as the stock little 16" tires have poor traction in soft dirt or mud, and I would increase to about an 18" or so.

 

I purchased a Baja 90 from Pep Boys last christmas and there are nothing but problems with this...I have to purchase a new battery every three months because there is a draw somewhere.... The govenor switch fell apart, the emergency shut off fell to pieces, The chain derails frequently, The chain guard snapped off and Now the lights do not work..now we went riding today and the clutch has gone...tell me what i can do..the person riding it is a 12 year old boy...,nothing too crazy.

DO NOT BUY A BAJA.....THEY ARE JUNK!!!!

 

I recommend a Polaris or AlphaSport 50 to get started. These are the exact same quads with a lower price on the AlphaSport.
My son road the wheels off his Alphasport 50 from 4 until 6 years old. Really he was sick of it at 5 but was riding his Honda CRF50 motorcycle.
He wanted to get a quad again (the 50 was far too slow) so I got a Honda TRX90. I was only confident enough to put on the 90 after he had a lot of time on the 50.
I recommend picking up a used quad that is sized right for them. Do not get something they can grow into. This is a dangerous sport. Don't try to short cut with your kid's safety. Big deal, you have to get a bigger one in a couple years. At least your kids will be safe. (On that note - they should ride with no less than helmet, goggles, gloves and chest protector. If you can't afford it then you afford the sport).
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

My 6 year old son on his TRX90

The TRX90 is not too big for a 6 year old. I bought it (a 2003 model) for $1000 off Ebay. Two weeks later I bought a 2006 TRX90 off Ebay again for $1675.
Of course this what not his first quad. He rode a 50 for a year or so.
You can not beat a good deal on a used Honda. Its money in the bank.