I don't know much about buying or fixing new 4wheelers. My Honda Foreman has been plowing snow and hauling wood since 2004. It burnt out a few light bulbs and is on its 4th battery, but otherwise no maintenance required. Oops, I forgot. I've had to change the oil couple times a year.

I like Honda products. The wife decided it was time for the boy to get a bigger wheeler so I took him off to the local Honda dealer. I don't recall the model we were looking at but it was red and in the 400cc class. Brand new on the showroom floor. He said he didn't like the color. I told him to get in the truck. I bought myself a Yamaha Kodiak 700 two weeks later.

I have a 2007 Yamaha 660 Grizzly & 2007 , 350 Grizzly Both have went through the works and still have never failed me ! Ive hauled Deer , Elk and loaded a 325 lbs black bear on the back rack and hauled it out of the woods and didn't even squeak ! Wouldn't even consider any other ATV. But I went with a 2020 Polaris Ranger for my choice of UTV. These are JMO !

I have been trading used Atv’s for close to 30 years now ,... in that time I have owned pretty much every make and model ,. Last count is I’ve owned approx 467 different Four wheelers . Honda and Yamaha are my two favorite brands ,...
I firmly believe that Honda “wrote the book” on Atv’s .
The 500cc Honda Foreman is my absolute fave and one of the best models ever due to it's simplistic design by not having a liquid cooled engine ( only oil cooled) ,. The Honda rancher models are bulletproof as well . Not a fan of the Honda Rincon or Rubicon due to their fluid driven transmissions .
The Yamaha grizzly and Kodiak line of Atv’s are bulletproof machines too ,.. I love the automatic belt drive design .
People seem to like the Polaris name but I won’t touch them or Suzuki based on past bad experience

I like 2wd ranchers pretty good. I have driven 4wd Hondas and was not impressed to say the least.

A lot of people seem to hold onto their atv's for a long time. They must be less maintenance than snowmobiles. I'm thinking a 2WD 300 is more cost effective to operate & maintain than a big one. Of course it won't haul as much, and probably can't go as many places in the snow. On the other hand, the 2WD is lighter if ya do get stuck. I kinda wonder if the smaller ones are more fun to ride than the big boys, of course in some respects the smaller (i.e. 300 machines) are less practical (they are better for going through tight places though). I like the fact the big machines have a higher ground clearance.

I have a 03 honda foreman 450 es 4 x4 Its never been sheded we run a logging opperation an cattle farm so it runs more days than not . It spends most days in the woods with two big chainsaws on the front ,fuel and oil and me .During the winter it helps feed cows it gets so much mud balled up in it you cant hrdly see te motor or axles . It starts and runs every time Ive changed the front cv shafts , tie rods , brakes ,a starter , a ecm , first gear is out of it but it just keeps going and going and going .
my dad has a polaris 500 sportsman ,i have to work on it . Amercan made or not i wouldnt wish a polaris on my wost enemy . The indepedant suspension , the drive belt and the electronics are all a nightmare waiting to leave you strande at the worst possible time

I have a kawasaki 300, a Polaris 500, and a Polaris 850. My advice is get a 500 4WD you will be glad you did. I personally would stay away from Arctic cat. If I was in your shoes I would look at a good used Polaris or Honda.

I have a Yamaha 400 Kodiak and a Yamaha 660 Rhino side-by-side... drive them hard in rough terrain and have never had an issue. Where I ride I would get stuck with 2WD and need 4WD, the 400 you can lift the back end out of ruts and rock it around- the 660 you need to winch. I've never owned a Honda ATV but It would be in my top choices based on what my friends have experienced.

Because they got bought out by Textron a few yrs ago?

No because I had one and it was constantly in the shop. It's the only one I've ever bought brand new and it was a nightmare.

Ive bought two over the last two years. I bought the smallest I could find. A Yamaha 450 Kodiak, and a Honda Rancher 420. We use ours for our business, and we use them hard in extremely rough country.

If I had it to do over again I would buy two Yamahas. The Honda Rancher has been and will be reliable like all Honda's. That being said, it has two problems that are so bad that I would never buy another one. The first is the gearing. Honda got it all wrong with this model, ( 2019 ) first gear is ok, but 2nd is way to high. Makes it hard to pull anything, or even work it hard. The trail into my trapline is a very rough 50-miles. On the Honda its 1st gear all the way in. The second problem with the Honda is the fact that it rides like a tank. Normally this isn't something that I would even think about, but its so bad its impossible not too. It rides so rough that even an hour on it is torture.

The Yamaha is a dream to ride in comparison to the Honda. The belt drive ensures you are always in the right gear, and the high and low range, and diff lock are great when the going gets tough. My wife uses the Yamaha and loves it. Cost for both machines was very similar so I would suggest Yamaha.

Honda for me.I own 2 both bought brand new,and use them both every year.
One -a 94 honda 4-trax 300-great little machine-still use it.Go all day start and stop on the trapline,hauling a trailer full of beaver,and burn about 2 cups of gas.Mtc and only parts over the years was a few batterys,brakes once,rear shock,choke plunger,and tire upgrade.
My "newer" machine is a 2006 420 rancher.I use it on the trapline occasionally,but mostly for pushing snow in winter in the yard.
They never fail to start.Both have besides the electric starter,a kick start (on the 300) and a pull start (on the 420),a choke,and a primer.The 300 also has a decompresser.
The 300 leaks a very little bit of oil,dealer said parts no longer available to fix,but no problem,just top it up if it gets a little low.

Agreed. I sure wish they still made that model. Mine still runs like a top.

My family had a 4x4 artic cat. Terrible idea- it basically fell apart. Engine problems.

They brought the 450 back I heard ?

Ive had Honda Foreman 500 for several years and its not the fanciest or prettiest machine out there, but it just plain works.... When I hit the button, it starts....every time!

I'm pretty sure the Cat 300 is somehow affiliated with Kymco & Tracker, but the connection is unclear (& may have changed when Cat got bought out). Tracker might be the same as the Cat, but just different stickers & less $. I had ruled out off off brands, but maybe the 300 Tracker isn't a generic.

I agree Honda & Yamaha are probably the best. If I look for used ones, they might be in my price range. I wish I was better at analyzing a used machine to ensure it still has good life left, ha.

Thanks. Good info so far.

YukonJeff.

I could not find the Big Bear on the current Yamaha website. I rode a Yamaha Kodiak up in Alaska a few months ago and liked it, however. Seems real similar to the Big bear but with Auto transmission. I like the manual transmission of my Big bear but seems all the manufactures went away from the manual transmission.

Buy a honda and never look back. The Honda rancher 350 is a good one.