Side-by-sides - help me understand!!!

[Coach]

Hey guys, let me first start off by saying that I have absolutely nothing against quads or side-by-sides.

 

I'm just trying to figure out why they are so expensive compared to other off-road vehicles. A good *used* Ranger or simlilar side-by-side with lots of goodies can go for $12-15K or more in some instances. You could buy a really nice Jeep or similar "real truck" for that amount or a lot less. Again, I'm not bashing, just trying to understand what is driving the price of these things.

 

Here's the skinny. I spent all last summer converting my 1987 4-Runner into a "rock crawler" with the idea of having the ultimate AZ hunting truck. Overall, it came out really good (solid axle swap, 35" tires, lift, etc.) but it suffers a little now "on-highway". So I can't use it for commuting and it's a little rough driving around town. Luckily, my lovely wife decided it was time for me to get a new Tacoma (lucky me!!!).

 

So now, little sweety wants to sell "the beast" and get a Polaris Ranger or similar side-by-side. I'm all for it if that is what she wants, but it seems a little weird to have to sell a serious off-road truck AND put up extra $$ to buy a vehicle that has to be towed on a trailer and doesn't really seem to offer anything "extra".

 

My personal dilemma aside, what is the appeal of these things that makes them cost more than a good used truck/jeep/etc.? Do they really offer some advantage above the "traditional" off road trucks and jeeps?

 

Just wondering.

 

Jason

[JHAM357]

i often wonder the ame thing. i like trucks cuase they ac in summer and heater i winter, but i would rather go down a dirt road in a ranger or quad. i say ranger because my dad bought one and is the only side-by-side ive been in. quads and side-by-sides i feel can get e to my destination quicker, i feel that i see more game out of it (not that i road hunt but every hunters always loking), and would rather tear it up than my truck. for me it is easier to get my gear and get to hiking alot quicker. there are some roads not even small trucks or jeeps would fit through so that would be an advantage of haveing an all terain vehicle.

 

i dont know why they cost so much becides demand.

[BowNut]

Jason

I was looking at them with my son the other day. We both thought it would be nice but when I can buy a used Jeep that me and my son can work on and fix up for a hunting rig for about the same price its kinda hard to spend that kind of coin. I also know I will get a lot more use out of a Jeep in the off season. I may change my mind if I was ever to try one but for now I think a jeep or small truck would be the way I would go as of now. I think if I can't get there in a Jeep I should be on my feet anyway. I can see a use for them for game recovery in that out of the way place but I'm sure if I absolutely could not get it out I have friends I could call that would help me out with a quad or something. It will be great to see what others have to say.

[More D]

Jason

I know what you mean. Let me tell you a bit about our situation even though it may only confuse you more. We had decided that we wanted a quad for hunting a few years ago. After a lot of research I came down to a certain model. Except that hunting for us is a family deal. I determined that my wife, daughter and I could not ride safely so a side-by-side it was. I would also be cheaper overall because my wife would want her own quad but wouldn't really use it.

Either way I would have too tow what ever we got on a utility trailer because two quads or the SXS(side-by-side) I narrowed it down to would not fit in the back of a truck.

Now that we have a SXS it is a ton of fun and really can get to places 98% of most hunting trucks can't, think Amber for the remaining 2%. It is also quality time that the three of us spend together in our outdoors and that is priceless.

Now to get back to your question about justifying the money part.

A few years ago I bought a "hunting truck" that was used really only for hunting. We didn't need another vehicle when I got it. Now I have to use that truck for school and since we have to SXS it will now be the tow truck when hunting season rolls around. Yesterday on the way back from a day trip to the Sierrita's it dawned on me that I was towing our 'new' toy with my 'old' hunting truck that by my math cost nearly 2 1/2 times as much with the utility trailer and all.

