I've been looking at mid-size machines for a while and this '03 Kodiak just came up for sale. It has less than 1,000 miles and he's asking $3,000 OBO for it.

Does this price seem in line?

It does not have low range which is somewhat of a concern. I'll want to do some occasional grunt work with it (plowing snow, pulling loaded trailers,...). My other machine is a Polaris 250 and I do use low range quite a bit but this is also a smaller, 2-stroke engine.

Are there any particular trouble spots I should be looking at? How about any factory recalls?

FWIW, I'm also looking hard at the Polaris Hawkeye (300cc).

Any comments would be appreciated!

 

You found the flaw in that quad ( no low range). The 450 is much better, due to the diff lock, and low range. The 400 will do light duty work, but if youre thinking of adding oversize or aggressive tires, it wont handle it. It would be a nice trail machine, but at best, its 3 wheel drive(speed sensing diff in front), and isnt gonna have much grunt. It should be real reliable, and sturdy, but its not a real worker, or very sporty.
There arent any real weaknesses on that quad. The rear brake will squeek, and thats normal. The primary clutch will probably need relubing. You could ask to have him remove the cover over the tranny and look inside. If its wet or dirty, itll need some maintance done.
Its gonna feel tippy, in fast or sharp corners, so test drive it, and see if youre comfortable with that.

Price doesnt seem out of line, but alot depends on what needs replacing or fixing. tires, battery , brakes and so on.