Need Help buying ATV

[Casco1]

I'm interested in buying an ATV. I've never owned one, I've ridden a few.

Use: Work around the house, wife will use for landscaping,

moving small trailers

My Kubota dealer just took one in trade today and is holding it until saturday AM.

2000 Polaris 500 Magnum with 500 miles, same engine as sportsman, according to the salesman it's in mint+ condition, it was adult owned and maintained. It has a 48" manual plow and Warn 2500 lb winch.

The only difference with the sportsman is Magnum has one piece rear axle instead of independent rear suspension.

Price is $3500.00

What do I look for? Wear?

What do I ask?


If anybody can shed some light on this I will really appreciate it.
__________________

 

[rackoholic]

Sounds like a nice machine, maybe a little high priced. Look for obvious signs of wear, cracked prastic, make sure the suspension isn't tweeked (cracked paint or recently repainted). If the machine looks good,then it is probably taken care of. As for pricing, I recently bought an 06 Polaris Sportsmen 450, indepnedent rear suspension, auto shift, AWD. Out the door price $5300.00.

rackoholic

 

[gordon21]

My son in laws buddy just bought a 2000 325 or 350 magnum. I don't remember which one. I believe the 2000 model year was when they made a bunch of changes and the model number changed. He paid $2500 cash to a dealer and it came with a bunch of extra stuff.

I rode it for about 20 minutes on some trails out through the woods. My wife and I were together on it and we weigh about 350# combined. I was impressed. I took it up to 30MPH on an open section of road with both of us on it, but after that the road condition said no higher.

I have no other ATV riding to compare it to, but it sure seemed powerful for an engine that size. A 500 would be even better.

500 miles sounds like about 25-30 hours engine time. That seems pretty low for something 6 years old. Have the dealer check the belt. A six year old belt could be starting to crack from age. A belt like that could be $80 just for the belt itself. Also, 30 hours means the original tires should still be on it and have almost all the tread left. Compare those tires against some new tires. The price sounds a little high until you factor in a winch worth $350 and the plow. If it truly has only 30 hours and the belt and tires are OK, then the price seems OK. Make sure he throws in a full face helmet.

 

[johnk]

I have a Honda foreman 450. It has a great 1st gear if you are going do do a lot of heavy pulling or towing. It all depends what you want the machine for. Mine has been very dependable and I have around 1500 hard miles on it. You can also have FUN with them. Like tractors... Just don't tell the wife though.

Drive em and see what you like........If you like it buy it... Life is short.......

 

[CDsdad]

Don't know about Polaris. Heard about brake problems years ago on them, but I think they straightened them out.

I have a '95 model Honda 300 and Santa brought my little girl a Yamaha 125 last year. Honda has been bulletproof as far as maintenance and wear, on my 4th spark plug and second set of tires. Most hauling or pulling it has done was a 17' boat around the yard and moving some Katrina junk. Probably would be too small for heavy farm work. Yamaha is a toy but has been dependable except for the battery changed out after 4 months.

 

[Casco1]

Thanks for your opinions, I don't see overworking this toy as my arsenal also has an L series 37hp kubota with loader and backhoe for the heavy stuff. It's more for landscaping around the place.

 

[johnk]

It sure works great plowing snow if you're in a hurry. 340K video of the 450 foreman with my son plowing the driveway. Thats a lot of fun........

 

[kenmac]

I have had seval A.T.V.S with straight axle. I now have a polaris sportsman 400 independent suspension. The only thing I hate is that it isn't an 800 cc. I would never go back to a straight axle after owning independent. the ride is soooo much better.



If you would like to know more about the mag mod. go to fourms.atvconnection.com I'am sure someone there will or has had a mag.

 

[escavader]

I own two magnums[2000 and 2002] and a brand new 500 sportsman .If you are using it to work get the magnum it is lower geared than the sportsman and it is bullet proof.If its for riding then nothing rides better than the sportsman,and my friends have all different brands and we all agree on this .Jack up the rear,make sure there is no play in the shaft.If there is alittle in the hub the wheel is hooked to thets ok ,its a cheap fix,they are aluminum so they will give out before the splined shaft will,because a ploaris is positive traction all the time.[roads are hard on them]Make sure the front boots on the front end arent ripped,or the front hubs do not leak.look for oil leaks,its a good sign the atv has been drowned [dont ask how i know ]If you buy it ,change the engine oil and filter,the front and rear diff oil,the tranny oil and the oil in the front hubs.Its all easy but it takes time.Take off the belt gaurd and check it and blow out the clutchs.This is one tough machine if its in good shape you wont regret it.
ALAN

 

[tnau664]

{Use: Work around the house, wife will use for landscaping,

Price is $3500.00}

You can get a nice golf cart for that amount of money. My wife hated the ATV, but loves the cart. I added a receiver hitch for pulling a trailer.

Just a thought
Terry

 

[TOMMYHPX4X4]

Sounds like a nice machine, maybe a little high priced. Look for obvious signs of wear, cracked prastic, make sure the suspension isn't tweeked (cracked paint or recently repainted). If the machine looks good,then it is probably taken care of. As for pricing, I recently bought an 06 Polaris Sportsmen 450, indepnedent rear suspension, auto shift, AWD. Out the door price $5300.00.

rackoholic

hey now on a jokin manner i take the recenly repainted part to offense.i have a 04 hpx and every chance i get i touch up paint because when you ride through mud and weeds it gets scratched and the under body gets scuffed up so the only way to keep it lookin new is to sand it /primer it/and paint it/.lol now if i was to look at a second hand machine and saw where the guy took time to do touch up paint on the frame and other parts like bed and well you know to me that tells me the guy took time to take care of what he had. now cracked plastic and other stuff thats diferenti would say they are signs of abuse but i have a stress crack in my rear fender on my hpx and when i say stress i mean it was under stress when the basket ball size chunk of mud slung off my tire and hit it.lmao next time i'll go slow until the mud falls off.but the paint part thats nuthin i do that all the time anyone who doesn't do it and lets thier utv or atv just sit there and rust is abusing it.