Is it worth it? Totally!! If you can swallow the pill. If you think about it we do that a lot in our love for the outdoors. Would do it all over again in a heart beat and we havent even taken it hunting yet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GameHauler]

[Coach]

Thanks for all the responses so far. Keep 'em coming. I have to admit, when I see a family of 4 or 5 riding around in one of these it does look fun! How are they on really tough roads, like the mining roads? Top heavy, enough clearance, etc?

 

BTW, I'm starting to see a lot of them buzzing around town - is the gas mileage pretty good?

[Browning'sCustomMeat]

I'm, buying the Polaris Crew next month, I have a big family so all of us can ride together.

[.270]

i aint' never been a fan o' quads. but after using my kid's prowler some. actually quite a bit last year in deer and elk season. i went and bought me a ranger the other day. just got the plain ol' green one, but got a roof, windshield and had em make it street legal and license it. they ride better than a pickup. a lot better. they will go more places. and my ol' man really likes it. plus i use the heck out of it on my place. made me a hula hoe to cut weeds with and big ol' rake to clean em up with. they won't haul as much as a pickup and i wouldn't want to drive one in traffic. i got it streetlegal so's the forest circus pigs can't hassle me. just depends on what a guy wants. i don't have much fun on a quad. but i can cruise along in this thing and have a good time. Lark.

[DesertBull]

i aint' never been a fan o' quads. but after using my kid's prowler some. actually quite a bit last year in deer and elk season. i went and bought me a ranger the other day. just got the plain ol' green one, but got a roof, windshield and had em make it street legal and license it. they ride better than a pickup. a lot better. they will go more places. and my ol' man really likes it. plus i use the heck out of it on my place. made me a hula hoe to cut weeds with and big ol' rake to clean em up with. they won't haul as much as a pickup and i wouldn't want to drive one in traffic. i got it streetlegal so's the forest circus pigs can't hassle me. just depends on what a guy wants. i don't have much fun on a quad. but i can cruise along in this thing and have a good time. Lark.

 

 

Does that mean no more Rancho Neglecto?

[cramerhunts]

I have an arctic prowler that gets used all the time. I pick up the girls from school in it, I use it to scout, I use it to hunt, and I take it to the dunes every once in a while. It is fairly cheap to license and insure and alot more fun then driving my truck everywhere. It has great ground clearance and does really good in the rough stuff. One of the advantages over a jeep or something similar is the width that allows it to fit onto trails that the jeeps couldn't. I love being able to have a conversation with my hunting buddies or family when out and about and I can't do that on the quads. This of course is just my two cents.

Yeah you have to pull it on the trailer but I had to do that anyway with my quads.

 

Phil

 

[Benbrown]

If you live in a real city, you are probably better off with something that can double as a second or third car.

 

Before I retired, we bought several of the first generation Rangers on the ranch to diminish wear and tear on our pickups. We could get three Polaris Rangers for a little about what a new pickup cost. My wife had a nice Jeep Wrangler, that we sold just before leaving the ranch. She figured we'd get another one before too long. After I retired and we moved to "town", she went out and bought a new Polaris Ranger. She got tired of riding on the back of a quad and did not like the beating that she took riding one by herself. Until you try one in rough country (or on bad washboard), you can't believe how nice they are to drive, compared to a quad or a pickup truck.

 

I use mine to run to the store to get the paper and pick up convenience store items, to go to the post office six days a week and to run to the local farm and ranch store for odds and ends. I drive it just about every day of the week, weather permitting. I use it on my annual elk hunt in Colorado, and we use it to get into our hunting areas during the New Mexico deer season. At least once every week or two, we pile into it and drive up into the foothills near home to photograph wildlife and/or scenery and just look at the country. I put three to four gallons of gas in it each month. As near as I can figure, I get 38-40 mpg. When my wife bought it, she was told that they burn about a gallon per hour, no matter how fast or slow you drive them. We are doing a little better than that.

