Now thats what I like to see !! a responsible young man who wants to earn the money for his quad, not bug daddy for money ! The 400 ex motor is bullet proof, lots of mods out there for it, but if you can find one cheap, the liquid cooled Z motor (Kawi and Arctic Cat 400s all run the same motor) would be a great trail rider, more hp, and a bit more reliable with the liquid cooling on those long, hot trail rides. Either way, gratz on wanting to buy with your own money, gotta respect that !!

 

im leaning toward the Z400 now, i found a 2004 for $2500 and a 2003 for $2700 with ohlins shocks and some other upgrades. although first i think i am going to get a smaller quad such as a suzuki 230, i have decided i dont want something as big as a 400 just yet. also it will take me a long time to get $2500, so i will most likely be getting something smaller and using that for a while then selling it and getting a Z400 or 400EX

 

i do have one more question about the 400's though, which one has better suspension out of the box, the Z400 or the 400EX?

 

Only thing to watch with the 03 Z400 is the front shock mounts, if raced or jumped hard repeatedly, there were cases of stress cracks on the top mounts showing up, a gussest kit took care of all the weak spots. Other than that, I would give a slight edge to the Z400 for suspension, both will ride and jump very well, just a bit more travel on the newer style Z

 

just get a warrior, great quad and its got plenty of power for trails

 

alright so it seems like most of the shootouts between the Z400 and the 400EX are of pretty recent models, 2006 and later. and the Z400's i am looking at are 2003 and 2004, the 400EX's i am looking at are 2000 and 2003. so which one, a 2000 - 2003 400EX or a 2003 - 2004 Z400? and also the 2 category's that are most important for me is handling (suspension mainly, but also cornering and what not. not so much jumping though) and reliability / ease of maintenance.

 

well i just picked a '04 YFZ 450 for $2300, i think is a pretty good deal, you might just have to search a while to get a steal on one.

but with those 400ex, i know two people who have them in those years and they both burn some oil, i think just a bad piston or something, so just be aware of that when looking at one.

 

you cant go wrong with a z400 or a 400ex there both awesome bikes with great all around performance, i like the feel of the z400 better, and they feel a little more refined and updated to the 400ex but the ex is still awesome.

 

To bad your not looking for something a little bigger. My B-inlaw has just decided to sell his 02 raptor 660 with suspension and engine mods for around $2500 giver take in order to get a renegade 800. But depending on your riding skills, (please don't take offense) but it may not be a good choice for you anyhow.

 

yeah a 660 raptor is quite a bit bigger then im looking for. im probably still going to go with a 400ex.