SxS - Polaris General vs Ranger vs Others

[Overtaxed]

Need a little help or guidance selecting a SxS. I was pretty much set on the Polaris Ranger XP900 last year, winter came, I lost interest and moved on. Now, looking again, Polaris has a new model (at least to me), the General, with a 1000CC engine and a lot more HP for what seems like not much more money over the XP900.

Just a little background, nothing too crazy for SxS needs; just running around the property (60 acres or so), carrying some wood around I'm sure, carrying tools and recreation. No pulling implements, probably no real "farm" use at all (other than perhaps spraying the fence lines) beyond riding to the fields to pick veggies.

Do I need either of these things? Absolutely not. But I'm going to get one, and I see the General as the better value, looks like it would be more "fun" and maybe something I'd tow somewhere to run some trails. If the swing in price was big, I'd forget about it and buy the Ranger, but, perhaps because the General is new it has more attractive pricing?

Anyone have one of these things and care to comment? Are the enough "fun" to warrant taking them out to play, or do you use them only as a farm tool? Tools that are fun are bonus points, that's for sure! And, if anyone bought a General, mind sharing some pricing? I'm afraid that the dealer is going to be "list price only" on the General because it's new and that could sway me to the Ranger if it's more heavily discounted. Finally, anything else that you guys would recommend over these 2 options?

 

[Buppies]

Tried a general said no thanks. Bed is small lots of rattles more of a hybrid racing machine. Bought a 900 ranger with power steering not as comfortable but more practical. If you can find a 2016 that is where your deal will be new ones not so much.
Ours is a hunter edition ps,electric, tilting bed, gps, led lights on roof and bed, rear bumper, front and rear glass. Saved over $2000 off list price.

The general in my opinion was just too cramped for my liking maybe if I was younger. If a better half is involved as mine she really disliked the general and now uses the ranger every day

 

[blackdog2086]

I went with a Honda Pioneer 1000-5. I've never been a fan of CVT transmissions and the Honda has a dual clutch automotive gearbox style of trans. My uses are similar to yours with a lot of wood hauling as well as tools, trash to the end of the drive, taking the grand-kids for rides and occasionally just having fun.

I like that I have a relatively large (by SxS standards anyway) dump bed for hauling that can be quickly converted to rear seating when the need arises. I'm not crazy about the 5 and 6 passenger style that are roughly the length of a crew cab pickup.

I've had it for just about a year now and so far it's been hard working and trouble free. I was like you when I tried to justify a need for it, but I find I use it almost daily and it has become an extremely useful tool around my place. The picture is when I first brought it home. I've added a glass windshield and a hard roof since then.

 

[ProjectKing]

Need a little help or guidance selecting a SxS. I was pretty much set on the Polaris Ranger XP900 last year, winter came, I lost interest and moved on. Now, looking again, Polaris has a new model (at least to me), the General, with a 1000CC engine and a lot more HP for what seems like not much more money over the XP900.

Just a little background, nothing too crazy for SxS needs; just running around the property (60 acres or so), carrying some wood around I'm sure, carrying tools and recreation. No pulling implements, probably no real "farm" use at all (other than perhaps spraying the fence lines) beyond riding to the fields to pick veggies.

Do I need either of these things? Absolutely not. But I'm going to get one, and I see the General as the better value, looks like it would be more "fun" and maybe something I'd tow somewhere to run some trails. If the swing in price was big, I'd forget about it and buy the Ranger, but, perhaps because the General is new it has more attractive pricing?

Anyone have one of these things and care to comment? Are the enough "fun" to warrant taking them out to play, or do you use them only as a farm tool? Tools that are fun are bonus points, that's for sure! And, if anyone bought a General, mind sharing some pricing? I'm afraid that the dealer is going to be "list price only" on the General because it's new and that could sway me to the Ranger if it's more heavily discounted. Finally, anything else that you guys would recommend over these 2 options?

