I am looking to buy a quad and would like any suggestions you might have. First, I am 5'7" and 230 lbs, I am looking for a sport type bike or possibly a sporty 4x4. The group I will be riding with have, '00 Wolverine, '00 Warrior, '00 Scrambler 500, and a '84 Honda 250 Trike. We will be riding in southeastern PA, gravel, dirt roads, mud, an occasional water hole, stone ridden trails, and once a year some snow. I have riden all of their bikes and here are my impressions. The Scrambler 500 is easily the fastest of the bunch, you can power slide and pop a wheelie with ease. The suspension on all of these quads seems pretty good. The Warrior is a really fun quad, but it bothers me how easily the Scrambler smokes it and it's poor ground clearance is also an issure. The Wolverine is a great all round quad but the full time 4x4 has got to go, I can't give up power slides and all the fun the 2 wd's have. I've seen the Wolverine go places the Warrior couldn't dream of and places the Srambler tried but failed (due to water and belt slippage). I think I have narrowed my decision down to the Warrior, Scrambler 500, Scrambler 400, and 400EX. Here is my thinking behind the candidates:

Warrior: A very fun quad, low ground clearance, could be faster, old design, seems reliable, suspension is good but not great.
Scrambler 500: Very fast, easy to ride but not being able to downshift bothers me, a little heavy, easy access flip of a switch to kick it into 4wd, nice suspension travel, top heavy, fun quad, good ground clearance, the complexity of the transmission bother me and it's adverse reaction to water also bugs me, the one handed braking doesn't offer enough flexibility, I can imagine hit the brakes on a failed steep hill climb, the rear wheels locking and the bike and I falleing down the hill backwards.
Scrambler 400: Same as above, but cheaper a little slower, a little lighter, mods produce extreme hp which could be interesting, virtually no engine braking, 2 stroke requires a bit more attention.
400EX: I have not driven this quad, but all the things Warrior owners cry out for the 400ex has so I think it would be great, lightweight, great suspension, great power, reliable, ground clearance is poor, price and supply is poor, NO REVERSE - this one really kills me, I'm not sure I can get by without it, I know I only use it 3 times in a day, but jumping off the quad and pushing seems so archaic (a although it is light) and I'll need the speed of the 400ex to catch up to everyone else. Is it worth jumping off and pushing it to have the ultimate sport bike, I'm sure I'd have a blast on it the other 99% of the time.

I know I am really splitting hairs here and I am comparing some different machines here but to me they all seem pretty equal. I quickly realized how little I will actually use 4wd but it is still cool to have just in case the trail gets rough or muddy. I know there isn't a perfect quad but let me put the question out there, if you were me, what quad would you choose and why? Thanks all!

 

My two yen.
It's hard to go wrong with a EX.For the ground clearence I went to taller tires XCT's,I think it,s one of the best things I ever did.Then bumped the front sproket down a tooth.As for turning around,Don't paint yourself into a corner.Stear with the rear or find a nice mound to ride up,Clutch and roll back and cut the wheels.

Finding one in stock....Good luck.
Average time a EX is on the showroom floor,3hours.

 

Thanks for the quick response, my local dealer has 4 400ex's in stock so I am not too worried, although he is asking list price for them.