Reliability of Arctic Cat, Can-Am and Polaris ATVs

[Lostboy]

Hey guys and gals,
If you've seen my previous posts you know I'm in the market for a new 2-Up 4x4 ATV to be used mainly for Ice fishing. Obviously I have to go with one of these 3 manufacturers If I want a 2-Up (no I don't want a side-by-side or a snowmobile). I'd like to hear your take on the reliability of these three manufacturers... Good stories and bad...

Please limit your posts to these three manufacturers as the others don't make a 2-Up and that is what I'm going to buy. Also lets not slam or praise unless you have real honest experiences to share.

I will be using your replies to help me choose. I have good dealers for all three makes close to where I live so that is not a factor.

Thanks in advance!

[Lostboy]

Come on folks help me out... 

[ice dawg]

I have never had a reliability problem with my Arctic Cat no matter the weather or temperature. What else do ya want??

[Lostboy]

That's what I'm looking for...
I don't want a machine that will spend half its time in the shop... or has inherent problems. A dealer will always  tell you thier machines are the best... I want to know from the riders if they have problems or I should avoid a certain make.

[Tailgunner]

LB....This one is really easy.....Get a CAT...or stay home!! 

[Skipper]

The truth is, with all honesty, there is not a bad machine on the market right now.

My Polaris Sportsman 500 HO has been rock solid. It always starts and runs, no matter what. I had a little carburetor problem when I first got it, but most of the problem was the idiot dealership that would not just tear the carb down and fix it. It had a manufacturing defect in the carb that caused a valve to stick and flood the engine. It was an intermittent problem and the dealership would not fix it unless I brought it too them flooded. I finally brought it to them totally flooded, and they let it sit on their lot for 6 weeks before the brought it in to "fix" me for arguing with their mechanical expertise. I finally threatened to haul it to Roseau to get it fixed, and they got scared of the wrath of corporate Polaris and said they fixed it. Of course the engine was no longer flooded after 6 weeks of sitting, so it started right up and I drove it on my trailer. It did it again two weeks later, and it was then off of warranty. They told me to get bent. I brought it to a shade tree mechanic who fixed it for $50 and I have never had a problem with it since. And yes, what I told the dealership to fix was exactly what was wrong with it. I would recommend you go dealer shopping, and buy from the one who will give you the best deal and makes you feel comfortable. Don't buy from arrogant jerks just because they will give you a deal, you will pay for it in the end.

Everyone I know with a newer Arctic Cat or Polaris ATV is very happy with it.

[jmayo]

I coul not agree more that with what skipper is saying I myself am a "shadetree small engine guy and have woked on a number of these machines no matter which one you get just remeber maintenance is your friend any of them will preform well in all conditions as long as you take care of it

John

The truth is, with all honesty, there is not a bad machine on the market right now.

My Polaris Sportsman 500 HO has been rock solid. It always starts and runs, no matter what. I had a little carburetor problem when I first got it, but most of the problem was the idiot dealership that would not just tear the carb down and fix it. It had a manufacturing defect in the carb that caused a valve to stick and flood the engine. It was an intermittent problem and the dealership would not fix it unless I brought it too them flooded. I finally brought it to them totally flooded, and they let it sit on their lot for 6 weeks before the brought it in to "fix" me for arguing with their mechanical expertise. I finally threatened to haul it to Roseau to get it fixed, and they got scared of the wrath of corporate Polaris and said they fixed it. Of course the engine was no longer flooded after 6 weeks of sitting, so it started right up and I drove it on my trailer. It did it again two weeks later, and it was then off of warranty. They told me to get bent. I brought it to a shade tree mechanic who fixed it for $50 and I have never had a problem with it since. And yes, what I told the dealership to fix was exactly what was wrong with it. I would recommend you go dealer shopping, and buy from the one who will give you the best deal and makes you feel comfortable. Don't buy from arrogant jerks just because they will give you a deal, you will pay for it in the end.

Everyone I know with a newer Arctic Cat or Polaris ATV is very happy with it.

