Used ATV's

[Retired Educator]

In the market for a used S x S ATV and know very little about them. Would like to have the option of tracks in the winter. Anybody have experience they would like to share on pluses and minuses of the different brands and models as well as power suggestions. Am looking for one in the $10,000 range, (plus or minus a couple thousand).

 

[Skeeter]

Here’s my 2cents. Honda is the only one with a gear driven transmission. Way better than belt driven. Tracks are hard on belts unless you stay in low range. I have a Honda big red 700. Had tracks for a few years and they worked great. The only downfall I had was mine is an auto trans. When I needed the power and finally got my rpm’s up it would shift to a higher gear and some times that would get me in trouble. The new Honda's are a six speed trans with the option of auto or manual paddle shift. I would recommend a 900 to 1000 cc minimum for tracks. Been thinking about upgrading mine to a 1000 Honda pioneer, but mines paid for and works just fine for what I need and the price of a new one is a little too much for me to stomach. Can buy a good pickup for the price of a side x side.

 

[guywhofishes]

describe the use it will see, how many passengers, trails or putzing, yard/chores etc

BIG differences in which models best serve for various uses

 

[snow1]

Or for half the price of a sxs....The pug or susuki mini truck.

 

[NDbowman]

I would agree if you want tracks, 900 to 100cc machine would be best. I wouldn't be afraid of a belt machine. I've got a polaris 900xp, I have burned a belt when it had the factory clutch, it just stunk, i was still able to drive, I backed down a ditch and tried to drive up it from a dead stop in High, should've used low to get going. Now I have a Duraclutch on there, no more problems with burning the belt.
For your price range you might be looking at higher mileage machines. My Polaris ranger has almost 27000miles on it, 1st engine almost made it to 25k, 1st reman engine burned oil from new and had to be warrantied within 1000miles, 2nd reman motor has over 1000miles on it now. I think when you get over 10k miles your goign to start sticking alot of money in repairs in a polaris, I've been down that road. Doubt I'll ever keep one as long as I've kept this one.

 

[Retired Educator]

describe the use it will see, how many passengers, trails or putzing, yard/chores etc

BIG differences in which models best serve for various uses

In the winter the most use will be fishing. That would most likely be once or twice a week and do have a wheel house with skis but also have a pop-up and a flipover so not necessary to pull much. Summer some leisurely trail travel to get out of the house and enjoy a nice evening drive.
Hunting would most likely be some field travel when hunting with decoys but that would be when pickup travel is not feasible. Deer hunting wouldn't be a lot of travel as most of whitetail hunting is from a stand and mule deer, where I hunt, motorized travel is not feasible.
In a nutshell, not much real difficult travel. At my age I have no desire to becoming stuck and having to work real hard to get out.

 

[Allen]

I have the 2014 Honda Pioneer 700. I've only put about 1500 miles on it, it has a locked front and rear differential so it really tears up the sod. I believe the latter year Pioneers have unlocked differentials and I would go that route for sure nowadays. Also, while my Pioneer gets around pretty damn good, I don't think I'd want to put tracks on it. Just seems like it would be a little underpowered if I did, but I think Guy would have more experience with that. They do make the 1,000 cc version which would probably be better suited for tracks. While the Honda line is less sexy than some of the other brands, it's definitely a reliable machine. It's gone through a few batteries, and I wish it had a larger battery compartment so I could upgrade its starting power in the cold. So if I go out in subzero weather with it I always bring along a battery pack for peace of mind.

One interesting thing about the Hondas is that they are a true automatic transmission, and its transmission uses the engine's oil rather than having its own reservoir of tranny fluid. So at least when one changes the engine oil, you are also changing the transmission's fluid. I suppose the bad thing about that though is that if your engine starts using oil, you had better carry some with you to avoid burning out the transmission.

 

[MarbleEyez]

Boy, $10,000 hardly gets you a 4-wheeler these days! Good luck with your search!!

 

[wslayer]

Have looked extensively for the past couple yrs. $10k not going to get you much. Probably in excess of 5000 miles. Honda shaft drive would be my preferred choice but people don't really part with them. I have a 2004 Honda Rubicon 500 that I run trks on, and no problem with power. If I was to sell with trks, I would be close to $8500 range

 

[Wall-eyes]

If you buy one like they said above make sure clutches and belt is not worn out, high milage everything worn out going to run $15K and up for good low mile machine. I sold my Polaris 850 Sportmens 5 years ago with tracks cost 5k for kit for $13K low hours.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Are you wanting an ATV or a UTV? Big difference.

 

[guywhofishes]

My Pioneer 700-4 with tracks has never seemed underpowered for my use. But Hondas are slow and loud compared to trail rider like Polaris I imagine?

The DFK cab is fantastic but that costs $3500 on sale 3 years ago.

Never have had to repair anything on it so they do seem reliable.

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The 2:1 gear down on tracks make it slower - but unstoppable. Hope to never get stuck. Have a winch and all the fixins just in case.

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Don’t ever buy a used Honda unless you know its history. I’m on several Facebook groups and they’re nuts - they try to use them as submarines (deep water) and ruin them left/right. It’s unbelievable.

 

[KDM]

These are generalizations...... Look at the undercarriage of the machine. Check the paint, chips mean rocks and non-pavement riding. Check the boots, tears mean running over trees and branches etc. Check the winch cable, bright shiny cable means little use. Pull the entire cable out. Rust to the end means lots of use and lends information as to the kind of use and how many times the machine was stuck. Look for snow plow attachment or usage. Snow plows are tough on machines. Check the inside walls of the tires. Most guys don't armor all the inside of the tires so any scuffs or other indication of wear or rough riding can be seen there. Pull the seat, front cover, and other easily removed sections of the plastic. Look for caked dirt, gravel, weeds and such. Look at the battery posts. Rust means the battery hasn't been changed recently. Look at the underside of the carriers. Chips and rubbed paint means lots of loads tied down on the racks which brings the suspension wear into play. Pull the fluid sticks and look at the oil and other fluids. Goes to when the last oil and fluid changes were done. Mileage isn't as important to me as wear and tear on a machine. Lots of pavement miles mean very little, but 2000 miles of mountain hunting is quite a different matter. Good Luck!!