Shopping for used UTVs?

The internet has produced an interesting phenomena at auction sales. Crowds at auctions swell during sales of UTVs or ATVs, often sold at the start of the auction, and then thin when the big equipment comes up for bidding. Take a recent Sullivan Auction event held at its sale location outside of Hamilton, Illinois.

This daylong event started out with the sale of a long row of UTVs and ATVs. After the sale, trucks headed out down long rows of farm equipment.

Bidders were shoulder to shoulder around the UTVs and ATVs, but when it came time to sell the large equipment, the crowds of bidders dwindled. When I asked Luke Sullivan about this after the sale, he explained that smaller items like UTVs, ATVs, as well as compact and utility tractors attract swarms of nonfarmers as well as farmer buyers. When the sale shifts to the big equipment, the bidder crowd narrows down to just farmers.

Yet, anymore, those bidding in person account for half – if not less than half – of interested bidders. At this particular sale, Sullivan told me, well over half the bidders were participating online from office computers or smartphones.

In fact, smartphones are quickly taking over as the No. 1 remote bidding tool, explains Scott Steffes of the Steffes Group. "The number of farmers comfortable with buying online has grown exponentially in the past decade. Today, the purchase point of preference has become the smartphone," he says.

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UTV Sales Still Local

Unlike farm machinery, used UTVs and ATVs are still predominantly purchased in person either at auction or on dealer lots. Online listings of UTVs and ATVs are extensive. But potential buyers show up in person to inspect potential buys. The major explanation for this is that the fleet of used UTVs and ATVs comes from a far more diverse source of previous owners that includes not only farmers but also hunters, acreage owners, and recreational riders, as well as construction companies.

So their use and care vary widely. This compels potential buyers to scrutinize a vehicle in person. Recreational vehicles driven by a farmer, for example, may not get the abuse that is given out by a sports or trail rider, for example.

"It could be a trust issue," says Tim Meyers of the Steffes Group. "We know, for example, that farmer-owner semitrucks sell at higher prices at auction. It's assumed by farmer buyers that a farmer-owned truck has been better cared for. The same could certainly be true for UTVs."

For this reason, be sure to drive a used UTV. Listen to its engine, look for excessive smoke, and feel the operation of its transmission before purchasing. Also, get underneath the vehicle and examine its suspension system. Doing so can reveal damage from having been driven on rough, rock-strewn trails.

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Pinpoint both the hours and miles of a potential purchase. Often, dealers and private treaty sales list just hours. Yet, hours and mileage are not equal.

The Price Guide below lists examples of 2018 model year UTVs and offers a good value guide of machines based on how they're equipped.