More ATV help: Is 3100 miles too many?

Guys,

I just found a Polaris Sportsman near me. It’s not listed anywhere, it was sitting in a driveway with a for sale sign.

2004 Polaris 500 HO. Looks to be in good condition, not beat or faded. The guy wants $2500 but seemed real eager to deal. Make me an offer. What would you give me? Etc. IMO, that seems to be a pretty good price and if I could get it for $2250, that would be even better.

The possible catch: It has 3100 miles on it.

Of course, he claims it’s a trail machine, never beat, and there’s no plow mount on it. He claims it was never used in the winter. I know all of this can be BS lines, but in general I’d say I don’t see any signs that would contradict this.

Is 3100 miles on an atv a lot? Is that like buying a truck with 50,000 on it or more like 150,000? What’s considered “used up” when it comes to an atv and mileage?

Many thanks.

Grouse

Also try the ATV forum on fishing side. Might be more traffic.

I hear of quads going 6K plus without major issue but so far my longest is just past 3100. I have no issues with the machine but its not a Polaris. It’s see’s no mud, snow or deep water and truly is a trail/road only riding machine.

That’s 387 miles a year or 32 miles a month. Doesn’t seem excessive in those terms, however I would not justify the purchase on my opinion. I put 500 miles on mine in 4 years.

It really comes down to maintenance. If it has been maintained meticulously then you could reasonably expect 10k+ miles. If you ask around everybody has their own answers. I consider the 100k mark to be around 4k miles. Some people trail ride them hard enough where after 3k they are shot, others 7k others 10k. I know people who will put 2-3k on per year and run them for 5 years and they keep on keepin’ on. Taking it to a trusted dealer or mechanic and having them check it out isn’t a bad idea.

You hear of people getting screwed all the time nowadays, so the mechanic route would be a must for me.

I’ve been seeing quite a few 04 Sportsman HOs going roughly for $3,000 with about 1,500-2,000 miles as somewhat of a gauge.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Yes, the price was clearly reflecting some extra miles. I’m with you ben, the going rate for the 2004-2005 ATVs seems to be in the 3000-3500 range with the mid-1k miles.

The guy seems really motivated to sell, so he might just consent to a mechanic evaluation.

Grouse

Maintenance is key. I know ranchers with 75,000 miles or more on their wheelers.

seems like a good price! and its a pretty good unit.. I would offer him 2 grand just to save a few bucks! meet him anywhere in the middle.. it seems to be a good price from the start!

good luck!

Is this carb or efi? I know the switch was right around there. Seems likea good price.
DT

Update on the ATV hunt.

I’m seeing so many for sale that I decided to pass on the 3000+ miler. Main reason was that I’m seeing wheelers in the same age group with 1500-2000 miles for within a few hundred bucks of the price this guy wanted. Main problem now is getting time to go out and see them all. Guys are being a little liberal with their descriptions to try to attract metro area buyers. One guy said he was “just outside of the north metro.” I figured that meant Forest Lake, etc. Turns out his address mapped as just south of Pine City!

Other reason was the color. No, really. It sounds lame, but this is a hunting machine and property management machine and I’d much rather have camo or the dull green and this one was the bright yellow. I like a low profile.

Question for everyone: Where can I get the compression specs on Polaris ATVs? I’ve found several sites that list the ratio 10:2, etc, but not the PSI which is what the checkers read in.

Many thanks.

Grouse