Just looking for random thoughts on various brands and configurations.
My post will be more of an exercise in getting my thoughts down on paper, so to speak, to help me decide which way to go...
In Arizona, I had a Yamaha Kodiak 450 that I used to ride around the woods and desert and it was great. Bought it brand new in 2002 and all it ever needed was tires and oil changes. My ex took it in the divorce to be spiteful.
Then I moved up here and eventually bought an old 2001 Polaris Sportsman 500 for $800 from a neighbor that had neglected it. Put another $700 in it getting the carb rebuilt new fluids, new tires, etc. Ran good but I only took it out 3-4 times in the past couple of years. Main reason was my dog refused to ride in a trailer for it and he's too old to keep up with for more than 100 yds.
I felt guilty going into the woods without him.
So I bought a Jeep Wrangler and the dog loved riding in the back of it in the woods. But, the Forest Service and the timber companies own the land out here and put thousands of metal gates across the logging roads leaving only enough room for an ATV or 50" UTV to go around. Many gates have enough room for the larger UTVs to get around them but I was told they are cracking down on wider UTVs by writing tickets.
I took the Polaris into the woods last week and rode it for a good 15 miles. I discovered that it needed a new drive belt, the starter was going bad, and the front brakes were shot. My local ATV shop told me that 70% of their business was from Polaris products...
So I sold it Tuesday for $2200 with full disclosure of the work it needed. I had 4 people in line to buy it.
So now I just have the Jeep, which has been for sale for the past two weeks without a single bite.
Jeeps are hard to find for under $10k around here and mine is priced at $6500 or best offer for an `89 Jeep Islander Edition with all the goodies like a lift, big tires, bumpers, hard top, half doors, 6cyl, 5spd, etc.
So, once the Jeep sells, I will be in the market for an ATV. Or a UTV.
I originally wanted a UTV (side by side) because they have a bed on the back that my dog could ride in so that he could come with me into the woods.
There is a Cub Cadet dealer nearby that had a bunch of their re-designed Challenger UTVs. I was impressed by the quality and the price. Did some research and they are really highly rated. The Challenger 550 is $9999 and comes standard with the hard top, doors, windshield, and winch. Other UTV manufacturers list those as options and they will cost you an extra $2k to $3k.
But, the Challenger is 61.6" wide. Forest service and logging companies restrict vehicles to 50" wide.
So they make UTVs 50" wide. I know Honda makes the Pioneer 500 and Cub Cadet has the Challenger 400. I believe Polaris also has a small Razr that is at the 50" width.
Of course the Honda is $9k and the Cub Cadet is $7500. And the Honda doesn't have a bed; it has a rack. The bed is a $300 option.
But I don't know if my dog will fit in the bed of the smaller UTVs. He's a 100lb lab/Great Dane mix.
And I don't know if I'll fit, especially with a passenger. I wear a 54" suit coat and am 6'2" and 300lbs.
And one of the trails I took last week my ATV barely fit on and it was super steep and technical. No way I would take a UTV on it.
So I don't know. I live in town and don't need a UTV or an ATV for chores. I don't have any friends with ATVs or UTVs that I would go riding with on weekends. I mostly go and park at one of the gated roads and hike in with my dog.
My family will use ATVs during hunting season to scout and haul out game, but that's just a month or two in the Fall that one would be pretty essential.
The smaller UTV would be perfect for that.
We also have a family cabin in the mountains about a mile from a giant lake and there are no gate restrictions on the roads around there, so the larger UTV would be perfect there for running around the woods, doing chores, running down to the lake, etc.
Maybe I should get a boat instead...