Elpatchi,

Yeah, I am still hesitant when it comes to Craigslist. I don't want to get screwed over, but dealership prices are very friendly with my budget.

 

buying a local quad on CL is like buying a car minus more and more paperwork. you can go up to the quad, start it, drive it, then decide whether to haggle or not. the scams on CL are fairly obvious. usually a funky price that's way too low for something that new,etc.....contact via email only, area code on phone number from somewhere not local to the viewed CL ad. i've bought quite a few on CL with no issues as i go to the quad to look it over and evaluate it.

 

I only buy used, 5 so far and never bough a bad one yet. Kind of hard to hide broken even on a short ride around the yard.

Once it leaves the showroom floor the ATV drops $1000 dollars.
Everyone on this forum is riding a used ATV that they like and its only a matter of time before they are up for sale.

 

Jaster,

Thanks for the opinion regarding Craigslist. I can definitely find way more options on it rather than a dealership. I think the only thing stopping me know is my budget. $2,000 was a giant stretch, and I even lowered my budget down to around $1,300 to feel more comfortable. I think I will slow my search down, because a $1,300 atv sounds like a disaster.

Maybe in the future when I can bump the budget up more.

 

TLC,

Good point about used vs new quad. I would just beat the hell out of it anyways, so there really is not point in buying new for a ridiculous amount of money. Although I lowered my budget to $1,300, which doesn't sound atv friendly.

Thanks

 

$1300 might not sound like much but you can buy a decent used 2wd utility, that's about what I paid for my 2002 2wd Honda Rancher 350 ES. Can probably get a 2wd Yamaha Big Bear for a similar amount of money. Neither machine is the fastest or most exciting to ride but the utility machines tend to make a bit more power on the low end so they're peppier than you would think. For riding on tight trails, top speed isn't as important as having low end punch to get you up hills and over obstacles. If you want to get a sport quad, probably something like a Yamaha Warrior or 300ex is within that price range.