Hello all, I'm new to the community and looking to buy my first Quad. I apologize if I've asked for a topic that a million people have already posted. Reason being is I was unsure exactly what factors mattered when choosing what to purchase. Little about myself I have minimal experience riding I've driven a grizzly a few times in the past and a few manual quads. I'm looking to purchase a quad (part finance/part cash) and spend any wheres around $5,000. I'm 25, 5'11 and weigh 190. My fiance is also looking same range and is 5'6 and weighs 145. We're looking to trail ride in the WV,MD,PA area and maybe use for hunting as well. Any help is appreciated and apologize if this is posted in the wrong place and for the topic I'm sure your all tired of answering. Thank you.

 

Can only recommend some things to you....go for 4wd, you won't be sorry! 400-500 is plenty unless your going west and riding in big mountains at high elevation. I owned a 300 for 16 yrs and it went every where I wanted east of the Mississippi and plowed a 300 ft long drive every winter and never had an issue. Stay away from Honda's with electric shift, their manual shift is fine but no electric shift. Most have CVT automatics and they are fine, so your choice whether manual shift (auto clutch) or CVT transmission. Sit on the machine and ride it around, each one is a little different and you NEED to find one that is comfortable to you!! A long ride on a machine that is uncomfortable sucks! Get a machine with at least 25" tires stock, stay away from 24" tired machines. Most of the major brands are good machines, stay away from the no name imports unless you like to constantly work on them. Kymco will prove to be the exception, they have established a name for themselves and will stand up to the major mfgrs. Other than those few things go shopping and let us know what you buy. Do your research on various atv's to get an idea what you might like, then try one out before buying....Always! If you can't get a good test ride then walk away

 

I guess my first thought is what type of riding/ what type of machine are you looking for? Of going new, I would look at the Yamaha Kodiak. Reliable, great belt system and 4wd system, maybe a little on the high side but worth a look.

 

I've seen the Outlander 450L base model priced at right around $5000 new around here. Its a great bargain at that price. I have a coworker who has one and he's a bigger guy(about 6'2", 275 lbs) and it has plenty of power for him. He did opt for power steering so his cost a bit more. But even without it, steering isn't too heavy. The Arctic Cat Alterra 450 is around the same price. If there is a Kymco dealer nearby, I'd check them out. Kymco makes the engine in the Alterra 450 and also the Alterra 700. The Kymco version is usually a little less expensive but its basically the same machine.
Another one would be the Polaris Sportsman 450 HO, again in the $5000 range new. I saw recently that Polaris is giving a free 2 year extended warranty on this model as well, that's a nice bonus to have.

 

Can't add much to what's been said. Look around at the 500 class machines if speed and really high altitudes aren't in the future. Personal favorite of mine is the Polaris Sportsman X2. For your price range you'd have to look for a used one. Great all around quad and best quad out there for work purposes in my mind. Has a 400 lb. rated rear suspension with a dump box. The dump box has a convertible seat for a passenger that you can flip up in about 10 seconds. Pretty much all of the 450-570 cc machines out there will meet your needs. Polaris and Can-Am have some nicely priced entry level machines in that cc class.

 

Welcome to the forums!.....Some great advice has been given so far....don't think I could add to it.

 

Thank you everyone for the responses so quickly. I have limited internet where I live so that's why I'm just getting back now. Hopefully this weekend i'll get a chance to go look at a few places. Someone asked about what kind of riding I look to do and it'll be mostly trail riding in the Appalachian mountains. Now do you guys think I'll have a problem in the Appalachian mountains? There obviously no wheres close to anything out west or should I be fine with the units yall have previously mentioned? Thanks again and I look forward to getting something soon!

 

It really depends on what you want to do more, have a fun trail riding quad, or a hunting quad. If you want to do a lot of trail riding, you should get a sport quad. For a beginner, I would suggest a Yamaha Raptor 350. They have quite a bit of power for their size. But if you want to do a lot of hunting, a sport quad like that won't work. You will need to get a Utility 4 wheeler. For around the house work, I have a Polaris Sportsman 500. I would suggest this, it works great for both hunting, and work. So it really depends if you want a hunting quad, or trail riding. Of course, you can still use 4 wheelers on trails, there just not as fun. Good luck.