I bought a 375 Arctic Cat 4wd in 2002. I had to have it for a bear hunting trip up in Canada.

Since then I have plowed my snow each winter. Pulled trees off that fell. My grand kids ran it ragged most summers.

It start good most of the time. A little cold blooded in the winter, even being in the pole barn.

I have 25 acres here and its fun time for the whole gang when family visits.

I won't buy another till this one dies. 18 years and still strong.

I wonder how the Textron takeover of Arctic Cat has effected the quality of Cat ATVs

I think Kymco was (maybe still is) involved with the manufacturer of Cat's Alterra 300 model. I don't want to consider a product that might be a dud. It's probably a fine machine, with a rider just having to decide if a 300 meets their needs & budget. Is it a cadillac, no, but if it's pretty good then that might be good enough for moderate use on a limited budget.


Used Honda's are hard to find around here.

I have 2 arctic cat 4x4's that have done well so far. 2001 250 that is my trapping rig bought it used from a dealer about 10 years ago. The only big thing that I have done in the last few years was shock mounts and new cv boots. My other is a 2006 400 that I bought from a farmer friend. They bought it new used it a couple of years then purchased a side by side and never used the
AC again. They had shoved it in the back of a lean too and had all sort of crap piled on it. I offer 500 bucks as is. I had it running the next day I did put in a carbkit later on the rubber on the needle had dryed out. And other 4wheeler is a 1985 honda 2 wheel drive 4 traxs another bullet proof machine other than it helpless in the snow.
Now having said all that My brother in law bought his mom, my mom in law a Kawasaki Mule 610 4x4 and she doesn't like it. So I if have been using it this summer and fall absolutely love it. Not a very fast machine or quick to wind up.Tops out around 25mph which is fine for what I do.
J

What you must keep in mind is every ATV has a limit and it all depends on what you plan on doing with it.

I have a 1987 Kawasaki Bayou (2WD 300 cc) and it was still being used for trapping and hunting up until to 3 years ago. I bought this thing brand new in1986 and I always kept up with normal maintenance. I spent very little money on this machine and to date I never had to take the motor apart to replace anything on it. It's still running fine, I just need to put new tires on it and do a brake job and the kids will soon be using it.

It is cheep on gas but not so good in the snow. The big advantage it is very light so when you do get stuck you can lift this thing up and move it around. I always carried a portable winch and all was well. Since it is a smaller atv it much easier to manoever off the main trails like when going through thick brush to pick up a deer.

For past 5 years I have used a 2002 Artic Cat (4x4 500 cc). It is much harder on the wallet. It does ok in the snow but when you are running checks on yotes and you are stuck in the middle of a corn field, guess what... Because it is a 4x4 I have a tendancy to push the limits. I never did this with my Kawasaki ( I used the snowshoee a lot more!). Not the best machine but it does the job. It is mostly being used for trapping and hunting. If I had to buy a new ATV, it would not be Artic Cat.

My wife and I have started to ride the local trail system with it and I am now considering buying a new two seater possibly Argo or Can Am not sure yet (if anyone has one of these it would be great if you provide some feedback).

However, if Kawasaki had a two seater option I would definately buy another Kawasaki that is for sure. Overall, very reliable ATVs.

Just my opinion and I hope it helps.

Here's an interesting 1: I know almost nothing about CFMOTO. I consider them somewhat generic/off-brand, but maybe I'm wrong. They might be ok. The price sure is nice for this 400 if one wants to go the 4WD route, but geez this thing is heavy for a 400...much heavier than anything else in its class. I don't like the made in China part though.

https://cfmotousa.com/atvs/cforce-400

Hunter 1- good info. Longevity is a big thing I'm looking for in an atv.

I've been kicking around buying one to replace the old garden tractor that I use in the woods to pull trailer for wood.
Seems to me there are few with low miles and approx 20 years old but they aren't cheap.

There is a 2000 Honda 4x4 foreman 450 with 800 miles for $3500 on my local craigslist.
A couple of older low miles ones in the same approx price range.

How many miles is alot for a ATV?

