I was wondering what some of the pro's and con's are to each of these. I have an opportunity to buy an 03 Sportsman 500 fairly cheap, but I've looked into getting a new Vinson as well. I know the Sportsman will ride better because of the IRS, but my main concern is will they be comparable in power and acceleration (auto vs auto). The true 4x4 on the Polaris seems nice as well.

 

Anyone here can tell you the 500ho has lots of power, very reliable and easy to maintain. One of the best motors Polaris has. The 500 ho does have more power than the Vinsion.

 

Did they have some problems with older Sportsmans with the cam's? I thought I read that somewhere. With regular maintenance should it last quite a while? How many miles are Sportsman owners getting out of their machines?

 

Sportsman ===

Ground Clearence
IRS
AWD
Tougher Frame
More Utility
Plastic Racks
More Power

Vinson ===

Less Ground Clearence
SRA
3 1/2 wheel 4x4
Weaker Frame
More Sport
Metal Racks
Less Power

 

Doodle,

Both of these machine have more than enough power. You say the Sportsman will ride better but that still depends on how you plan on riding it. If you are more of a sporty rider I would go with the Vinson with the SRA but if you want that Cadillac feel then the Polaris is the machine for you. As for the 4x4 goes the Polaris is somewhat better but when you add the extra weight of the machine I would have to say that are about the same. When you put some mud/snow tires on either you will have very little problems. I have rode both and have friends that ride both. You will be happy with either but if it were me I'd get a new Vinson instead of a used Sportsman any day.

 

id also get the new vinson over the used sportsman

 

Yeah the vinson over the polaris, you will be much happier, the vinson is a much better quad hands down.

 

I would go with the sportsman! It has true 4 wheel drive and an awesome ride quality, and its reliable. Those are the 3 most important traits of an atv. Whats the price on the used sportsman your talking about geting?

 

Like others have mentioned before, these two atvs have plenty of power. They are the most powerful 500cc utility quads you can get. The performance of the sp and vinson are very comparable to each other. The Vinson leans to the sporty side while the SP leans to the utility side. However, they both can get the job done in either area. Good luck with your decision.

 

The sportsman only has like 160 miles on it and it has heavy duty bumpers, a warn winch, and baskets on the racks. So it has quite a bit of extra stuff. Plus it looks almost new. The guy just never used it. He wants me to make him an offer and I'm thinking around $4500 just because that seems to be what their worth. He may not go for it, but I'm not going to offer him much more since that's what retail is. If he doesn'tl like that I'm thinking about the Vinson.