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Free four wheeler??

S

SodBuster87

Member
I good friend of mine bought a new four wheeler. So he offered me his old one if I pick it up and pay the transfer out of his name. Here's the catch. I would have to drive across the state, about 4-1/2 hours one direction to get it. AND it needs a front axle, (broke) wiring work (keeps popping fuses). And the brakes need replacing.( Rusted up) Four wheeler is a 2005 Honda Rancher 350. He says he can take pics and get an estimate for repair from his local Honda dealer if I want. I'd have to pay for repairs and pick up. Good deal or pass? Not desperate for a four wheeler but would be nice to have a second one if the deal is right.
Thanks,
Sod Buster
 
Sounds like its had some rough treatment.If you do it and depending on the outcome
you will know just how good your friendship is.Id pass.
 
When I first started reading, I was thinking to jump on that deal.

By the time I finished, was wondering why you posted. As much as I'd like an ATV, I wouldn't hesitate to stay home on that one.
 
i just bought an 07 in near perfect condition w/th new tires and snow plow for 2300...with the issues you say, i'd pass.
 
It sounds good if you can make the repairs yourself. Likely will also need a battery. Do you have a truck or trailer to haul it? The 350 is a good machine.
 
It sounds like a parts machine. Will some of the parts work on your good four wheeler?
 
Personally, I’d take it, but there are things we don’t know enough about with your situation to give you good advice.

Sounds like you don’t need it. Do you have somewhere to store it?

What state are you going to have to drive across?

Can you do the repairs yourself?

-Scott
 
Those are the problems he's TELLING you about. How about all the other things that are wrong that he didn't bother mentioning? Do you think he's been diligent with routine maintenance like oil changes, tires and batteries?

As for having the dealer do the repairs, there's a reason he hasn't already done that: The cost of repairs will exceed the value of the four-wheeler many times over. The only way it works out is if you do the repairs yourself, buy the parts online, and don't put any value on your time.
 
4 1/2 hours is 200 miles? We used to do that to go
out to eat. The Rancher is a great 4 wheeler but if
you are questioning it for free you don?t need or
want it.
The axle and brakes anyone can do. Chasing a
short you might have to get help on.
The old saying ?don?t look a gift horse in the mouth ?
kinda fits.
 
Those are about the toughest four
wheelers out there. I would get it for
that. Of course I can fix things myself
so it would be cheaper for me than
someone who has to pay to have it done.
 
u don't want it i and 100s of others do tons of used parts for repairs and easy to work on .no reason to buy new parts
 
A good friend offered me a three legged horse once. Said all it needed was a few vet visits.
But it was free. And from a friend. AND ONLY A DAY'S HAUL AWAY.
Good deal
 
Good friend or just a friend? Seems to be a lot of conditions to the sale. Is repairing it a condition to get it out of
state?
 

Reminds me of a sign I have in my shop. It is a picture of a dog, it reads: Free dog, 3 legs, blind in one eye, broken tail, missing right ear, recently castrated...answers to the name of Lucky.
 
i'd go for it. all you have is the transfer fee and a couple hour road trip. worst case scenario is you sell the machine . sounds like the repairs are not that complicated. go to the web site bike bandit dot com and price out your parts, the repairs are not that complicated with a clymer manual.
 
That Rancher is a good 4-wheeler, but it sounds like it's been mistreated. I have a 98 400 Foreman and I have worn out 2 sets of tires
but the only repair has been starter brushes. If you can do the work yourself I would go for it, if not, it could be a money pit.
 
I would go for it, if nothing else you can resell or part it out. I bought my Honda Rincon 650 cheap because it wouldn't shift into any gears. It did have new tires, battery and a winch with snowplow so I figured I couldn't go wrong. I spent a weekend and less than $100 in parts and now have a nice machine. Lots of help online with repairs and of course Honda parts are available easily. Good luck
 
Go for it these are good machines, I don't understand what broke on front axle, CV Joint? Easy fix, aftermarket parts available. I have a Honda 450 Foreman over 10,000 miles never left the farm. Used like a tractor most of its life.
 
I have just a few thoughts.
First, I would (if it were me) decide what it will cost me for the trip and the paperwork.
Next, I would have to decide if it was worth it to me to get the vehicle.
Next, would I be willing to put the money into it to get it into usable condition.

