Hey all. Was looking to buy a scrambler 4x4 soon and was wondering if anyone could tell me a few things? Wondering when Polaris went to a shaft front wheel drive on these machines. What year that is. Also is there anything to look for when buying one of these besides the usual check the suspension parts and whatnot. Thanks in advance, Brian

 

They went to the front shaft drive in '98. I believe some of early production '98 Scramblers may still have the chain drive though. My '98 has the front shaft drive which is nice. Some things to look for are the front tie rod ends. If you're lucky they have been replaced with the updated tie rod ends. If there is alot of play in the steering then plan on replacing those. That's not a big deal though.
The front steering shaft bushing on the bottom of the steering shaft also is something to check. If the handlebars have alot of slop that will need replaced probably. Again that's not a big problem.
Check the inside of the front wheel for leaky hub seals. If it's wet or looks stained from the fluid then that will need replaced. If you're looking at a 400 ask if the top end has ever been replaced. If you're lucky they've replaced the stock piston with a Wiseco already. If not listen for piston slap or knock. The stock pistons are prone to failure so if it doesn't have a Wiseco already you will want to do that.
I'd take a look inside the airbox too. If it's clean you know they've probably done the proper maintenance on their 400. A dirty or neglected air filter on a 2 stroke would make me leery because that tells you they've probably not maintained the machine properly.
I'd check the case around the front sprocket to see if they've ever snapped a chain and knocked a hole in their case. I've heard of people patching holes in their case and you don't want that.
It's like buying a used car, just ride it and see what the seat of your pants thinks. Good luck with it.