Buying a used ATV

[jjbenson]

Hey guys

I really want a side by side, and I'm about set on a Honda 1000-5. I am going to wait a little while longer so i can pay with cash, so i thought I would get used 4x4 atv. Use will be for slow trail riding and general work in the rocky woods of western maryland. I'm planing on leaving it at my camp in western Maryland. I don't plan on it getting stolen, and will take measures to prevent it. Ive been driving a 1991 Yamaha 250 Moto 4 for the last 20 years, and its getting tired, needs tires, a in general has lots of little issues I am tired of messing with. After looking around on facebook marketplace and craigslist, I see prices all over the place for similar sized machines in the 500cc range. I have seen the same Honda Foreman 4x4 atvs with similar miles priced 1500-2500 apart from the other. I guess what i am looking for is
1. Recommendations for brand/model of used ATV's. I am asking this here because I know what the answer will be on a Honda, Yamaha, Polaris site. I know there is variety here at TBN.
2. Ideas on how to price these machines. Is it just me or is it crazy that a 10 year old 4x4 atv has a 5k asking price?
3. What do you consider high/low hours/miles on a used machine
4. Should I look for EFI or carb'd?

Any all all advice will be thoughtfully considered and is appreciated.

 

[Clint S]

Prices are all over the place on those sites because many people will ask well above market value knowing they will be haggled down. If you buy used look at the person, family and the area they are from. It may tell you how the machine was treated. Mine has never left my property more than 5 times and its still 100 hours and 1000 miles in 3 years. I don't abuse it, but its not treated well. Short trips, pulling and farm gas ran through it.

 

[nybirdman]

I would stick with any of the Japanese brands;I have owned Honda,Yamaha,Suzuki and Kawasaki ;all four strokes and four wheel drive.My 1998 Kawasaki Prairie has about 4,000 miles and still use it regular.Had a falling out with the local Honda dealer(great machines) and have purchased three new Yamaha's since 2004.
The Yamaha's have been out-standing;a Grizzley,Rhino and current Viking.Yamaha has a superior transmission and four wheel drive system to the others IMHO.
My BIL put 14,000 miles on a Honda Foreman before retiring it,currently has a 450 Yamaha.
Yamaha just came back out with a 450cc ATV for about $6,000 new;hard to beat that for the money.

 

[jjbenson]

Are the Yamahas still chain driven like my Moto 4? I guess I also should have asked what folks think about belt vs chain drive.

 

[jjbenson]

And I really like those Rhinos and Mules, but I see 15 year old machines that guys still are asking about 5-6 grand for. I don稚 like haggling I guess, I ask about 10%more than what I think something is worth when advertising, and negotiate from there. It痴 hard for me to offer someone half of what they are asking for, because I知 assuming they think it痴 worth the price.

 

[nybirdman]

Are the Yamahas still chain driven like my Moto 4? I guess I also should have asked what folks think about belt vs chain drive.

Yamaha Ultramatic(belt driven transmission to a shaft),big plus with Yamaha it's has great engine braking.Put 4,000 miles on my Rhino with no belt change or any problems other than tires.My machines are used for work so must be dependable;Yamaha's have never failed me.
Most use some sort of belt transmission,Honda uses an automotive style(electric shift or fully automatic) and still sells manual shift.

 

[DieselnHooters]

I am no expert but my friends are and they always stick with Hondas and Yamahas so I bought a brand new foot-shift Foreman 500 last year after they told me to avoid the Rancher 420 _ low torque and trans failure they say.


EFI will fire up easier in very cold weather but that may not be an issue in MD.

 

[deserteagle71]

If you're looking for a workhorse, look no further than a Honda. That's pretty much what every farm and ranch around here runs - they last forever and are the ultimate in dependability, especially with the manual transmission.
I've never owned a Honda but ride with plenty of people who do. My ATV is a Yamaha Kodiak 450 that I bought new in 2006. Got almost 7,000 miles on it. The only thing I've had to do to it is change the belt twice now. The belt is the weak spot in any ATV that uses that type of drive, and I must admit, mine was abused in that it was never meant to pull a trailer with nearly a cord of wood on it. These belt drives have a high and low range, and most of the belt problems could be avoided if people just used low range more when pulling heavy or climbing at a slow speed.


As far as prices, they are ridiculous, even on the used ones I see sold at farm auctions. Might as well buy new and have the warranty. And I too am looking closely at the Honda Pioneer 1000...mainly because everyone I know who have another brand has to carry a spare belt!

 

[DK35vince]

And I too am looking closely at the Honda Pioneer 1000...mainly because everyone I know who have another brand has to carry a spare belt!

I always carry a spare belt.
I put 7300+ miles on my Kawasaki Brute force 750 before I sold it, and have 4000+ miles on my current Polaris RZR 900s, (both CVT) never needed to use the spare belt to get back.
But crazy not to have one with you if you do need it.
Personally I like the CVT transmissions.

