cheap ways to add value to quad?

[PowerJunkie]

if you you have a older quad like a earlier year blaster banshee something like that. that runs good. what r some cheap things u can do to it to make it worth more to sell it. thnks for help. and plz dont bash my Q.

[YFZ450Ridr]

take it apart and clean everything good, mabye even get the frame powdercoated, but im not sure how much it costs. polish parts yourself, touch up chipped paint on the frame. just anything to make it look nicer.

[GPracer2500]

Yep. Clean the heck out of it. Then clean it some more.

[firefighterjosh]

What I always look for when Buying a quad is. How Clean is it? If the owner didn't take time to make it spotless then they prabably never cleaned it before. Make sure all noises like skid plate rattles and stuff are taken care of. Also change the oil so it is new. Also I look at the A-arms and frame to see where the paint is wore off. I would touch up these places. Any rust that is on it try to sand it off and touch that up as well. I like to armor all the plastic to give it some shine as well.

[clutt225]

Powder coat can be too much $, if you are going to sell it. But strip it paint the frame remove any ratles,fix any thing that is broke. Ie brakes work lights work. Remove race #s if it has them.
New hand grips. If you can find cheap plastics used that are in better shape than yours that allways helps.
And never sell a quad with bald tires find some with atleast half tread.

just make it look like somthing you would want to buy if you were lookin for that make of quad.

[sakirocket28]

yeah i would take it apart and clean it up really good before you sell it. and to someone who really knows quads that looks at buyin it, good workmanship stands out! good luck!

[XCAdam89]

If your going to sell it, why spend so much money on powdercoating? There is a 96 Yamaha Blaster around here for 900 that I'm looking into, It needs a little TLC, so I plan to take it down to the frame and PAINT it, Simply because I don't care how it holds up, I just want to be able to make back what I put into it later on.

[trick250r]

Originally posted by XCAdam89
If your going to sell it, why spend so much money on powdercoating? There is a 96 Yamaha Blaster around here for 900 that I'm looking into, It needs a little TLC, so I plan to take it down to the frame and PAINT it, Simply because I don't care how it holds up, I just want to be able to make back what I put into it later on.

dude, you're wasting your money with the paint. i was dumb enough to think that way before so i tried it with my 250r. after a good hard run, the bottoms of the a-arms were starting to chip... the bottom of the frame was starting to chip... the places where my boots rubbed the frame started to come off... and this paint job was done by a very good painter. if you're going for cheap, get the powdercoat. you wont have to buy new parts after your old ones rust off. ;)

[clutt225]

If you are any good you can paint with tremclad for $30 pc is $250.
He just wants to make it look a bit better to sell it not keep it.
People won't give you any more for an old quad with Pc on it.

[baseballplaya23]

Originally posted by trick250r
dude, you're wasting your money with the paint. i was dumb enough to think that way before so i tried it with my 250r. after a good hard run, the bottoms of the a-arms were starting to chip... the bottom of the frame was starting to chip... the places where my boots rubbed the frame started to come off... and this paint job was done by a very good painter. if you're going for cheap, get the powdercoat. you wont have to buy new parts after your old ones rust off. ;)

Uhh i have never had a problem with my paint chipping off or rubbing off from my boots or anywhere on my frame and it is painted. As long as you prep it correctly and put 3-4 coats of clear on it you should be fine to go.

[XCAdam89]

Yeah, I know it's not worth it, If I was going to keep it. But why pay $250 for powdercoat when I'm not going to be the one riding it anymore anyways. I would just want to make it look presentable so I could add more value to it. I would paint it right before I sold it if I did.

Originally posted by PowerJunkie
plz dont bash my Q.

Weird how alot of people are putting that in their posts more often now, but just do overall maintenance. Make sure every nut is tightened, chain tightened good, sprockets still have good teeth on them, tires aren't flat, and make sure it doesn't smoke. And when you sell it, and someone is interested...Tell them everything about the 4-wheeler. Don't lie to them.

[miller821]

I'd say its possible that if you have a lot of mods to take em all of and put it back to stock form? That way just sell the quad, then the rest of your parts also and maybe make a little bit more... Could be worth it, but depends on how many mods you got.

- clean air filter
- clean chain/sprocket/rotor
- spray the entire engine with wd40 and the frame guards if plastic
- remove all rust/gunk/calcium
- clean plastics are always good
- polish as much as possible (mothers)
- clean rims and tires. ( I spray my tires with 1dollar window shine/glass cleaner, then hose or powerwash off)
- new grips/barpad
- remove all visible oil
- new oil filter

I look for a clean bike and yes i would pay a good 400 - 600 dollars more for a bike that has all of the mentioned above.

[nosliw]

i would clean the motor good, but i wouldn't spray anything like wd-40 on it.

it will start smoking off when the buyer comes over and wants to hear it run. hard to talk your way around it (unless the buyer is into quads/bikes)

Originally posted by nosliw
i would clean the motor good, but i wouldn't spray anything like wd-40 on it.

it will start smoking off when the buyer comes over and wants to hear it run. hard to talk your way around it (unless the buyer is into quads/bikes)

I guess that could be a nono but iwould deffinetly spray it on (wd40) rubber and plastic pieces.

