Just a little comment for quadmanqc. If this person buys a Polaris, why would he want to sell it?!

I come from the same part of the country as you. In 1994 I bought my first Xplorer for $4999. I traded it in last month for a new Scrambler and got the eqivalent of $3700 back. Over a 6 year period...$1300 is not that bad of a drop!!!

 

Like MOST of the objective riders said, both are great machines. I too tend to like Polaris a bit better because of the auto-tranny and true 4x4, not forgetting the power!
Test ride both and go with the one that rides the best for you. The most important part of Quading is the ride. All the other statistics are just that...statistics!

The ride...even if it is bigger, smaller, faster, higher, lighter, heavier, "pertier", if you don't like the ride it ain't worth it!!!!

 

Cartman wrote:

<<the mag500 will do better in the mud but i'm like you. the belt will slip no matter how well protected, at the worst possible time (murphy's law).>>

I have a Mag 425, and have never once seen this happen. It happened on my Scrambler, when I flew into a swamp pit, but 60 seconds revving in neutral and I pulled out...

My point is that I hear this slippage problem far more from competitors than from my 5 belt machines...and I really mud these things up...we trash them.

<<if the mag500 was a manual shift i probably would have bought it.>>

Also, notice how few Polaris owners say this. Once you've been on an automatic in the woods, you understand. Manual shifting is a chore, I'd rather attend to the terrain.

<<it has a much better ride than the 450es.>>

I haven't driven a 450, so I'll take your word on that. My Magnum has a great ride. Great machine.

 

All I can say is if you roped the two bikes together in a pull off the Magnum would drag the Foreman around like it was it's b#tch.

Hope this helps in your decision.

 

I thiink you will be hapier with the Magnum I have a 98 Sportsman and have never had belt my belt slip at all. But the 450 is a nice quad too.
Also Polaris has the Expedition 425 manual shift,it beat the Foreman in all the shootouts I read.