[Skipper]

If anyone wants to know where NOT to buy an ATV in the central MN area, shoot me a PM. These guys are USDA prime horses butt.

[USMarine2001]

I got a 2008, Polaris X2 500 HO, 2 trips to dearship for warranty stuff, nothing cause the machine to not perform correctly, it's got EFI so it has all sorts of sensors, relays, etc, I had check engine light on and it was over a air temp sonsor, they changed it out in 2 days(had to order part) it went back the second time cause the mech bent a prong which caused it not to get correct voltage, it was fixed in 5 mins, human error. So basiclly its been up there once, but the machine worked just fine.

[ice dawg]

That's what I'm looking for...
I don't want a machine that will spend half its time in the shop... or has inherent problems. A dealer will always tell you their machines are the best... I want to know from the riders if they have problems or I should avoid a certain make.

I went to all the dealers in my area and got brochures for every brand of machine except Can Am which doesn't have a dealer here. I studied the information, went back to the dealers and asked questions that I had about the different machines. I liked the features of the brand that I bought and and there were three different models of the 400 cc machine. I bought the model that had the features that I wanted. One thing that I liked was that it had a wet clutch which runs in engine oil and the belt is always tight. I also wanted independent suspension, automatic tranny, locking front differential and a gauge pod which was an add on on some other brands. I have had great luck with this machine, but I think I would have been happy if I had bought one of the other brands also. All I'm saying is study their specifications and buy the one that YOU want.

[IceFishinJoe]

I have a Arctic Cat that I use quite a bit on the ice and have never had a problem with cold starting or any other on the ice.

Joe

[yog]

had my cat 4 years now,no real trouble with it,fell out of truck on a mule deer hunt, but those repairs wasn't the bikes fault. its been a great ice buggy

[Drifter_016]

had my cat 4 years now,no real trouble with it,fell out of truck on a mule deer hunt, but those repairs wasn't the bikes fault. its been a great ice buggy

           

[Stump Puller]

I've owned all kinds of snowmobiles and quads, and three wheelers over the years, with proper maintenance they will all be reliable. If I had to pick one, I would pick my 84 Yamaha three wheeler, I had that thing for 14 years and couldn't kill it. It never ever let me down in the bush or on the ice.

[esox_magnum]

I had an 83 225 DXL Yammi 3 wheeler back in the day to, I miss that thing, couldnt hurt that thing and I abused it to no end. Last quad I owned was a Polaris 500 Magnum and rode it in the gravle pits, river, deep snow, moto cross tracks, 12,000 feet up in the Rockies , sat in the back of my truck outside from Oct till mid Jan always started and never let me down.

[TIBS]

I have a 2003 arctic cat 4x4 400, it's been a great machine.  It did have a hard time starting it once on the lake, but it was 20 below zero with 30 mph winds, it wasn't the quad though, just the battery puked on me.  Pull started just fine.  That's what the cord is there for.

I also tried jumping it off a snow bank once, stupid me.  I ran up the bank, was a lot steeper than I thought, went straight into the air, I went flying, and the quad landed on the back axle and back rack at the same time, and there it stood on the back wheels and rack.  I flipped it back on all 4 wheels and started right back up and away I went.  The rack was slightly bent, but the axles were just fine.

[wildfan]

Not sure if you are still shopping or not.

I have a Polaris 800.  Not the 2-up, but its the same machine just with slightly shorter frame and no second seat.  I have owned 2 Polaris 500's, 2 700's, and this is my second 800.  I'll never buy anything else but Polaris.  Not that the others aren't any good, just that I've had such great luck with Polaris I have no need to shop others.

I don't own, but have ridden both the Polaris 800 X2 (with the "trunk" with the flip up seat for a rider), the 800 2-up (with the full-time back seat), and the new 850 XP 2-up.  If money isn't a consideration, go with the 550 or 850 XP 2-up.  FREAKING AWESOME MACHINES!  But for a little less $ and features, the 500 or 800 2-up are great machines as well.

