UTV or ATV shopping

Oldpath

Active member
Nice to have cab with heat and AC but at 28k I'll pass, no way I can afford that for what it is, cant drive on a road and cant really do tractor work either. What is Polaris thinking or do most people have so much $$$ that they just need something to spend it on.....
 

bordercollie

Gold Site Supporter
Gold Site Supporter
I agree !!! Maybe the purchasers aren't worried about retirement or feeding themselves in a few years....
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
I have friends with $50,000 into Can Am turbo 1000's. I rode one of those and a Polaris RZR last week on a ride. The Can Am has a crazy amount of power. But after driving it and the Polaris I wouldn't want either one. Way too loud inside for my liking. And I'm a guy that had straight pipes on all my dump and highway trucks and I'm half deaf, LOL
Obviously they will go places my RVT1100 won't go, and faster........but for the money, I'll take slow, comfortable and reliable with my RTV.

And when all those Can Am's and Polaris's break down, I can line them up like rail cars and tow them all home, LOL

I lost all love for Polaris. I bought three new Sportsman ATV's and have found Polaris to not care about you or their dealers ripping you off.
My 570 came with a leaking water pump housing, clutches out of alignment and all four wheel bearings and springs are failed at only 2500 KM.

The water pump and clutches.....fixed under warranty (water pump still leaking) and I got the pleasure of paying $57 deductible to use the warranty at a week old. Polaris Corporate thinks that is acceptable.

Here where I am in Ontario Canada, Polaris Rangers, Can Am's, Yamaha's and Honda Pioneers are between $28,000 and $32,000 (a Honda Talon is $36,000) No thanks. For the $31,000 I have into my RTV-X1100C, I have AC, stereo loaded with everything and a Boss vee plow. It's a no-brainer where the smart money is spent there.
 

Oldpath

Active member
I have friends with $50,000 into Can Am turbo 1000's. I rode one of those and a Polaris RZR last week on a ride. The Can Am has a crazy amount of power. But after driving it and the Polaris I wouldn't want either one. Way too loud inside for my liking. And I'm a guy that had straight pipes on all my dump and highway trucks and I'm half deaf, LOL
Obviously they will go places my RVT1100 won't go, and faster........but for the money, I'll take slow, comfortable and reliable with my RTV.

And when all those Can Am's and Polaris's break down, I can line them up like rail cars and tow them all home, LOL

I lost all love for Polaris. I bought three new Sportsman ATV's and have found Polaris to not care about you or their dealers ripping you off.
My 570 came with a leaking water pump housing, clutches out of alignment and all four wheel bearings and springs are failed at only 2500 KM.

The water pump and clutches.....fixed under warranty (water pump still leaking) and I got the pleasure of paying $57 deductible to use the warranty at a week old. Polaris Corporate thinks that is acceptable.

Here where I am in Ontario Canada, Polaris Rangers, Can Am's, Yamaha's and Honda Pioneers are between $28,000 and $32,000 (a Honda Talon is $36,000) No thanks. For the $31,000 I have into my RTV-X1100C, I have AC, stereo loaded with everything and a Boss vee plow. It's a no-brainer where the smart money is spent there.
WOW 50k you have rich friends. I'm with ya on preferring a slow ride, my 2012 Rhino is way to fast in low range at 25 mph, should be 2-5 mph in low.
I never had a Polaris but after reading your horror story dont think I ever will, if they wont stand up and salute someone for buy 3 how much help would they be for just buying 1............
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
My first 2004.5 Sportsman 500 H.O. was awesome. It's still going even after plowing my property for 8 years. Never failed me. But the build quality and quality of parts they use in the new ones has gone way down hill.
How do you kill wheel bearings and springs in 24/2500 kilometres??? And the plastic panels never fit right. You know what Polaris corporate told me about the panels not fitting right? "Just drill holes and screw them together."
New Lock and Ride windshield cracked around all the mounting brackets on the first trail ride. They said no warranty on those.

The aftermarket one I have on the 500 has been trailered at 65 MPH and it's still ok, LOL
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
I know people where I live that bought them and were really happy. But within a year I heard them complaining about never being able to get parts?
 