I would strongly look at the Honda Pioneer 1000. They are a good value and are Honda! Much higher build quality than Polaris. Also the the pioneer has an unlocking rear diff. I consider this a must have for a side by side.

 

[DK35vince]

The General IMO is a cross between a Ranger and a RZR.

 

[Shaneard]

Save yourself $10K and buy a used Toyota pickup for $2k-$4k.

 

[weathda]

I'm like you, I didn't really need a SxS and got the fever, lost the fever then fever came back. I didn't see the uses I would have for it right off and thought it would be mostly for fun. Anyway, I finally bought a new XP900 in Jan of 2015. At this point, I've found that I use it more for chores than I do for trail riding. I also wouldn't want anything with a bed smaller than what the Ranger offers. Whatever else you look at, I'd make sure it offers turf mode. It's really nice in the winter wet months when you don't want to tear up your ground.

 

[ovrszd]

Save yourself $10K and buy a used Toyota pickup for $2k-$4k.

Or a Suzuki Samari.

 

[Shaneard]

Or a Suzuki Samari.

We had a Suzuki Carry mini truck from Japan, I bought it about 10 years ago for $4,300, spent about $400 on it and used it a lot deer hunting, found a 1993 GMC Sonoma extended cab 4WD last year and bought it for $600, have less than $1,000 in it and that includes tax and tags, I use it like I did the mini truck and drive it to work everyday and use it hunting. I put the mini truck up for sale and sold it in less than 2 weeks for $5,800 and bought a new gooseneck with that money. I don't understand the whole S X S price, but to each their own, if that's what you want then by all means get you one. I would rather have a mini truck from Japan than a S x S because they have heat and some have A/C (ours did) and they are cheaper.

 

[EddieWalker]

Everyone is going to tell you to buy what they bought, so keep that in mind when considering what to get. I also have 60 acres and really didn't think I needed a side by side, but then after having an old golf cart for awhile, realized that it's something I used fairly often. I wanted to go as cheap as possible, so I started at the bottom and worked my way through the options out there util I found what I felt was best for me. First, you need to decide if you want to play, go fast and race around your land, or if you want ease of entry, smooth ride, work type vehicle. I went for the work vehicle.

Some of the things that I've learned and find more important now that I've had mine for five years is that being able to seat four is extremely important. I'm on a job right now and my client just bought a brand new Deere that only seats 2. They are elderly with grand kids, and after 5 hours on it, and going through the holidays, he realizes he bought the wrong thing and is now talking about trading it in for a bigger one with another row of seats. Power steering is really nice!!! A bed that dumps is extremely nice. In every model and brand, they are all too small, but some are just ridiculous. Mine is big enough for a pallet, all steel and with the tail gait down, I can haul plywood in it. My 75 year old mom is a bit of a pyromaniac, and she loves starting the burn piles. To do this, she drives all over the land in it and picks up every stick she can find. Then she backs up to the burn pile, and dumps the load by pushing a button on the dash!!!! Three or four loads like this and she has enough to burn the greenest pines. My parents are also obsessed with getting the mail. Dad will go every half hour to check on it if it's not there at the regular time. The driveway is 800 feet, then another hundred feet or so across the road. This is probably where we get the most hours on it.

Ease of use, being able to take friends around the land, and working on projects are what makes it so usefull. For fun, we like to load up the ice chest, and go down to the pond. Seating four and having the bed is needed at least dozen times a year. Same thing with working on projects, sometimes you need to haul as many people as possible, so they fill up the seats and stand up in the bed, other times, it's all about how much material you can haul in the bed. Even with those options, it's not uncommon to have somebody driving it back and forth multiple times just to set up a big party at the pond.

I suggest you go to every dealer in your area and put your hands on what they have to offer. Compare prices, compare metal to plastic, compare ease of operation, comfort of the seats and options that are available. This is what I did, and in the end, feel that I found the best one for me.