I haven't had a quad since the late 90's when I had a Quadzilla and I have no idea what to buy other than a 4x4. I want to purchase something made in America and Polaris seems to fit that bill. I do want to trail ride in Northern Michigan with it and not dune ride. Any ideas?

 

Hard to find anything completely "Made In America" anymore,but a lot are assembled here.Even Hondas and other brands. If you're sure you want a Polaris(Sportsman 500 for example) make sure you get at least a 2001 HO model or later if you can afford to. Early models had u- joint drive shafts and had heat treatment problem on the cams from 1996-2000 models. The engines are made by Fuji Heavy Industries who also make Subaru autos. This is a very stout engine and can last a long time as many on the forum will confirm. Others can give you their recommendations. I'm partial to the 500 carb model myself,if you haven't guessed by now OPT

 

How is the power going to be with a 500 from the mid 2000's? I'm 250lbs. I've seen some 850's under 4k that are only 5 years old and less. What do I stay away from?

 

RamblinRob, all but Can-Am are made in the US right now. Can-Am is made in Mexico and I've had a couple small issues that had something to do with assembly line stupidity. Most are made of parts sent here and assembled here. I don't think Arctic Cats get their engines from Suzuki? anymore.

Will you be buying new or used?

 

I'm going to look at both for my personal machine as it will be used in the woods for pulling a trailer with wood on it and for hunting. I have a baseball team amount of grandkids and the wife likes the Mule by Kawasaki for hauling them around. We had a golfcart for that before.

 

I recommend the Polaris Sportsman X2. It's got a dumpbed in the back that can convert to a passenger seat in 10 seconds. It's got an honest 400 lb. rated rear suspension and can tow 1500 lbs. or more with ease. Longer wheelbase make it more stable on hills than a single rider machine. I had an older 500 X2 that I loved. Just wanted a little more power for high speed snow riding in the winter. They offer it now in a 550 which is a good bit more powerful than the 500 I had. 2013 Polaris Sportsman X2 550 Indy Red ATV: Features

 

I'll be checking that out. Looks nice. Thanks!

 

I made a choice. I'm picking up a 97 sportsman 500 with 800 miles on it tomorrow

 

Good luck with your new machine! These are good machines but do need regular maintenance. They have the U-joint drives shafts instead of cv joints(check these out carefully before you buy,expensive to replace!) and also is in the model range (1996-2000) of the Sportsman 500 and soft heat treatment on the cams. Some never have problem "IF" you use the correct oil and change it at least every 50 hours or so(depending on how much you drive) Use either 0w40 Mobil1 or Amsoil or even Rotella T4 5w40 synthetic is ok to use(available at Walmart). Plus there's about 30 grease fittings total front to back! Use Polaris AGL for the gear case and only Polaris Demand Drive Plus for the front hubs. Not trying to scare you,but inform you on this model. Again good luck. OPT

 

Is there a repair manual available?