# Looking at buying an ATV



## ABES (Jun 10, 2007)

I am currently looking for a 4 wheeler, and I have found a couple I am intersted in.

First one is a 2004 Polaris Sportsman 600 with 18xx miles with no accessories for $2800.

Second one is a 1996 Polaris Xplorer 400 (2 stroke) with no accessories for $1700.

Third one is a 2000 Yamaha Grizzly 600 with new tires and a winch for $2800

Right now I am leaning towards the sportsman 600 because its newer and bigger but I am not sure I want to spend that much. On the other hand I have heard that a 400 2 stroke should have almost as much power as the 600 because its lighter weight and a 2 stroke. It will be used for running trails hunting ice fishing etc. I would like to get a winch and a plow on whichever one I end up buying. It wouldnt be used much for plowing but it would be nice to have one for it.

Which one do you guys think is the better deal/ better suited for my uses?

Thanks


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## matts27 (Dec 21, 2007)

The way the economy is and how everyone is hurting, seems a bit steep on all 3 of 'em. I would be thinking 2000 for the '04 Polaris depending on condition on sight, maybe 1900 for the Yamaha. That's cash in hand.. I would keep looking around, lots of quads on craigslist, I picked up a 02 Honda 400ex for 1300 just needed an oil change and fresh gas... just be patient!! good luck


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## ABES (Jun 10, 2007)

matts27;770218 said:


> The way the economy is and how everyone is hurting, seems a bit steep on all 3 of 'em. I would be thinking 2000 for the '04 Polaris depending on condition on sight, maybe 1900 for the Yamaha. That's cash in hand.. I would keep looking around, lots of quads on craigslist, I picked up a 02 Honda 400ex for 1300 just needed an oil change and fresh gas... just be patient!! good luck


I have been looking for a week or so. I was looking for an off road truck but I think I would use the ATV more. All the hondas for sale around here bring a preety penny. If its a 4 stroke I would really like a 600 or bigger.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

i would stick with a 500 or bigger. anything over 600 is going to get pricey. I think the grizzly. the sportsman has a lot of miles on it. I paid $1000 for my red one and $1800 for the green one. The red one is a 2000 arctic cat 500 4x4 auto with only 1100 miles on it. it needed brake work the rear caliper had to be rebuilt I am in the process of doing that now. And my green one came with a 2500lb warn factory winch, plow mount and it had 1039 miles on it I paid $1800 for it. They are both the same year and same quad just different colors. on craigslist you have to be the first one to call and have the cash because things go quick on there.


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

stay away from the 2 stroke, they are obsolete now and parts will be hard to get imo,just look it over shake tires axles etc, for bearings they arent cheap, buyer beware comes to mind?


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

IPLOWSNO;770350 said:


> stay away from the 2 stroke, they are obsolete now and parts will be hard to get imo,just look it over shake tires axles etc, for bearings they arent cheap, buyer beware comes to mind?


i agree dont get the 2 stroke.


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## ABES (Jun 10, 2007)

I went and looked at a 95 Polaris 400 2 stroke today with a brand new winch and a new(er) 5' moose plow. It was a little rough though with over 3,000 miles. Something is wrong with the 4wd when I took it out of 4wd and started to back up it was sticking in 4wd and made a loud bang when it finally did disengage. I think I am going to keep looking.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

ya I think i would keep looking. many guys including myself swear by brands. just find a good deal. I would stay away from 2 strokes tho. I know polaris made many different models that were 2 strokes. and they are cheap now.


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## ABES (Jun 10, 2007)

Any particular reason you dont like 2 strokes? I have been riding 2 stroke snowmobiles and 4 wheelers since i could walk, and the smell and noise never really bothered me.


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

ABES;770535 said:


> Any particular reason you dont like 2 strokes? I have been riding 2 stroke snowmobiles and 4 wheelers since i could walk, and the smell and noise never really bothered me.


if they are like snowmobiles. idk how dependable they are. I dont know form personal experience. but I would rather have a 4 stroke. a lot cheaper to run and a lot more dependable. and no mixiing oil or anything. but it is up to you i am not gonna steer you away from what you want tho.


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## Clint S (Feb 12, 2008)

2 strokes more power per cc and can run at higher RPMs. There are several down falls of a 2 stroke engine. First the engines wear out faster. I know snowmobiles alot better than wheelers, but some suggest re ringing at 2k which is 2 years of riding around here and in my opinion every mile over 4k on a 2 stroke is on borrowed time. I know wheeler do not see the miles a sled does but same concept. They are also much more pickey during cold weather and tend to melt down easier. Look at the # of 2 strokes with a hole on top of the piston to the # of 4 strokes. I would bet it is 50 to 1 or greater. Speaking of 50 to 1 it is also a pain to mix gas and oil and if you are lucky enough to have oil injection (which is standard on most newer ones)cross your fingers your your oil pump is adjusted properly and working


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## EaTmYtAiLpIpEs (Aug 23, 2007)

Clint S;770610 said:


> 2 strokes more power per cc and can run at higher RPMs. There are several down falls of a 2 stroke engine. First the engines wear out faster. I know snowmobiles alot better than wheelers, but some suggest re ringing at 2k which is 2 years of riding around here and in my opinion every mile over 4k on a 2 stroke is on borrowed time. I know wheeler do not see the miles a sled does but same concept. They are also much more pickey during cold weather and tend to melt down easier. Look at the # of 2 strokes with a hole on top of the piston to the # of 4 strokes. I would bet it is 50 to 1 or greater. Speaking of 50 to 1 it is also a pain to mix gas and oil and if you are lucky enough to have oil injection (which is standard on most newer ones)cross your fingers your your oil pump is adjusted properly and working


idk if a 2 stroke quad is the same but 2 stroke sleds you cant hold the throttle to the bar for an excessive amount of time.


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## IPLOWSNO (Oct 11, 2008)

i grew up on a 250r in all stages of mods and yes 2strokes are great at that. but for work i wouldnt touch one. you let it idle to long you foul a plug, unless your jetted spot on but then that would mean youd have to work on it, i dont know about you guys i bought mine to work not work on, maintenance is one thing, mods are a different animal lol. 

get one who knows you may love it, i loved my high hp 2 smoke sleds till i replaced it with a 4 stroke. cheap cheap


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## mud (Dec 15, 2005)

Stay far away from the Polaris two strokes unless you like to tinker. I have one (95 sportsman 400) and while it has been a decent quad and it is deffinatly a peppy little bike it requires three times the mantance of my other 4x4 quads. Truth be told if it wasn't so cheep (I paid 100 bucks for it with a bad top end) I wouldn't even have it. 

I am not really a Polaris guy but of the ones that you listed I would go for the 600 twin. IRS is the way to go for comfort and ground clearance. The price on that one seems a bit high though.

The 600 grizz would be a decent machine not overly fast but lots of power. Pretty stiff ride though.

One thing to note. If you do end up getting a quad with a belt drive trans get one that has low range. I know that some of the low end Yamaha's with auto's have a single range unit. I use low all the time in on my auto machines, if it didn't I would run a major risk of smoking the belt in slow going high torque applications such as plowing and to an extent hunting.

Don't be afraid of some of the smaller machines. The 450 kodiak/grizz and the older 400 kodiaks with the dual range auto's are great machines and for the most part will do anything that you need them to do and are still fun on the trails and in the mud. The same can be said for many 400-500 cc machines from all the major manufacturers. Other than running roads the smaller machines can usualy keep up just fine on all but the most open trails depending on the driver.


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