Used foreman 450 - a good deal?

[HighUintas]

Hopefully no one decides to be a jerk if they're nearby and scoop this out from under me.

I don't know a ton about the specifics of atvs, but know a bit and I know if I get one for the mountains I want it to be as reliable as possible, as light as possible, and have as few parts that can break as possible. I've read the foreman 450s will run forever.

This would be used probably between 4k and 11k elevation. May or may not need to reject the carb. It's got 5500mi on it and is manual shift. Sounds like it's been taken care of and looks in pretty good shape.

Is the asking price high? I know atvs hold value much better than cars, but this is 27-28 years old. I was kind of thinking that at $2500, I'd definitely buy it.

https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/79536630

 

[180ls1]

Its probably fine. See if they will let you pop a compression tester in it.

I run into a guy who has 20,000+ miles on his Honda SXS.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

I have the exact same 4 wheeler except it's yellow in color, it was my dad's and i got it after he passed. It has been a very reliable 4 wheeler over the years and will get ya where ya need to go.

That's about the average price i see them out here here as well in good shape etc.

 

[Machingeaneer]

Unless it already has been jetted for elevation you will definitely need to from my experience. They are definitely simple and reliable machines but that does come with tradeoffs on performance.

 

[bpitcher]

I had that same model I bought from an ole boy in East Texas. I should have done a more thorough inspection as it appeared later that this guy must have used it to recreate his favorite Dukes of Hazzard stunts.

The oil seemed to be the original from the factory, the swing arm rusted through, and the front differential exploded out the front.

I say all that to say that it always got me home and they are incredibly reliable machines if you even pretend to do some level of basic maintenance. Hondas really just can't be beat in that category.

 

[HighUintas]

Thanks all. It's a bit hard to determine reasonable price on such an old ATV considering the covid induced used atv prices that existed a few years ago. I realize these things can run to 20k miles and when thinking of it from that angle and if it has been well taken care of, it seems that something 40-50% of MSRP when it was new is not out of line when it is only 25% through it's useful life. The only drawbacks are the lack of the "features" that make it nicer to use but don't really make it any more reliable and arguably less reliable.

I sure wish they would bring back something that is bare bones and bomb proof in the 350-450cc range. Those new ones are so heavy and expensive. It's weird having look at 25 year old ATVs to get the design features and specs a guy wants

 

[HighUintas]

Also looking for that first generation rancher 350 in manual shift. That would be the bees knees at nearly 100lbs lighter than a foreman

 

[Blockcaver]

That machine is a workhorse that the Inuits in the north of Canada abuse and can’t kill. They do have a firm seat and stiff bouncy ride. Much prefer my 2013 Grizzly 550 with power steering for riding with independent rear suspension and a soft seat but the ’ole Honda will get it done for you! Buy it if you can live with the ride.

And I owned a 2002 350 Rancher. Economical, totally reliable and still had the rough ride and hard seat. Good machine. Buddy still runs it.

 

[KenLee]

Reasonable price on that 4 wheeler. Id jump at $2500 if I needed one.
If you maintain them, they last a looooong time.
My brother has a 91 model 300 4x4 and I have a 94 model 300 4x4. Still 99% original and used every deer season and for sewing seeds on food plots. They need a battery every 4-5 years and let er rip!