hi I'm looking to buy a utility rig for mountain bike shuttles, basically just driving up and down a forest road. what is the most reliable machine I can get for a decent price? I don't need anything with a big motor either anything bigger than a 500 is good

 

Welcome Shawn.

Are you going to be shuttling people, or just bicycles? If you're going to be shuttling people you will probably want a crew cab model, which most manufacturers make. Engine size shouldn't be a problem, because I don't think any manufacturer makes one with an engine size less than 500cc. So a base model of any brand would be ok in that matter. Reliability then becomes your main criteria. And in that case, I would vote for the Yamaha Viking as the leader, and the Honda Pioneer right up there with it. Polaris probably leads in sales figures with their Rancher model, but recalls have plagued Polaris for the last few years. The Can Am Defender is an excellent machine, but Can Am's tend to be performance oriented, and feature laden, which doesn't sound like your primary criteria. The Kawasaki Mule would be a good reliable utility UTV, and is worth looking at. Much farther down the list, there are a number of Chinese brands these days; prices will be less, but so will reliability. So although the prices would be enticing, they will rank last place at your main criteria.

 

Are you looking for something new? And how much do you want to spend? Another 4 seater to look at would be the Kawasaki Teryx 4. If you want an older 2 seat model just to putt up and down a dirt road, an older Yamaha Rhino or Polaris Ranger would do just fine. You can buy one of those used in good condition for around $5000-$6000. An older Arctic Cat Prowler or Kawasaki Teryx can be had for around the same price too. You might even be able to pick up a new Prowler 500 for around $7000-$7500 if you can find any in stock at your local Arctic Cat dealer as they are trying to sell all the Arctic Cat models to make room for the Textron models(many of which are basically the same) as Textron bought Arctic Cat recently. The remaining Arctic Cat stock has some pretty notable discounts. Polaris has a Ranger 500 as well to consider for a more budget minded new utv.

 

Check out the Kymco's. Made in Taiwan not China. Arctic Cat has a similar Prowler, as greg74 says, might be able to find one of those at a good discount too. The Kawasaki is hard to beat, don't know what they have for pricing incentives.

 

The more I think about it, if all you're using it for is to drive back and forth down basically a gravel and dirt road, you might just buy an older Jeep Wrangler or something like that. You can haul 4 and their gear and drive it anywhere you like without having to worry about it being street legal either.

 

There are so many options, ain't it great! Here are two more manufacturers to consider. We used Kubota diesels at the park I worked it. Very reliable, good dump box, rugged cab. We had them going 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. My Iowa friend has a Deere Gator and has had very good luck with it.

The "gently used" market might offer some better value for your use.

David

 

How many people do you want to haul at a time? Polaris has a 6-seat Ranger Crew. I saw a family cruising in one over the weekend and they looked comfortable. It might be crowded with 6 adults but if you aren't going far it shouldn't be a problem. I know there are some 4-seat side by sides but don't know if there are any other 6-seaters.

 

The Can am defender and Yamaha viking 4 door models both seat 6

 

Good to hear about those greg74. I hadn't seen the Defender MAX or Viking IV before, just the 2-door versions of each. I checked the prices of all 3 6-seat models and here are the prices of the cheapest models with and without EPS where both are available.

Defender MAX, 799.9cc, 50 HP, $12,399. $14,699 with EPS. $25,999 for the top of the line, 976cc, 72 HP, Defender MAX XT CAB with heater.

Viking IV, 686cc, with EPS, $13,999. $15,599 for the Ranch Edition.

Ranger Crew 570-6, 44 HP, 576cc, close to the Yamaha 700s unlisted power, $11,799 without EPS. Ranger Crew XP 900, 68 HP, 875cc, with EPS, $15,499. $25,999 for the top of the line 80 HP, 999cc, Ranger Crew XP 1000 EPS Northstar HVAC Edition with heating and air conditioning, defroster, windshield wiper, dome light, etc. All for the same price as the Defender MAX XT CAB but with more power.