Ok well i am looking to buy a used atv for mudding and trail riding. Idk what the budget would be but below 2 grand. I will probably be buying used to make the budget. I have never owned a 4-wheeler before and was wondering what to look for in one when buying used to make sure it is running fine and isn't a lemon. Also, how old of a quad would i be looking at to get one in good condition for this price? Any suggestions on ones that would be better than any others? Ones to stay away from? I would like an automatic trans too and of course 4 wheel drive. Would like one that will do pretty good in the mud but im not going to be putting a lift or anything on it i don't think. How much does a lift on a 4 wheeler cost and is it like a truck where you can get body or suspension or what? I might be getting some decent tires for it if i find a nice one that needs new tires. How much are some decent mud tires? I know it depends on the size but just a ballpark of some budget tires that are decent. Also, how much is a winch? I'll go ahead and sum this up....
1.What to look for in buying used
2.How old would i need to look to make budget
3.Suggestions on what to get
4.How much is a lift and is it body or suspension?
5.How much is a set of decent but budget mud tires?
6.Price for a winch?

Thanks for any replies and help i will recieve and i look foreward to being able to read anything y'all have to say to help...

 

Time to either raise the budget or scale back what you want.

1. Stick with the brand names. As a general rule bikes with lots of mods have been ridden like ....well, like they have lots of mods. Look for indications of the amount and type of miles on it - if it doesn't have an odometer, check for original tires and the amount of wear etc. The obvious frame damage, evidence of oil leaks, lots of smoke.
2. For a 4x4 with enough grunt to add mud tires you're going to have to go back past the 2000 model yearYou're looking at a 400 class or larger. Or go smaller - 2wd and the 250cc class can be found in the 2002 - 2004 model years at around $2K.
3. Get what you can afford. You're new to the sport so you'll really not know exactly what you want until you ride for a while. Find a quad that will get you out there on the trails. Preferrably one that you don't pay too much for it's current worth. The nice thing about used bikes that are a few years old is that they don't depreciate very much. Assume that your first quad will not be your ultimate quad. Ride it for a while, figure out what you would like to have different, save up yur money and hopefully sell your first quad for very close to what you paid for it.
4. Can't help you much on this one - it's either going to be expensive or really expensive. If you are working with a $2k budget, then forget it. Save it for the next quad.
5. Starting at about $65 per tire. You'll find many in the $80 to $100 range. Times 4 of course.
6. $250 to $400. In some cases, you'll spend almost as much for the mounting plates and fairleads as you will on the winch so be careful. Once again on the budget - a hand crank come-along and a strap can get you out of a mudhole if needed at a price that is hundreds less than an electric winch (not as cool though)

I would advise that you stay realistic with the amount of money that you have to spend. Frankly, two grand is about as cheap as you can get to get a decent quad of any size. At that, getting a 4wd in that price range will be very difficult. Because of your budget, most of the mods that you think you would like to have are currently out of reach - forget them for now. Especially if you are new to all this, you'll find that you really don't need lots of the bells and whistles to get out on the trails and have a great time.

I started with a sport bike, quickly found that my riding style needed a 4wd utility and got a KQ300. While I liked the KQ and it did well for me by riding it I figured out just what kind of "more" I would like to have. Sold if for my Eiger six years ago - a huge ride quality improvement that kept me happy for many years but all along I knew that it wasn't my 'ultimate' quad. I think I found my ultimate quad about a month ago and went for it - at the cost of the price of a couple of my other rides. Worth it though! My point being that you'll have more success if you evolve through your quads - easier on the wallet too.

Jaybee

 

Thanks for the help. I might be able to up my budget on the quad a little, i just have to talk it over with my dad. I will spend all i can on the 4-wheeler itself and just save up later for add ons because i would rather have a nice stock four wheeler than an upgraded piece of crap. this is going to be a few months away of a purchase so i have plenty of time to shop around and see all of my options to make sure i get the best for my money and needs. Any other comments are appreciated as well...

 

Granted I am fairly new here to the forum and have not posted a lot, I have done lots and lots of reading. My first 4X4 was a 98 polaris xplorer 400. Nothin super fancy about it. Low miles, not scratched to hell, etc. However, it already had a winch and some aftermarket tires on it, along with other accessories, etc, all for about 2200 bucks. The thing that turned me on about this quad was the fact that it was lady driven, and i knew the lady so i also knew that it was well taken care of.
I had a set budget when i went into purchasing a ute 4X4 which is always good to have. This deal was about a grand less than i was planning on spending and fit what i was going to need it for. I didnt need to go bigger or anything, just a decent trail ride and a work horse is all [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
My two cents after all this rambling, is keep your eyes open. Deals do come along periodically. Take your time looking, dont be afraid to look elsewhere and when that deal does come along snag it up!

 

Any year Yamaha Big Bear 400. And make sure you get the VIN# and check with the police, to make sure it isn't stolen before you hand over your money. Get a vehicle title or notarized bill of sale. Any evasiveness on behalf of the seller for requesting this, walk away.

An honest seller knows this is normal business practice. A crook knows that's how they get caught.

Have the seller ride the quad in your presence, watch for excessive smoking, wheels out of alignment, excessive steering corrections, etc.

Have your dad jack the front end up and check for excessive play in the steering, axles and hubs. Pop the wheels off and inspect the brakes. Pop the wheels back on and confirm the brakes are working by trying to turn the tires by hand with the brakes locked.
Do the same with the rear. Check the CV boots, make sure they aren't torn.

Sit on it, make sure you can reach and operate the controls safely.

HTH

 

Well I looked online and found some lift kits for all under $150 which is totally doable for me if i can put one on myself. Not sure what it lifts up but i wouldn't mind forking over a hundred bucks or so for a lift but how hard is it to put on and what does it involve?

 

Lift kits are pretty simple, but it depends on the machine. In your price range, the machine you get might be solid rear axle, meaning the suspension lift won't do much for ground clearance, but might give you more clearance for larger tires. If you get something in the smaller cc range, you probably won't want too big or too aggressive mud tires anyway.

It is probably rare to find a machine where the owner kept service records, but it would be nice to find something where you know the owner kept up on oil, filter, and valve adjustment.

Make sure the motor doesn't tick, knock, or smoke (or smell of burning oil). If you go auto in that price range, everything you look at except Honda will be driven by a CVT Belt. Some were decent and some were problematic.

Also try to rock the wheels and the back axle, to see if there is any slop in the wheel bearings or suspension pivots (with the machine on a jack if you can).

Anyway, welcome to the forum, and good luck.

 

The lift would still give me some cooler looks which is worth the money to me. It's also just a pretty cheap mod that is pretty noticable and it would give me room for some bigger tires. How big of a cc would i need to go to have enough power to use some big mud tires? Im assuming at least 400cc. Does the cc really matter or it like a car where there are 5.7 litres with less power than 5.3's. Im guessing all the manufacturers are about the same power in each cc class, but idk.

 

I guess that depends on what you consider big... I probably wouldn't put 29.5's on a 400... There can be a significant difference in power between brands in the same displacement class.

 

Well how big are the tires on a stock kawasaki prarie 360 cause i want a few inches bigger than that at least. And slightly agressive mud tires. Who usually has the most powerful quad in the 400-500 cc class? I know how big a 29.5 is cause thats whats on my truck lol but not really sure how that looks compared to the size of a 4 wheeler....