 

The first ones that we bought on the ranch, five years ago, were driven about 3,000 miles per year. The other day I ran into one of the cowboys that still works there, and he told me that the newer ones are rackng up 5,000+ miles per year, hauling salt and mineral loads that average 600-800 lbs. over really rough roads and trails. The cowboys prefer them to the pickups because they are more comfortable to drive in rough country. They use them almost exclusively to check fences, as they can carry about all the gear and materials they need to patch anything that they will encounter in a day's time. This is a ranch that is over 300,000 acres with several mountain ranges and elevations ranging from 4,800 to over 8,000 ft.

 

We like ours a lot!

 

 

[Huntn coues]

No comparison between a Ranger and a Jeep/truck.

 

Rangers etc..... ride like a caddy compared to ANY truck hands down! And I don't care how the Jeep/truck is built.

Fuel mileage is awesome and the cost of maintanance is way cheaper IMO.

 

You can get to where you want to be before you start your hike in in less than 1/2 the time if you were in a truck.

Also the amount of fun the family has in them is priceless

 

Buy one and you will be glad you did. And for all the nay sayers out there RIDE in one before you bag on em

And if you still don't like em have fun bouncing your guts out in whatever vehicle you choose.

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

No comparison between a Ranger and a Jeep/truck.

 

Rangers etc..... ride like a caddy compared to ANY truck hands down! And I don't care how the Jeep/truck is built.

Fuel mileage is awesome and the cost of maintanance is way cheaper IMO.

 

You can get to where you want to be before you start your hike in in less than 1/2 the time if you were in a truck.

Also the amount of fun the family has in them is priceless

 

Buy one and you will be glad you did. And for all the nay sayers out there RIDE in one before you bag on em

And if you still don't like em have fun bouncing your guts out in whatever vehicle you choose.

 

 

Jason,

 

Like you I could not see the sense in having a side by side.... when I could own a jeep for the same or less money. Then one day I went out into the woods with Huntn coues and his wife on their Ranger..... I was SHOCKED!!! Faster, smoother, and more functional than a quad or a jeep, or anything else for that matter! The ranger is the only machine for me for one major reason... three adults can ride in the front and if you rig it up right you can put atleast two more in the back! We had my Ranger out this weekend in the dust and my Bro-in-Law did not like it much... but then I took my buddies down this wicked rock-crawler trail and they were Shocked and really so was I... at the places we went and did not bottom out.... the crap we crawled over without spinning a tire! I have had my Ranger just about 3 months and have 60 hours on it..... we use it all the time.... the wife takes it to visit familly up the street, we hunt and scout from the house or throw it on the trailer to where ever we want to go... we even take it out on beer runs or nights on the town!!! I put a killer marine grade radio and speakers with Sirus tunes and an I-pod/MP3 jack....(that was a bit $$$$, but sooo worth it).... heck I listen to it while working in the yard!!!

 

 

"Swallow the Pill" as it was said earlier.... you will not regret it!!!!!!

[TwoGuns]

There is another way to get a side by side ride for a lot less money. My dad is currently driving a modified EZ-GO golf cart. I think it is the Workhorse edition??? Anyway, my uncle and some friends modified it, and it is sweet. They pulled the motor, and replaced it with a Honda V-Twin 24 horse power engine, modified the suspension and gave it a hydraulic dump bed. It has plenty of power, and can easily carry 5 adults with no problem. You can mount additional seats in the back.

 

Here are a couple pics. Anyone that is mechanically inclined could probably figure it all out. There are a bunch of modified golf carts around Camp Verde now...they are a ton of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

twoguns

[Snapshot]

I used to feel that way also. Then 2 years ago I went out and bought a Polaris Sportsman, I am glad I did. Even though I do not use it much during my hunts, I do use it alot to explore roads and trails, or to get to the end of the road and save the wear and tear on my truck. It can be addicting, kind of like a Harley rider on the open road, just that sense of freedom and exploration.

Next year I would like to get a side x side so that my wife can have fun with it when we ride, possibly a Polaris Razor.

The thing about quads and side x sides is either you like them or you don't and they certainly are expensive.