Oldpath

Active member
My first 2004.5 Sportsman 500 H.O. was awesome. It's still going even after plowing my property for 8 years. Never failed me. But the build quality and quality of parts they use in the new ones has gone way down hill.
How do you kill wheel bearings and springs in 24/2500 kilometres??? And the plastic panels never fit right. You know what Polaris corporate told me about the panels not fitting right? "Just drill holes and screw them together."
New Lock and Ride windshield cracked around all the mounting brackets on the first trail ride. They said no warranty on those.

The aftermarket one I have on the 500 has been trailered at 65 MPH and it's still ok, LOL
Drill holes............ Are you kidding!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Oldpath

Active member
Getting parts from China could be a big problem but as more and more dealer networks get started that should be a bit easier, maybe. As of right now dont think I'd risk it.
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
I kid you not. Now you see why i get so fired up when I see the words Polaris. They got me even hating my beloved old 500 H.O. just because it says Polaris on it. LOL

Sad part is out of all the new ATV's they have some of the nicest features out there.
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
I really want to get rid of my Polaris's but I'm just going to ride them until they die. Because what do you replace them with? I still want something faster than the RTV for long rides with my friends.....but no way I'm paying 14 grand for a four wheeler now, or 30 for a side by side when they are worth a 1/3 of that.

So every time they break now, I buy cheap E-Bay parts instead of being loyal to Polaris like I used to do.

I even used to let the dealer do the oil changes because I used work so much, when I did get a day off I wanted to ride, not wrench. UNTIL I caught them charging me $500 for a service and finding none of the drain plugs were opened because they were still packed with mud.
 
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Oldpath

Active member
I really want to get rid of my Polaris's but I'm just going to ride them until they die. Because what do you replace them with? I still want something faster than the RTV for long rides with my friends.....but no way I'm paying 14 grand for a four wheeler now, or 30 for a side by side when they are worth a 1/3 of that.

So every time they break now, I buy cheap E-Bay parts instead of being loyal to Polaris like I used to do.

I even used to let the dealer do the oil changes because I used work so much, when I did get a day off I wanted to ride, not wrench. UNTIL I caught them charging me $500 for a service and finding none of the drain plugs were opened because they were still packed with mud.
Wow talk about lack of service, gee there cant be nowhere near $100.00 worth of fluid in a atv.........
 
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ItBmine

Well-known member
No, I have a bad dealer. I even HAD the oil in the storage box I told them to use. So they took my oil AND billed me for oil.

When I called them out on it, they offered me a free oil change. I never went back.

And like I say, the sad part is I had documented proof on every issue and when I contacted Polaris all I got was "sorry about your luck."
 
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ItBmine

Well-known member
I'm not going to say my Kubota's are never going to break, but at least I have a dealer now that looks after me and goes above and beyond now.
 

Oldpath

Active member
I almost bought a Kubota RTV back in 2013 but I really wanted diff lock on the front end and Rhino had it and was the only other brand that would fit through my basement doors. What I really liked about the RTV was the rear end would unlock and goes slower, so maybe in a couple years after I retire I might be able to trade in my Rhino towards a rtv, the good part is Kubota is just 15 mi away.
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
Yamaha is a good brand too. My problem is my Polaris dealer took over the Yamaha dealership too, LOL
 

Oldpath

Active member
Yamaha is a good brand too. My problem is my Polaris dealer took over the Yamaha dealership too, LOL
I dont whether to laugh or feel your pain, to late thats just funny.......
So far I had a 94 Susuki King Quad, aka king of gears, then a 96 Artic Cat 454, a real work horse for 10 years, then a 2004 Artic Cat V-Twin 650, to fast for working but good for riding, now a 2012 Yamaha Rhino, ok for easy work and good for riding which now I have no time for.
 

ItBmine

Well-known member
I've never had an Artic Cat. (guess who also sells Artic Cat in my town? LOL) Suzuki is another brand that was good but I lost touch with what they have now because I have no dealer any more.

I'd really like to get a 50 inch wide side by side because they can go where an atv can. And although I'm not that old, after many younger years racing dirt bikes and 36 years of trucking, my body is pretty beat up and it is getting uncomfortable sitting on a four wheeler all day. I'd rather be in the seat of a side by side. But I just can't stomach the prices now. That's why now when the wife and I go for a ride by ourselves we only take the RTV now. And we get to enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
 
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