I am no expert on this, but I would say it depends on how well it has been kept. One of the things I would be doing is speaking with a local ATV dealer.

I would certainly ask about the number past owners, I would look at overall wear and tear starting with listed mileage, whether parts have been replaced, evidence of oil leaks. I would ask for invoices related to repairs. I would also ask what it was used for. I would also do so research on ATV forums, there is a lot of good info you can get on known problems with specific models. That may help you with your inquiries.

My old Kawasaki has never seen dirty oil....I am sure it made a difference. I can't say about the Artic Cat since it was own by someone else before I got from my father. However, the odometer on this 2002 is showing 4835 kilometers about 3004 miles which is not much.

If you are not sure what to look for take someone knowledgeable to look at it.

Unfortunately, these machines including old ones are selling pretty good and if well maintained will run for a long time. They are still selling for a good price

I am sure someone else with a lot more knowledge may offer some good tips on what to look for.

Hope it helps

The thing that puzzles me is the Arctic Cat 300 comes w/ a plow mount, but I doubt one could plow in 2WD.

If I get a 300, I'll probly get chains. If chains on a atv work as good on chains on a truck, then chains might be the answer for someone that either can't afford or doesn't want a big bulky atv. 1 thing about chains though is they wouldn't work on a driveway because I think they'd tear up asphalt. Ground clearance is less on the 300s but they are much lighter.

Nope, for many years I have used my 2 W/D Kawasaki to plow my driveway. The only thing you need to do is put enough weight on the rear rack to get some traction. No need to get chain for it. I am up in the Ottawa Region and we do have good snow accumulation up here and it sure did the job.

Hope it helps.

That does help, thanks

Never underestimate dealers wanting to get rid of old stock. Thats how i got my 07 honda rancher, two
years after. Saved thousands. Theyll deal iffn you can swing it. Doesnt matter how nice a used wheeler looks, 98% have been through crap or salt. The maintenance is the key. Most dont. Without tearing apart rearends, you wont know the facts. Things can be doctored to hide an issue for a sale. Good used can be found, but with atv's it's more of a crapshoot...but thats just my opinion.

I have a 750 Suzuki king quad. Between the power and the height that thing can go almost anywhere

I have a 06 Honda Foreman 500, with 15000 miles on it and had very few issue with it. Hard to beat a Honda in my opinion, Ive had others that worked fine also but the Honda seems more reliable to me.

I to say yamaha or honda,
That said I ended up with a dealer demo suzuki king quad 450 4x4 back in 2007.
Gets rode hard and put up wet , I don't put many miles on it any more just trapping and back up wheels.
Got a side by side yamaha wolverine and like it.
Go ride them all if you have time, $$ money also plays a part , rebates special's or good ol' cash in hand
Has got me some pretty good deals.

I would think again about a side by side.
They are much more useful than an atv.
Some places even allow them on the streets in town.
Haul your gear in the back and pull a trailer to haul that buck out of the woods.
just

Ideally both, but wheeler first. Depends on the ground. Sometimes the sxs doesnt fit or it's too heavy for conditions.
Same with big bore atvs. Under 500cc can be manhandled easy enough. Others, you need a winch, come-along,
farm-jack, shovel, or all above. Its all good when youre on the surface, not so much when you break through.

UTV's are becoming more popular than atv's around here, but for me they are too bulky and out of my price range.

we have owned 6 ATV's in our lives and one UTV - All have been Honda except one and that was a Yamaha.. Honda is the preferred choice for us...Routine Maintenance is about all we've ever had to do.

1 thing I haven't seen any report of is fuel efficiency. I'm on a tight budget. I can only surmise the bigger the atv the more fuel it will use, but I'm not sure how that works. My guess is the 300 2x4s are quite fuel efficient. The ~400 4x4s probably as well

My experience is mostly with snowmobiles, not atv's.

I would say 2wd Hondas do pretty decent fuel economy wise. That's another reason to buy 2 wd. You don't have to buy a Honda. But I do like 2 wd because they turn on a dime. Big thing is run tires with aggressive tread in the rear.