looking for used quad - inspections - ppl hesitant

[bigmikeystylez]

Ive been browsing kijiji for used quad and asking ppl if they are ok with having their quad inspected before i buy.....im finding a lot of ppl not wanting to have their machine inspected and a cpl of them downright rude about it. Just curious what everyone here thinks of this.....as a newb i dont know a ton about quads and realy am worried about buying a lemon or something that needs a lot of work.


when i hear someone doesnt want their machine inspected i think they have something to hide about their machine.....thoughts?

 

[rsaruk]

Ive been browsing kijiji for used quad and asking ppl if they are ok with having their quad inspected before i buy.....im finding a lot of ppl not wanting to have their machine inspected and a cpl of them downright rude about it. Just curious what everyone here thinks of this.....as a newb i dont know a ton about quads and realy am worried about buying a lemon or something that needs a lot of work.


when i hear someone doesnt want their machine inspected i think they have something to hide about their machine.....thoughts?

They may not want to deal with the hassle of taking it somewhere else. Sure there would be no issues you bringing someone to look at it at their place as long as nothing is being taken apart. If there was then I would be hesitant to buy.

 

[HOTLAP]

I agree with rsaruk, if you can find a mechanic to inspect it at the sellers location I would think anyone would be OK with that unless they had something to hide.
Price range also makes a difference, if your looking at a one or two year old machine at a high price then an inspection seems approperate, if however your looking at a $3,000 to $4,000 machine then maybe not so much as in that price range you have to expect to put some time & money into it anyway, very likely it will need a tune up, filters, oil change maybe some brakes and/or wheel bearings stuff like that. I'd plan on putting another $500-$1,000 in any older machine in that price range.

 

[moyiesledhead]

Maybe they're just tired of Kijidiots making them jump through hoops for days on end and then low balling them with stupid offers. Lots of that on Kijiji these days. Ask me how I know!

 

[bigmikeystylez]

thx guys.....i understand the idiots. ive dealt with many of them when selling on kijiji.

i just wanna make sure the machine i buy is in good shape...no major issues

 

[DaveB]

Bring a “quad guy” with you to look at prospective machines....

 

[bigmikeystylez]

if i knew one i would for sure

 

[Mach1]

Maybe they're just tired of Kijidiots making them jump through hoops for days on end and then low balling them with stupid offers. Lots of that on Kijiji these days. Ask me how I know!

I agree 100% but when wanting in the 2-3000 expect work to be needed or old. You will not get much for 3k go to 5 and opens the doors to a lot more....think of the max you want to spend....kiji people are nuts at times. Good luck

 

[nast70]

Me personally would never buy a used quad. I know what they go through, even something gently ridden. The ones you find that are still showroom, are few and far between. For the couple grand you save in inheriting someone else's headaches, buy new instead.

 

[DaveB]

if i knew one i would for sure

Well if you need to look at one around Red Deer drop me a PM on here....I'll go with ya.

 

[KWIK RACING INC.]

you have to look at a few major areas.. just like checking a car or truck. you jack up the front end and check for movement in the Wheel bearings, tie rod ends. All your A arm bushings, top and bottom and your ball joints, top and bottom. Most people never service this stuff soon enough and most the time one or more of the parts listed are worn out. People just really know one thing and that is pressing the throttle and the brake, when it comes to maintance they are clueless on a quad or sxs.

You do the same for the rear, jack it up and check for wheel bearing play and trailing arm play in the bushings or bearings, whatever your machine has.

You check the condition of the engine oil, the gearbox oil, the rear and front diff oil to see condition of those fluids. Also check the anitfreeze condition and color of the fluid.

Start machine up and listen to it idle. Rev it some and go ride it a bit. Listen to the valves if they are noisy or not. Machine should not backfire under accel or decel. That might be a tuning problem. If its a EFI machine then make sure the machine has a tuner with a slip on pipe especially the newer machines now that come so lean from the factory cause of emmisions. Can am mainly.