 

[djefferis]

1. Honda, Artic Cat, Kawasaki, Can Am Polaris in that order of preference for me - cost/resale/parts and reliability being primary points - polaris is everywhere of course, but I'd avoid the first generation big bores...500 sportsman was a good machine, first year 570's were hit/miss
2. 5k for a 10 year old unit is high in general...atv's are slow selling, most buyers going utv route these days - expect negotiation - lots of nice 500 cc units out there in the 2500 range.
3. Look at wear - not hours. Honda's CAN be good for 10k miles - look at the miles/hour ratio - low hours/miles and wear tells me hard trail driven machine possibly - look at the sellers situation/other equipment if possible....if everything else looks like its ready to fall apart you know what your buying and who your buying from
4. EFI - just less chance of problems with ethanol fuel being used by prior owners - not problem free..but less issues in general

 

[Cat_Driver]

I just bought a new Can Am Defender low end model. The used ones were high priced and beat.
I gave $9,500 out the door no prep charges, no delivery charges, etc. They all want to
add on the "deliver and prep" that was an additional $2,500.00. I spoke to the mamager and
said I don't pay BS charges added on. I'll give you $9,500.00 out the door take it or leave it.

Nothing wrong with payments, give a good downpayment and yoy aget a new machine, with a warranty
and you know it's not beat.

So far the Can Am is a great vehcile. I use it to haul around all my tools to any jobs on teh property, then I use the
tail gate as a work bench. Sure beats either walking to things that need fixing with a bag of tools then forgetting
something and having to walk all the way back. I did it once too many times and said ENOUGH.

I want to be the guy that buys something ne teats it well and then sells it fr a high price a few years down the road.

I ended up with Can Am after reading dozens of reviews, now a days there's little difference between them all. I really wanted
the CAT model, but the dealer I talked to said most dealers won't carry them because CAT is making them spend huge money
on shop tolls etc. Plus he said they wee already having problems with the engines.

I did get a flay in teh first hour of using it, because my place has HUGE palm tree thorns that will go through the hard rubber
sole of a shoe. I filled all the tires up with sealant not a problem since.

 

[Oaktree]

I ended up with Can Am after reading dozens of reviews, now a days there's little difference between them all.

I'm with you on that. Much like snowmobiles, you really can't go wrong with one from any of the major makers...they're all good. One make may have more features, etc. that you prefer but I don't see any one that's notably better (or worse) than the rest. Around here Polaris machines seem to outnumber any others 2:1, but that may be more dealer-related than anything else.

I just bought a new Can Am Defender low end model. The used ones were high priced and beat.
....
Nothing wrong with payments, give a good downpayment and yoy aget a new machine, with a warranty
and you know it's not beat.

When I need one I need one, but I would never use it enough to justify a new one, and I don't believe in taking out a loan to buy toys.
A couple years ago I picked up a used 2012 CanAM Outlander for ~$2500 to replace a 30 year old Polaris. The Polaris was still running (I gave it to my stepson who's still using it), but I wanted something a little newer. Had to replace a CV joint boot on the CanAM, but other than that I've had no problems with it.

As you noted, a lot of the used ones are beat and/or overpriced...they tend to be used hard, and not always maintained as well as they should be, but good ones are out there. Just shop carefully.

 

[jjbenson]

I appreciate all the input from everyone so far. Just when I think I'm leaning towards Honda, I see an Eiger that catches my eye. I think I've come to the realization that when looking at used machines, its more about how well it was taken care of, then what the brand is. 2500-3000 is about my limit, so if I found an '12 model outlander for 2500 like oaktree found, I would probably jump on it. I need to just get over the fact that Ill have to start offering a lot less to some of the machines I'm seeing. I still can't figure out how folks want 4G's for a 12 year old machine, when you can tell it was really used hard.

One thing I have found myself questioning is suspension. How much of a factor does independent rear suspension have on casual trail riding vs working/hunting? If i go for a zip down the gravel road, am i going to regret having a straight rear axle? If I am casual riding on trails, will it make much difference?

Also, on the larger cc quads, does liquid cooled vs air cooled make much difference? On my old 250 Yamaha, i only overheated it once dragging a food plot with a 5X10 drag. To me, it seems liquid cooled means more things to go wrong.

 

[Groo]

I appreciate all the input from everyone so far. Just when I think I'm leaning towards Honda, I see an Eiger that catches my eye. I think I've come to the realization that when looking at used machines, its more about how well it was taken care of, then what the brand is. 2500-3000 is about my limit, so if I found an '12 model outlander for 2500 like oaktree found, I would probably jump on it. I need to just get over the fact that Ill have to start offering a lot less to some of the machines I'm seeing. I still can't figure out how folks want 4G's for a 12 year old machine, when you can tell it was really used hard.

One thing I have found myself questioning is suspension. How much of a factor does independent rear suspension have on casual trail riding vs working/hunting? If i go for a zip down the gravel road, am i going to regret having a straight rear axle? If I am casual riding on trails, will it make much difference?

