Which one should i buy

[HONDA BLINK]

hello
i am new to the board and atv's. i currently have a 02 cr250 but im looking to get an atv also. i am a honda man so i decided on the 400ex. i need help, should i buy a 99 model with exhaust, full skids,and nurf bars that has been ridden alot but has been taken care of (coworker that is a mechanic) for 2grand. He also said he would rebuild the top end. or a clean 03 1 owner that has nurf bars,new battery and a rev box. this person has been in college and he had someone ride around the house every 3 mths to keep it running. he wants 2800. is it worth 800 for a bike 4yrs newer with low low hrs but pretty much stock. i need help
thanks

[j450rking]

most of the time you would want the newer one but if you know the owner and he is going to rebuild it for you then i'd say get the 99 and then you won't have to spend as much once you start moding it

p.s. you'll love the ex :devil:

[jokester]

I agree! if its been taken care of and he is willing to even rebuild the top end, then if it was me I would probably go with the older one...

[HONDA BLINK]

thanks for the comments

i think i am looking towards the 03 it has way less hours, the original tires still have 80%on them

do hrs on a 400ex really matter when purchasing a used one....if they dont i will go with the 99.... if alot of hrs are bad im going with the 03

what about resale value:chinese:

[interceptorz28]

Get the '03. If you ever want to sell it, It will fetch that much more $$ being that its newer.

The hours: The 99 I believe really was like introduced in 1998 right? So that bike even if not ridden , has been around for 4-5 years more than the 2003.

Get the '03.

[j450rking]

the hrs dosn't matter on a 400ex b/c thay are like tanks but if you plan on selliing it then go with the 03

[MO-EX-RIDER]

hours doadd up to parts breaking (trans,frames,motor) i would spend the extra for the 03'..like they said better on the resale side

[Bill Fuller]

'03 is the one I would get. 400EX's are great but the do have a weakness and that would be the transmission especially the '99, I have seen and replaced many a 2nd gear and shift forks.

[Old Dirtbiker]

I vote for the 03. If your looking at +80% on the original tires, its hardly broken in yet and resell means alot when you go to sell down the road.

[danblaster]

Get the 99 it has more power

[hornetgod13]

2003 with Low hours. You'll stay busy keeping the 99 running.

[johnsls]

Originally posted by danblaster
Get the 99 it has more power

Oh come on!

Buy the newer one, like hornetgod13 said the 99' will nickel and dime you.. buy the 03'

[300EXrider356]

Originally posted by danblaster
Get the 99 it has more power
The engines have never been changed, please explain how it has more power, by the way get the 03, the 99 is 7 to 8 years old. You will be able to get much more money for that one if you ever try to sell it.

[svahle]

Here is my personal experience. I recently purchased a 2001 416ex. I love the quad. However it was a few years older than similar EXs that I looked at. The newer quads were $500 to $1000 more but similarly equipped. The quad I bought had a new top end so I thought why pay more for a newer quad.

Here is the rub. About 3 months later the crank went out. Also the front shocks wound up needing a rebuild (they were valved and sprung for my weight and riding already). After having the crank fixed and shocks rebuilt, I am into this quad for the same money I would have spent on the newer models.

I love my 416ex. But now I certainly have more in this quad than I could probably get out of it and could have purchased a newer quad in the first place for the same money I have now invested.

I say get the newer 400ex and slowly mod it as your budget allows. Just my $.02.

Good luck with your decision

[JDMThoughts]

Here is my advice to you. Buy the newest machine you can find. I took a chance and bought a 2000 from a person I knew and it hasn't turned out too sweet. I have owned the quad for about 1 month and haven't been able to put more than 10 hours on it because something is always breaking. 400EXs are pieces of **** in the cold. I haven't been able to start mine in 3 days. I have had random little things break like gear shift levers. Little **** like that is gonna aggravate you like it does me. Nothing is more fun being 2 miles from home and being stuck in 2nd gear. I bought a quad that was "serviced" by the owner. It turned out the oil change left the quad with 1 quart less oil. The plug looked like it had never been changed. Some people take care of things and others don't. The amount of money I have invested back into my bike including purchase would put me easily over 3grand I could've bought that 450R I originally wanted.

[danblaster]

Originally posted by hornetgod13
2003 with Low hours. You'll stay busy keeping the 99 running. I have a 1999 400ex and it runs great no matter the year it is still a honda.
Originally posted by 300EXrider356
The engines have never been changed, please explain how it has more power, by the way get the 03, the 99 is 7 to 8 years old. You will be able to get much more money for that one if you ever try to sell it. it has more power because of the full exaust

[HONDA BLINK]

Thanks fellas i got the 03 and i love it so far. it has a rev box, nice nerfs, jet kit, and a chrome dg bumper. looking to add new tires and a HMF slip on:chinese:

[j450rking]

what kind of riding do you do so maybe we can help you on the tires

[vze2hnvz]

Originally posted by JDMThoughts
Here is my advice to you. Buy the newest machine you can find. I took a chance and bought a 2000 from a person I knew and it hasn't turned out too sweet. I have owned the quad for about 1 month and haven't been able to put more than 10 hours on it because something is always breaking. 400EXs are pieces of **** in the cold. I haven't been able to start mine in 3 days. I have had random little things break like gear shift levers. Little **** like that is gonna aggravate you like it does me. Nothing is more fun being 2 miles from home and being stuck in 2nd gear. I bought a quad that was "serviced" by the owner. It turned out the oil change left the quad with 1 quart less oil. The plug looked like it had never been changed. Some people take care of things and others don't. The amount of money I have invested back into my bike including purchase would put me easily over 3grand I could've bought that 450R I originally wanted.


Did you swap out the stock 38 slow jet for the 42 in the stock carb yet? If not, give it a try. That will pretty much cure those 400ex cold starting blues.....cant beat it for the 3.50-4.00 investment.

[HONDA BLINK]

mostly trails 90%, maybe a little racing in the street 10%:chinese:

[j450rking]

there is the razers there is holeshot xd and there is the kendas all of those are good tires and the kendas and reversable for hard packed stuff and soft packed

[JDMThoughts]

No I didn't change the slow jet out. I don't wanna up that just yet, because it will foul a lot of plugs. I just got my carb back in spec so it's not fouling them anymore and it starts.

I would steer clear of Razrs, they aren't so great. I would definitely go with a set of holeshots however. I don't really like my Razrs.