 

[Chandler1]

I guess I'll have to put my two cents worth in this too. I have a Polaris sportsman 500 RSE and it is a tough powerful machine. We used it mostly for hunting on our farm and it did the job getting us where we needed to go, pulling a trailer with equipment in tow. We duck hunt and the blind was about .07 tenths of a mile from the road.
The only thing about the Polaris was it seemed that it is a high maintenance machine. The motor never failed us but there were always little things that needed fixing. The starter (two), the rectifier, three batteries, a clutch, a belt and so on. It's a good machine but from my experience and some of my friends have had similiar experiences with theirs.
What I would recommend for you would be a Kawasaki 550 Mule or maybe the next model, a 3010 if you are wanting to do landscaping and yardwork. I do think this would be the best machine for you and your wife. I didn't like using the atv in the yard because it didn't manuever around that well and didn't have a dump bed for hauling. I have recently bought a Kubota RTV 900 and it is perfect for yard work, hunting, and farm work.
Hope it all works out for you.
Jerry

 

[johnk]

How many grease fittings on your Polaris. 48 or so. My Honda has 0 and 1500 hard miles with no squeaks, vibrations, binding or other problems..Works for me.

 

[Chandler1]

I'm glad you mentioned Hondas. If I were going to go buy one today thats what I'd get. I hear more people say they have less problems with them than any other brand. I bought my son a used Honda 125, (the owner sold it cheap because they thought it was worn out) and he rode it for several years. When he outgrew it, we sold it to a friend and their boys are still riding it.

 

[kenmac]

How many grease fittings on your Polaris. 48 or so. My Honda has 0 and 1500 hard miles with no squeaks, vibrations, binding or other problems..Works for me.


Mine has 6 . I guess if you don't have grease fittings ,it means your bushings wear out faster . ATV'S are like vehicles . There are folkes that are loyal to certian brands & that brand is all they will buy. I have owned several brands including ''honda''. I currently own suzuki, yamaha, and polaris.I wouldn't trade my polaris for any other brand. Polaris (in my opinion ) has the best 4 W.D.Polaris has all wheel drive which is better than other brands 4 w.d. because only 3 wheels only pull in 4 w.d. My polaris 400 is built on a larger frame than my friends 450 honda Makes his 450 look like a 250 my polaris 400 with 28'' swamp lites

 

[johnk]

I think I'll drive my 450 Honda down to Dixie and Back up to your Polaris. Hook up a tow strap to the hitches and see who wins... I have to say Polaris is a nice trail rider with the independant suspension. I still like my Honda with the low Granny gear. Sounds like a Brand war heating up. We'll have to tone down or get the posts deleted. They are all nice machines and get better each year. The less complicated they make them the more dependable they are. Less parts.... Less problems. I think you may have overlooked about 30 zerks if you have an older Sportsman.. That would worry me not greasing them if they are there. Because they must have put them there for a reason.

Just kidding....Wear a helmet and hang on tight...


Lots of pics on my website.

http://users.adelphia.net/~gizmo/

 

[kude]

I owned a 2002 Polaris Sportsman 500 DUSE (camo). I really never could get it to idle right. The axel broke recently (common problem) because of a bushing leak.

I kept it running using the trigger (I was used to that method). It rode nicely and was capable. I probably would have kept it, but it was stolen over this Christmas holiday.

I am thinking about a Honda FourTrax Foreman 4x4 ES with power steering (but not in red) or a Yahama Grizzly 700 FI Auto with power steering, camo.

I won't buy another until I have a secure facility to store it in, an alarm system immobilizing the starter and gps tracking system installed.

Make sure your homeowners policy specifically covers it against theft. All I'm getting is $500 under my policy. I had to update my coverages.

I have Gator HPX and not sure I even want an ATV again.

 

[kenmac]

I think I'll drive my 450 Honda down to Dixie and Back up to your Polaris. Hook up a tow strap to the hitches and see who wins..

I can post you a map of how to get here,but after you loose you would ride back on a polaris NA, no brand wars here . Like I said , everyone likes a different brand. My polaris is an 05 mod. My friend does have a 97 mod & it does have alot of grease fittings.

 

[johnk]

I like the more basic machines though. I have an Electric Shift on mine but I still kind of like the manual one. The Rubicon with the auto is also nice because it doesn't use a belt but it seems like the low gear isn't low enough for what I do. I'm not saying belts are bad, just my preference. Take care...

 

[HuckBB62]

Wanted to say, the Polaris X2 has a rear axle differential disconnect that allows it to turn on turf and not tear it up and makes it's turning radius much tighter. This one feature may make it extremely desireable to anyone using around the house alot.

I ride a Bombardier Outlander Max XT, couldn't love it more, it's a beast and the fastest best riding 4x4 available but that one feature that I mentioned above should be considered. Our Bomber is almost as big (the engine IS!) as my buddy's Suzuki Samurai! For two up riding, there's nothing at all that compares, nothing.