I can just about relate to that. The 1st Polaris I had was a 94 250 Trailblazer. My mother won it in a raffle, so for a 18 yr old kid who was and still is He!! on an atv, it held up to hitting trucks in the side (4 Times)! Rode it every weekend on long rough trail rides. My friends said it wouldnt be worth a dime being Automatic, It was the first they had seen an automatic like me. Well like I have stated it was 7 yrs before the first major engine, trans and chassis overhaul.Also I put the first belt on ,had about have life still on it.

 

personally, i dont mind polaris, but the sportsmans just dont fit me well at all. we had an 00 sp500 (non HO), and that thing had more problems...first, at about 1100 miles, the front right strut blew out. well that wasnt cheap. there were also about 2-3 belts replaced in this time period. not worn, blown apart. then the front right hub got screwed up. 4wd kicked in in 2wd, and didnt work at all when the switch was on 4wd... then the back right CV joint went, boots were fine too. so yes, ive had problems. as for me riding it too hard, it took a good 4k miles on my kodiak before the first problem. and that was a blow ball joint, then another, then a swingarm, then an axle...not too fun. im rough on equipment if u havent noticed. so far i blew a cv joint on my scrammy, but that was my fault. kept riding with a ripped boot...i was used to my kodiak, where those cv joints seemed bullet proof.

overall polaris isnt all tha bad, i just hate the sportsmans. im more of an agressive rider, and their weight and IRS just dont appeal to me. the 4wd (older models) isnt that great, and the 2wd ebs isnt impressive either. for work, i would own anything other than a sportsman or arctic cat

 

the sportsmans, esp the older ones needed TLC when it came to maintainence, they had 24 grease zerks that all needed the occasional squirt of lube in them, hub oil had to be changed regularly, and for the blown apart belts...sounds like you used HIGH range when you shoulda used LOW

i had a 01 HO, i did regular maintainence to it, and she was rock solid reliable, drove it a hard 6000miles with no problems, and for work i wouldnt own anything other than a sportsman

 

I've got about 4,000 miles on my 2001 Polaris Scrambler 500.

I have NOT done one thing to it but keep the zerks full, chain lubed, and change the oil every 1-2 months during riding season (depending on how many trips I take).
We ride hard in all types of terrain, water included. Still have the original belt, and have only smoked it once when messing around trying to climb a 'wall'.

Completely stock, it is hardly a racer, but it tops out at about 60, verified by GPS. I have a good time on it and even though it is heavy, I have kept up with most everyone I have encountered on the trails.

So, I guess, I am NOT a Polaris Hater!!!

 

doh, typo in my last post.... would'NT own anything other than a sportsman or arctic cat...oops... sry bout that.

we did the maintanance to it commonly, and the second we hit woods it was in LOW. their newer sportsmans are fine, but this one wasnt. it was probaly just the way i rode it... idk, but we had bad lucky with it. out of the 3 new sportsmans we have, one blew a CV joint, warranty covered it. and other than that no problems other than the plastic being junk on them. weve broken 2 foor boards and 2 fenders so far, with more cracks then ever. this is mostly those mudflaps. my yamaha, as much as it broke, never broke a piece of plastic...