As to getting estimates from a dealer??? NO WAY!!! It is always easier to spend somebody else's money than your own. Then there is the economy thing. Is there a more expensive way to fix up an older machine than going to a dealer? Probably not.

I would suggest that you decide if this is worth it to you. Then if you decide to take it, just go get it and deal with your own repairs. The more complicated the deal gets, the more it will cost you. There does come a time to "cut and run" if you know what I mean.
 
Broke(unrepaired) front axle speaks volumes. Once you get this stuff mentioned repaired, there will be an ongoing list of other things crop up. But - it's a good brand name, and maybe worth the effort. Just plan on plenty of time under it, before getting on it, and that goes for the next 100 hours of use.
 
I'd buy it and use the engine in a Rancher that has a blown engine. There are plenty of those around.
 
So after reading the replies. I'm probably going to go for it. Worst case scenario it has value as parts. I would probably stop a couple other places along the way to justify the trip across Minn. And it's something to tinker on. The weather will warm up someday. Not looking for something to ride 500 miles a day. If I can fix it for under $500-$1k it might be a nice ATV. Honda ranchers sure have a following.
 
I?d pass,used ones are pretty cheap. You can buy a good one cheaper than you can fix one up one
that?s been beat to death. The smaller ones don?t cost a lot new.
 
Any thing free is good, sometimes. Depends how far it is across the state. May be able to find used axle. If you are not busy go for it. Stan
 
I would pass it up. While you are replacing the axle and freeing up the brakes you might find worn out swing arm bushings, leaky wheel bearings, cracks in the frame bad shock and a ripped seat with half the foam gone and a gummed up carb. Free is when you get a running usable ready to go four wheeler hauled to you and dropped in your lap.

I have a 1985 first year two stroke 250 Polaris Ranger that was given to me highly used but running that I consider i 'got for free'. I used it for two and a half seasons and put a lot of miles on it till I bought a used Scrambler last summer. The only repairs to the ranger was a new starter.
 
We had a black cat at the seed plant called lucky, it had one ear from where it fetched the fan belt off the bosses wifes suv when she started it
one day while it was under the hood.
one day a customer asked why the cat was called lucky with only one ear. I told him that story and another one where I started a conveyor to load
peas in a hopper bin, and went up to to check how full the bin was after a couple minutes unloading the truck.
I got to the top and looked in there was a pair of green eyes looking out the dust at me ! The Cat was sitting up the conveyor tube trying to
catch birds in the hopper over lunch break. He must of got a heck of a ride backwards into the bin when I started the conveyor .

I got the ladder we used to climb in the bins and went in to get him out with a sack, the dumb thing took one look at me ran a circuit round the bin
and straight up the ladder out on the top. I could hear cat claws scratching on the smooth top cone for grip , then nothing. I was expecting dead
cat on the ground after that. That cat fell about 30ft off that bin landed on all 4's got up and ran away, the boss saw every bit of it !. we
didn't see him for a few days after then he started coming for food again. The customer was told his names lucky because he's "lucky" he hasn't
been killed at least twice we know of !
Regards Robert
 
(quoted from post at 01:54:41 02/07/19) I good friend of mine bought a new four wheeler. So he offered me his old one if I pick it up and pay the transfer out of his name. Here's the catch. I would have to drive across the state, about 4-1/2 hours one direction to get it. AND it needs a front axle, (broke) wiring work (keeps popping fuses). And the brakes need replacing.( Rusted up) Four wheeler is a 2005 Honda Rancher 350. He says he can take pics and get an estimate for repair from his local Honda dealer if I want. I'd have to pay for repairs and pick up. Good deal or pass? Not desperate for a four wheeler but would be nice to have a second one if the deal is right.
Thanks,
Sod Buster
Click to expand...

If you have ANY sense of adventure, GO FOR IT!

Nothing like a quality time road trip with the wife (or the "parts runner") if the wife is busy/disinterested! :shock:
 

If I had a 98 400 Foreman the first thing I would do is remove the original crankcase vent to the air box and re-rout it and nail it in place... The original set up has killed a many of'em...
 

The way I'd look at it is your going on a 4 1/2 hour trip to visit a friend, while there load the 4 wheeler up and bring it home.
If you decide it's fixable do the transfer, if not tell him to junk the paper work and ether part it out or scrap it.
 
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