Purchasing A Pre-Owned Off Road Vehicle

If you don't know much about off road vehicles yet and you want to start by purchasing a used model, you may be overwhelmed by your choices. There are many factors involved in finding and buying an off road vehicle.

First you need to decide what kind of ATV you are looking for. There are many different brands and kinds of off road vehicles. If you know what you want before you start looking, your search will be much easier.

You may already have a dollar amount that you're willing to spend. That amount will decide what models and years fit your budget. The higher your budget the newer, bigger, and in some opinions better your options are; but that same philosophy applies to everything in life.

Before you buy a used ATV you want to look it over and test drive it. Never buy an off road vehicle “sight unseen” without an iron clad guarantee. Here are a few things to keep in mind when checking over a potential used ATV to purchase:

1. Mileage and Hours. This gives you an idea of how much the machine was used.
2. Frame. Look for bent and/or cracked frame members and joints. Any damage at all to the frame should be an instant deal buster.
3. Oil. Check the condition of the oil. Milky oil indicates water in the crankcase. Smell for burnt oil too.
4. Plastic. Broken, missing, or cracked plastic can mean a possible past wreck or accident.
5. Suspension. Closely inspect the suspension parts for loose hardware or excessive wear and tear. These can be expensive to replace. Check the axles too when going over suspension.
6. Handlebars. Check for straightness. Bent handlebars indicates the ATV has been rolled in an accident.
7. Steering. Move handlebars from side to side. Inspect the steering linkage for worn or loose parts.

All of these and more, can mean the difference between paying to much for something you are not familiar with yet, or getting a fair deal to start you out in the wonderful fun world of off roading. One more thing to remember as well is that insuring your ATV is not the same for every vehicle. Rate factors include: value, CC's, and safety of the machine you are looking at. Check NY insurance rates on a few models before committing to the sale.