[PowerJunkie]

thnx again on all the info.

[DieselBoy]

a fresh set of plastics and a good cleanup always make it look worth alot more. Good tires, and tire dressing also have a big impact...

[250r4life]

to me, one of my major issues with quads, something that i am completely anal about, is the air filter... that is one of the 1st things i check, as if they took poor care of the air filter then they have likely sucked in dirt and sand, and certainly at least somewhat damaged the piston... anybody who knows what they are doing will have a clean filter on their quad, except for when they have just gotten home from riding of course...

when i was taking my bro around to buy his raptor, i wouldnt let him buy one unless it had a pro design clamp on kit, cuz i hate the stock set up... same with the 450s...

so that being said, make sure your filter is good...

obviously you are going to want to clean it real good as well... there should not be any signs of sand or dirt in any visible area that they will inspect- including removing the rear plastic to check out the air filter...

some of that tire shine makes tires look great, and a shiny set of rims and tires can make a crappy quad look nice... that stuff also makes other items shine as well, or like faded air box or faded light and off switch...

make sure and have a new spark plug in there as well...

i dunno... i personally try to keep and maintain my quad in "show" condition at all time... obviously its not always like that, and will stay dirty for a day or two after a trip, but if you keep up on cleaning and maintaining it, it really is easy to keep it clean with minimal effort, and you can go through it completely like once a year...

[troutman561]

Stuff the seat with cocaine... I guarentee you fetch top $$ for it...

[250r4life]

Originally posted by troutman561
Stuff the seat with cocaine... I guarentee you fetch top $$ for it...

lol... :D

that reminds me of a story... i'll go ahead and tell it...

it took place in october of 2002. my friends and i were returning from gordons well sand dunes (right near mexican border) and on our way to phoenix... i was driving, and like normal i was speeding... well, all of the sudden i see a cop tahoe behind me, and i think "oh great im screwed- im getting a ticket..." well, he stays behind me for a minute or two more, and doesnt pull me over... he then goes and passes me, and then another cop silverado is right behind him, and another cop tahoe behind him... well, 30 minutes down the road we stop at a gas station, and sure enough they were stopped there... well, loooking in the back of the truck- it was filled to the brim with sacs... well, we get to talking with the cops and border patrol men, and they had just made a huge bust at the border and found tons of drugs trying to be smuggled over... they were taking them to the headquarters in phoenix or something... so yah, a whole silverado bed full of drugs... talk about a couple million dollar truck... we followed for a bit, hoping they would hit a good bump and we'd get lucky and get a bag, but no such luck... :D :D :D

[firefighterjosh]

Originally posted by 250r4life
lol... :D

that reminds me of a story... i'll go ahead and tell it...

it took place in october of 2002. my friends and i were returning from gordons well sand dunes (right near mexican border) and on our way to phoenix... i was driving, and like normal i was speeding... well, all of the sudden i see a cop tahoe behind me, and i think "oh great im screwed- im getting a ticket..." well, he stays behind me for a minute or two more, and doesnt pull me over... he then goes and passes me, and then another cop silverado is right behind him, and another cop tahoe behind him... well, 30 minutes down the road we stop at a gas station, and sure enough they were stopped there... well, loooking in the back of the truck- it was filled to the brim with sacs... well, we get to talking with the cops and border patrol men, and they had just made a huge bust at the border and found tons of drugs trying to be smuggled over... they were taking them to the headquarters in phoenix or something... so yah, a whole silverado bed full of drugs... talk about a couple million dollar truck... we followed for a bit, hoping they would hit a good bump and we'd get lucky and get a bag, but no such luck... :D :D :D

LMAO

[Blue_Streak23]

I would make the appearence look good on it, like chipped paint, plastics, and rust. Because how the four-wheeler looks, can really influence a buyer.

[NorCalRacer]

Originally posted by troutman561
Stuff the seat with cocaine... I guarentee you fetch top $$ for it...

LMAO:D

[bwamos]

Mop & Glow. Get them plastics shiny. ;)
Mothers. Get them wheels shiny.

A little bling goes a long way.

[FoxRacing81]

Best way to clean/maintain your quad.

Spray entire quad with Simple Green, let sit for about 5 minutes.
Use hose and a spray handle or a pressure washer and spray off.
Dry everything with towel.
Get the WD40 that comes in a big can and with a spray bottle. Fill spray bottle, and spray all over quad. Spray plastics, motor, frame, shocks, A-arms, Swingarm, linkage, EVERYWHERE.
Wipe WD40 around plastics, but just spray on motor.
Start motor, let it it all burn off, and you'll be suprised. It will still look good on your motor even after starting.

Works the best. I clean my friends race quads for them and this is how I do it and the mud always sprays off really easy after the races.
This could help you a lot for cleaning up quads your gonna sell, too.