If you plan to haul a rider frequently, stay away from the X2 with the flip-up seats.  They are VERY uncomfortable for the rider unless its a kid.

[dcso3009]

Not sure if you are still shopping or not.

I have a Polaris 800.  Not the 2-up, but its the same machine just with slightly shorter frame and no second seat.  I have owned 2 Polaris 500's, 2 700's, and this is my second 800.  I'll never buy anything else but Polaris.  Not that the others aren't any good, just that I've had such great luck with Polaris I have no need to shop others.

I don't own, but have ridden both the Polaris 800 X2 (with the "trunk" with the flip up seat for a rider), the 800 2-up (with the full-time back seat), and the new 850 XP 2-up.  If money isn't a consideration, go with the 550 or 850 XP 2-up.  FREAKING AWESOME MACHINES!  But for a little less $ and features, the 500 or 800 2-up are great machines as well.


What he said...
I love my 800.  Runs perfect, starts easy, great power, and a great ride.  Only problem with mine was caused by the dealer.  Skipper I too know a dealer like yours.  Took it to a different shop for repair (at no charge) and no problems for 3 years now.
If you plan to haul a rider frequently, stay away from the X2 with the flip-up seats.  They are VERY uncomfortable for the rider unless its a kid.

[Fish_4_Food]

I have a 2008 polaris 700 x2. Had a wiring problem with one of the censers caused the check engine light to come on. Wasn't big deal and was covered under warranty. I use it to haul wood ,pull deer out of woods, ice fish,plow snow and trail ride. I couldn't be happier with the performance.

[Hollywood703]

I had a 2005 400tbx 4x4 that thing was a beast, but weighed like a beast also.....12" of ground clearance stock and 1200 lbs towing on the hitch....Cant ask for more than that out of a 400...The only problem was it was huge.....8' overall length due to dump box, so she wasnt a trail rider. My next will be a AC UTV.

[9huskies]

I don't use my ATV in the winter because it's not 4WD.  I am an active member of 2 ATV clubs and go on a lot of club rides the rest of the year.  Any ATV made by a major snowmobile or motorcycle company is going to be reliable for many years.  If I could afford a new ATV it would be a Polaris 550X2.  It can be switched from 2WD to true 4WD and has "turf mode which unlocks the rear differential allowing for  tighter turning without tearing up the ground.   Also the ski resort near me uses ATVs for summer and fall maintenance work.  They have 2 Polaris 500s,  one Arctic Cat 400 TBX and a Bombardier(Can-Am) machines.  The people who work there say the Polaris machines are the bet of the three and the Bombardier comes in second.  They say the Cat feels too tippy on the mountain terrain.  That  probably would not be an issue on a frozen lake but most of us use our ATVs all year.

[bushyjr]

i have a can am outlander xt 800 great atv i put chains on for ice fishing and big mudders for the summer mud bogs no issues that i didnt cause but they do eat brakes i hear 

[JIGGIN-]

I have the Cam AM 2 up limited 800.

Both the wife and I love it and use it primarily for ice fishing. I had to put spacers on the front wheels so that I can run chains front and back. Came with a winch and weighs close to 900 lbs. Very heavy but never been stuck either. It is a work horse and pulls my (heavy) bobhouse without any problems. I suggest chains on the front too.

Came with a GPS which mounts on the handle bars and is nice for marking your spots and finding your way should it be foggy or snowy.

Only problem that I had was there is no pull start, but not sure I could even pull start it if I had to.

JIGGIN.

[ICE KID]

I would go with a Polaris, I had a 90cc, my dad had a 400 cc, and after we sold them, a few years later we bought a 2009 800cc sportsman
and let me tell you that baby pulls, another good choice would be an arctic cat, but on my uncles, the tires that came with it had tiny lugs compared to a Polaris, and we ended up paying for it, 500 snow geese circling your spread but not landing because theres a 4 wheeler with a trailer out in the middle of the field , lets just say, that was the last time he went out riding with those tires