Also, on the larger cc quads, does liquid cooled vs air cooled make much difference? On my old 250 Yamaha, i only overheated it once dragging a food plot with a 5X10 drag. To me, it seems liquid cooled means more things to go wrong.

air cooled can only cool so much, so you have a cooling based hp limitation. to get more power out an air cooled, you need fan coolng, and the fan function gets more and more complex. as cooling needs climb. The other problem with air cooling is that air cooled engines are inherently louder. Noise is what killed the air cooled porsche.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I have a fall of 2006 release 2007 model year Yamaha Rhino 660 Sport Edition that has only done work on our property aside from 2 trips away in 12 years, it was not bought as a trail or mudding machine.

It has pushed diesel trucks into the garage many times, hauled countless loads of wall stone, block, rock, dirt, mulch and wood and also used to do weekly gas well inspections on our property no matter the weather. We also use it to pull food, chairs and coolers to our "camp" that we have at the far end of our property by way of a 4'x8' utility trailer.

It is now 12 years old, 1,300 miles on the odometer and has been through a CV boot (torn by a branch), 2 batteries and just this spring a front wheel bearing. The rear tires are close to bald and all tires have a humorous number of plugs shoved into them. It still has the original spark plug I believe!

I change engine oil, filter and both differential's fluid every spring with Amsoil. If aliens sucked it up into outer space today, I would be out looking for a low mile/hour Rhino tomorrow. I've never owned such a reliable and trouble free machine.

I have had it off of my property 2 times in 12 years. One weekend in mid Ohio doing trail riding with some buddies, and in 2011 I took it to Colorado (Crested Bute, American Flag Mountain) for some OHV riding along with 2 dual Sport bikes I took. The Rhino has FAR exceeded any expectations I could have had for it. I am still amazed by this machine when I load it with concrete wall stones and concrete block and move hundreds of pounds at a time. I would recommend a Rhino with a totally clear conscience any time.

 

[TractorNH]

One thing I have found myself questioning is suspension. How much of a factor does independent rear suspension have on casual trail riding vs working/hunting? If i go for a zip down the gravel road, am i going to regret having a straight rear axle? If I am casual riding on trails, will it make much difference?

Also, on the larger cc quads, does liquid cooled vs air cooled make much difference? On my old 250 Yamaha, i only overheated it once dragging a food plot with a 5X10 drag. To me, it seems liquid cooled means more things to go wrong.

Suspension was a factor for me when I was shopping for mine. I was looking at Honda and Yamaha and ended up going with the Yamaha Grizzly 660. It has something like an 1100 lb towing capacity (though I wouldn't tow that much with it) and independent rear suspension. It all depends how you'll be riding it. The independent rear suspension will bounce you around less when riding in woods and climbing over stumps or rocks with the tires. A straight rear axle is old technology that's been around forever.

Liquid vs Air cooled is another one...depends how you're using it. If you're working it hard and not traveling far then liquid cooled is the way to go. You need air moving across the engine to cool an air cooled engine so unless you're trail riding at a reasonable speed then you might overheat it. The grizzly has an electric fan that kicks on based on the coolant temperature so even when parked it will still cool itself.

 

[crazyal]

I started off looking at well maintained used and found new wasn't too much more. By waiting until winter I was able to get a better price as the next year models were coming out and were exactly the same. Before I could buy one i came across a Honda Big Red dealer demo side by side for the same price as a new left over. I would like to upgrade to a Pilot with the larger engine but the prices now are crazy.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I have a '15 Honda P500. There are so many modern technologies that are ahead of most SxS's that makes that the SxS of today, not yesterday. Examples are electronic fuel injection and ignition, liquid cooled, paddle shift, selectable 4WD, automotive differential, 4 wheel independent suspension, disc brakes, etc. Getting a brochure on one would be prudent.

They are priced a little higher than most other SxS's though. Mine was $8500 new. I added a 3500# winch, canopy and windshield to mine. It's used like a small farm truck, not as a sports vehicle, although it will run 40mph. Mine' used mostly for tugging my trailer around with a 1 ton load, pulling my mower out of bog holes, and just cruisin' the woods.

The biggest requirement was that my SxS couldn't be wider than 50 inches - which is a max in many national forests, as well as the width of 2 bridges on my place. With that restriction, and the modern features on the Honda, the choice was simple.

You might log onto the Honda SxS Club web sight and get a good idea on used prices, and the vast array as to what mods people are making. Its mind blowing!

 

[jjbenson]

I appreciate all the input everyone. I’m still casually looking. I’m actually deployed to Africa right now, so I’m really just comparing prices and trying to research different machines. My next question is, when you look at a used machine, what makes you stop and think twice, or hesitate?
When I see a machine with a snorkel, lift kit, and oversized tires and rims, i have to wonder a little about how the machine was used.
I also see in a fair amount of descriptions things like,”smokes a little, runs great”, “fresh rebuild”, “new top end”, and so on. I know with a used machine, it isn’t going to be perfect. But what makes you turn around and walk away?

 

[newbury]

I'm following this thread because I need an ATV to supplement my stable.
But this is downright funny:

<snip> The rear tires are close to bald and all tires have a humorous number of plugs shoved into them. !<snip>