When all the buzz was flying around with the HO sportsman, I almost bought one. Then the 660 Griz and 650 V-Twin Kow came out and I was wondering if I should run out and buy one. Just to have the best 4X4 for the braging rights.
Boy am I glad I held off and kept the 2000 Sportsman 500.
It will be a long time before one of these quads looks to be the one I'm going to trade in on.
They all seam to have there own little problems and good points, but none of them are so outstanding that its worth a tradein.
We might have a 700 Sportsman soon?
Nope, glad I kept the little red Sportsman and didn't loose my shirt on a trade in just to find out there was another "BEST 4X4" out there I would want.
If Polaris waited this long to release a 700 Sportsman you know its because they are testing it against the competition and making sure that it will outperform the others in a Mag Shoot Out. The Mag put a Crown on the Sportsman 500 and it sold big time. I bet Polaris is going to do it again.

 

Myself, I plan on getting in on the glut of perfectly-good 500s that will sit in dealer's showrooms after the 700 comes out. Think about it, can get the tried-and-true machine that up until this year was the best you can get, and if enough people jump on the 'bigger is better' bandwagon, the people who think 'big enough is good enough' might get some really nice, late-model used machines at a nice price.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] The sell out is already started here in Minnesota. I hope your all sitting down. 2001 Sportsman are selling for 5,800 dollars here plus tax.

Call Heinen & Mason if you want a deal. 763-425-2178 Ask for Owen.

 

Looks like I Should have just waited another year and a half and I could of had a HO for $600 less than i paid for my 2000 Sportsman.
And I thought $6400 was a good deal on a $6999 machine. (with winch, tax etc.)
Oh well, live and learn. Just glad I didn't lose my *** on a trade in that would have been 2% better than what I already had.
In a year I'll probably get a new one but I can wait for now.

 

kinda how I feel about it also, when I bought my SP500 it was hailed by all, well everybody but honda folks, as the best ATV ever !! the bike is as good as the day I bought it, still goes anywhere I want it to. I may buy a 2001 SP500HO, but it will be because of the good deals about to happen, not because I need a better bike....

 

I have both a 2000SP500 and a 2001SP500HO. In my case, my HO will outrun my SP500 by about 4 lenths in a 100 yard drag. I have heard all the talk about tha suspension being stiffer on the HO, but I have not noticed this.

I placed both of my bikes up for sell hoping to sell one of them. The 2000 has 4 years left on the warranty and I am asking $5300. The HO is like new with three hundred miles (most of which I put on it in one weekend) and it has never been in any water or mud. I am asking $5800 for it. I was wanting to buy a SP700 from my local Polaris dealership. Now, they tell me that they will recieve one in early sept. and only six over the next 6 months. So, they will all sell for list.

So, if I sell my 2000 model, I will be out the $2100 dollars difference, plus taxes of $500, plus the extended warranty. So, it will cost me $3200-$3300 to upgrade my 2000 and $2600 to upgrade my HO.

To be honest, both my bikes are in great condition. Both of them get me where I want to go. The HO is pretty fast for trail riding. Now that i have thought about it, I am not so sure if it is worth the extra cash to upgrade. Both these bikes are awesome. I think I just get caught up in all the hype, and my competitive nature gtes the best of me. I am not saying at this point I would turn down an offer on either of my bikes, but I am not pushing it either. This ATV stuff is very stressful.

BTW, I have not seen any dealers willing to sell an HO for less that $6500 since last December when their cost went up. If they are sellin HOs where you live for $5800, count your blessings. That is a great deal. My neighber just bought a SP400 for $5895.

Greg

 

just do like me ride them till they quit and then look for a new one