Glenn that wasn't meant as a thing for people viewing outside the USA it was just making a point that you are free to your opinion whether people think it is good or bad...

 

My father-in-law rides a Sportsman500 and it is A1 since day1!!! He never greases it and even puts the wheels on backwards...it's still running well. Deep mud, dust, water...never stopped it and it's very reliable so far! I just hope he doesn't put the rear wheels up front!

 

I've been seeing a used red sp500 from the interstate at the dealer on the way to work and today I had time to stop and take a look at it. No body trouble at all, the plastic was still fine. From the graphics it looked to be a 99 model. No grease buildup around the joints or hubs. No bangs on the a-arms from rocks. All and all in pretty good shape. Turned the key on to check the mileage, and this thing had 4500 miles on it. I was think Holy Shiite (muslim - hahaha)!! Somebody had driven the hell out of this thing, but I guess they just hit the trails and dirt roads, because it was in extremely good shape for that many miles. The hourmeter showed 191 hours and by doing the math, if the quad was in constant motion, they would have averaged about 24 miles an hour. Its a stretch, but I guess its possible. Still wild on the mileage though, because My 99 AC has like 1100 miles, and I've had it since October 98.

I then checked out a Remington edition, and it must have been in the sun for a while, because the hood was a little warped and so was the headlight pod. I'm picky so I noticed this, which really isn't anything big. It was nice though. $7000 sticker on it, where as a regular 500 goes for $6300 at this place. It has me in the mood to trade again, and if I still have the feeling by the time the next incentive program comes around, and I can get enough out of my AC500, I may do it. My AC still looks like a showroom quad. The racks are still undented and not many scratches, and it runs perfect. No stickers torn off, and this thing has a bunch of them. If I can get at least $4700 out of it, I may bite the bullet and get me a sportsman 500 before the end of the year. The Rubicon is bad, but it is still a straight axle with drum brakes. A high sticker price too. My AC is awesome, and the only quad I would trade for would be a sportsman solely for the IRS, ground clearance, and both fronts spinning me up the hills. If I do get it though, knock on wood, because I still believe Polaris to be the least reliable quad built. Best performing though, hands down. It didn't win all those shootouts for nothing.

 

What happened Andy you didn't watch one of those mind altering videos while you were at the Polaris dealership did you...hehehe Glad to see you are thinking on joining the club, the only thing I like over the Sportsman on the AC is the height the AC is a little more stable especially on steep stuff but you get used to it after a while, I also agree with you on the reliability you know what a hard time I used to give the Polaris guys and I still stick my guns the reliability is an issue but gosh they are awsome in the hills, the hill I was telling you about in the other post I might have gotten into a little trouble if I was on the Cat. I find myself riding the Sportsman more and more than I do the Cat besides performance seems I don't feel so rough at the end of the day because of the IRS...I am no spring chicken you know...good luck in your quest, you can pick up a brand new Sportsman here in WV for $6200 out the door price Andy...later

 

Its all speculation of course, I did this last year too, and didn't trade. Instead, I dropped 28 grand on a new truck that I needed much more (163,000 miles on my 90 chevy). I rode the cat today, and I still love it. It would basically come down to whether the 4wd system and the IRS and ground clearance plus extra price, would be worth the tradeoff of the ruggedness I like about the Cat. I think AC has the best rack setup available. Perfect shape, lots of room, and very sturdy. I also like the tank like look of it. Too bad I can't have both. Maybe I should have bought a Nissan instead of a Chevrolet, then I could have both quads!