I posted this on the "Buying a new ATV" board but only got one response telling me to get the Rubicon. Hopefully Ill have a little more help here.

I currently own a 2000 Kodiak 4x4 and am happy as can be with it. I am looking around now to get a quad for my dad and little brother. I got my brother narrowed down to a Honda Recon but if someone wants to suggest otherwise, please do so. I need your input on my dad's ATV. I somewhat narrowed it down to a Grizzly, Polaris SP500 or another Polaris which might be recommended since I dont know alot about Polaris, Honda Foreman 400, or Suzuki quadmaster (500cc). We do trails, logs, dirt hills and soft muddy soil. Price is a concern, I would like to stay within 5500 but if its really worth it, then ill look a bit past it.

Thanks

The Honda Recon is a GREAT machine, it does everything very well. If you have read any atv mag shootouts, the recon beats every competitor by far. As far as for a polaris..the sportsman is a GREAT machine, and when i say great i mean GREAT, independent sus. makes for a very smooth ride, and the push button 4x4 helps alot to. The only downfall is it is quite expensive, but if money is not an issue, go for the sportsman. If money is an issue..than look towards a bike with smaller cc's. :)

All ive heard about Polaris is that they have great power and 4x4, but they end up falling apart a few months down the road. I dont know how true this is but that is all ive heard about them. I must admit, the SP500 sounds mighty nice and powerful though.

For a dependable machine and not as much money as the Polaris, (best bang for the buck) take a look at Arctic Cats.

Get the Grizzly 600 or the Arctic Cat 500 they will last longer and you want haft to do things to all the time so they wont break like other atv's on the market.

If those were my choices then heres what I would do.

First the Recon is the best 250cc 2wd machine out there, good choice.

Second, go with the grizzly, it will last you longer & you won't have as many repairs. The Polaris owners on this forum talk about how long they last, but scan the posts & look at the number of problems, belts breaking, tie rods, brakes, etc.

Good luck on your choice.

King it is not true what the say about the Polaris's. My Sportsman has been bullet proof, 703 miles so far and not a thing to complain about. I ride with allot of 1996-2000 polaris all have been great machines. But Yamaha makes great atv's too. The Grizzly is quite a machine. The Magnum 500 is cheaper than the Sportsman but very nice. I am a die hard Polaris man I have owned Yamaha and Honda, and i like the Polaris machines better. They have held up as well as the others. But all the ones you mentioned are good.

Yes scan the posts there are no belt breaking posts, that is not an issue with Polaris.

Thanks for all the replies, im going to do some forum scanning before I make my desicion, how is the SP500 different from the Magnum 500 ? and we arent going to put our quads through hell, most of the time its just speeding around in some hardpack running through foot deep puddles of water/mud but I want a quad to do everything because the time will come where we will be doing to demanding things. Thanks again for the replies.

Just wondering if you have a 00 kodiak why not get one for your dad? Then you know you can keep up with him (HA) It's got more than enough power I love mine! Take it over a Griz any day.