Check steering stem play back and forth and see how much the steering stem bushing is worn.
Make sure it goes into gear smoothly. check High and Low and reverse that machine does what its suppose to do in the gears.
Most important is to take the clutch cover off and inspect clutches. Dirty and muddy dusty clutches do not work well at all and rob the clutches of the ability to transfer the power to the rear wheels effectively. This is a sign of neglect big time. Check the belt for flat spots and glazing and burning. Signs of this shows neglect on the part of the owner. Check the oneway bearing for smooth operation

Make sure all lights work and see if owner has service records of what has been done to the machine over time. Anyone who looks after there machine keeps receipts and a log of mileage of when things where done.

This is a lot to check but believe me i know sooooo many that have bought used machines that thought they where in good working order and that was not true. To find someone who takes care of there machine like a handful do, is hard to find

 

[bigmikeystylez]

thank you very much!!! I appreciate it! I'm going to an acreage about 30ish mins south of Edmonton tomorrow around noon to check out a used polaris sportsman 800.......lower kms, looks in good shape. cant wait to se it

 

[KWIK RACING INC.]

The problem is sometimes that is you have no experience in doing all these tests to the machine and stuff then it is really helpful if you can take someone with you that is well versed in doing all this. And forgot one thing.. should also check the condition of the brake pads and rotors.

 

[bigmikeystylez]

you have to look at a few major areas.. just like checking a car or truck. you jack up the front end and check for movement in the Wheel bearings, tie rod ends. All your A arm bushings, top and bottom and your ball joints, top and bottom. Most people never service this stuff soon enough and most the time one or more of the parts listed are worn out. People just really know one thing and that is pressing the throttle and the brake, when it comes to maintance they are clueless on a quad or sxs.

You do the same for the rear, jack it up and check for wheel bearing play and trailing arm play in the bushings or bearings, whatever your machine has.

You check the condition of the engine oil, the gearbox oil, the rear and front diff oil to see condition of those fluids. Also check the anitfreeze condition and color of the fluid.

Start machine up and listen to it idle. Rev it some and go ride it a bit. Listen to the valves if they are noisy or not. Machine should not backfire under accel or decel. That might be a tuning problem. If its a EFI machine then make sure the machine has a tuner with a slip on pipe especially the newer machines now that come so lean from the factory cause of emmisions. Can am mainly.

Check steering stem play back and forth and see how much the steering stem bushing is worn.
Make sure it goes into gear smoothly. check High and Low and reverse that machine does what its suppose to do in the gears.
Most important is to take the clutch cover off and inspect clutches. Dirty and muddy dusty clutches do not work well at all and rob the clutches of the ability to transfer the power to the rear wheels effectively. This is a sign of neglect big time. Check the belt for flat spots and glazing and burning. Signs of this shows neglect on the part of the owner. Check the oneway bearing for smooth operation

Make sure all lights work and see if owner has service records of what has been done to the machine over time. Anyone who looks after there machine keeps receipts and a log of mileage of when things where done.

This is a lot to check but believe me i know sooooo many that have bought used machines that thought they where in good working order and that was not true. To find someone who takes care of there machine like a handful do, is hard to find

that's a great list....thank you.

 

[bigmikeystylez]

The problem is sometimes that is you have no experience in doing all these tests to the machine and stuff then it is really helpful if you can take someone with you that is well versed in doing all this. And forgot one thing.. should also check the condition of the brake pads and rotors.

for sure....that would be handy. unfortunately i do not.

 

[Mach1]

Wow an 800 as first quad, right there bad choice. But that's how people get hurt new to quading and lets go get an 800. Be safe.

 

[bigmikeystylez]

ive been quadding before.....took my pops's 550 sportsman out a cpl times. Im def not a crazy freewheelin quadder. Im very cautious when quadding......mostly trail rides at slower speeds with the odd mudhole thrown in haha

 

[Mach1]

Well that's good, enjoy

 

[whitegold]

I've bought numerous machines on line and I insist on an inspection, never have I had anyone object to getting it done, I figure if I pay for an inspection and they won't do it then..... next, they have something to hide!

 

[the_real_wild1]

Yep I agree with what you're finding. I have jumped through hoops for people and have them say at the end they are not buying. Waste of my time. Had guys go out for test rides on my motorcycle for an hour then back out on the sale. A guy said he was going to buy my quad last week. I was going to even deliver to Airdrie on my way down to the states as long as he paid in advance. He backed out and finally sent me a message a day after it was supposed to be delivered.