Hehe, I know this won't do a whole lot of good asking in a Polaris forum but I really want to know if Polaris is better than the other Japanese companies. I am thinking about getting a Honda Foreman 400 or a Polaris Sportsman 500. Which one is overall better and why? How much do these two go for? Are they automatic? Thanks

 

Might have a hard time finding 400 Foreman they changed to 450 a year ago.

 

Tim honda is still makin tha 400 foreman along with the 450

guy.....the honda is more reliable and is a 5 speed with auto clutch...sportsman has more power...better 4wd system and a better suspension along with more ground clearance
price on sportsman is a little under 7grand and i think the honda 400 is right around 6grand

 

Hi Im from Long Island NY and Polaris dealer here has Sportsman500 for around $6200.00. I prefer the Polaris over the Honda because I had a few Honda street bikes and was not happy with their reliability. I have a Sp500 and am so far satisfied.

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99 Sportsman500,2000 Trailboss 325,69 Mustang 428scj

 

I don't think the 400 honda is a match for the Sportsman 500. I ride a Mag. 500 Polaris and I really like it. If you wait a little longer Honda is comming out with the Rubicon 500 which I think is going to be a nice machine. Plus its an automatic with no belt to get wet. This is more of a match for the Sportsman. Not to take anything away from Polaris but I like Hondas to. I say go to the dealerships get all the scoop on both quads, see witch one fits your needs the best, buy it and start having fun!

 

Because of the higher ground clearance,IRS,AWD system,switchable 2wd-4wd,I chose the Sportsman.And my cost was no where near 7k.I paid 6250 for my 99Sportsman.Best of luck on whichever quad you choose.====BILL

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yall people must have decent dealers that sell below retail....i was stating the retail price of the 2000 model

 

Guy: You really need to compare apples to apples. Both the Sportsman 500 and the Magnum 500 are considerably above the ranking of a Foreman 400. I think what you need to compare to the Honda is an Expedition 425. And as such, it will still out shine a Foreman 400, with AWD, selectable 2 or 4wd, better ride quality, sharper turning radius and liquid cooling, 5 speed trany (no real advantage there), much much more bang for the buck. And from reading several previous posts on this unit and magazine articles, it would appear that the reliability issue as well as satisfaction is about as relevant as it is for the Magnum series Polaris makes, i.e. no problem!

So again you really need to make a differant comparison to get a qualified answer.

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Donald J. Dickinson 99 Magnum 500, 99 Sport 400L Ooh yeah!

 

3 weeks ago I purchase a 2000 sp500. The dealer price was $6,000 without hastling. Plus they didn't charge freight or setup. I did have to drive about 6 hours round trip to get it, but it pays to shop around. They sold 2 others while I was picking up mine..

 

My thoughts:

Brand new- the Sportsman is 10 times the quad as the 400 foreman because the performance is so much better.

2 years old- the 400 Foreman is 10 times the quad as the Sportsman because it is still in one piece.

10 years later- The 400 Foreman is 100 times the quad as the Sportsman because you will probably have traded in the clunky polaris or set it on fire in a rage of fury after having paid so much money to get various things fixed. The Foreman will look like crap because it has been beaten to death, but the motor will still run like a top and every major mechanical part of it will still function properly if oil, tires, and brakes have been changed when needed.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*