Side by Side UTV vs Jeep Wrangler - which is better?

[Boxer_Chief]

I’m looking at buying a vehicle for odd jobs around the property, like carrying water to all my new trees (I live on 5 acres) and to take kids and wife back roading. I’m finding crew cab Polaris Rangers for around 11,000-13,000
with no heat or ac, or a Jeep wrangler 1999-2006 for $6,000 - $8,000. Does anyone have experience on which would be better for my usage of it? I’d rather have a side by side but I don’t know if I can justify the price difference.

[farmerchief]

If all you need it for is running around on 5 acres for watering trees and what not, the jeep is a little overkill, and I would get a little tired of climbing in and out of it. You might consider a 4 seater golf cart, you can usually pick up a good used one between $3k-$6K. Of course,depends how many kids you have. :-). Good Luck

[Delano]

Get a Gator if you’re truly going use it as a utility vehicle.

Lots of clowns buying side by sides and driving them around on highways or in cities. Nice way to die in a minor accident and look like a complete tool at the same time.

[TLO]

It's a Jeep thing...

[notorious]

Cost per mile on a new Polaris Ranger is more than a new 2500 crew cab diesel pickup.

Side by side prices are preposterous, but they perform good in a farm/ranch setting. A golf cart will work wonders at a tiny percentage of the cost. If you go electric you get the bonus of sneaking up on wildlife.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by notorious

Cost per mile on a new Polaris Ranger is more than a new 2500 crew cab diesel pickup.

Side by side prices are preposterous, but they perform good in a farm/ranch setting. A golf cart will work wonders at a tiny percentage of the cost. If you go electric you get the bonus of sneaking up on wildlife.

A lot of wisdom here.

I find it comical observing the evolution of these vehicles here at the lake.

People keep buying bigger, faster and uglier UTVs to out do each other. Some of them look like they belong in a sci fi movie. 4 seater Polaris's are almost passe now. One of my neighbors has three of them in his toy shop. '

When I heard what several of them paid for these things, I thought similar to OP, a jeep or small pickup would be less expensive.

My lifted golf cart was cool a decade ago, not so much anymore but I love the versatility of it to this day. Have no intention of making a change.

Paid $1200 for it on craigslist from a golf course, spent about the same on a lift kit, wheels, tires, back seat and windshield. Painted it and did all the work myself. I use it every day.

There is a message board called buggiesgonewild.com that has been invaluable on helping me learn my cart inside and out. I had a neighbor have me build one for him.

[jdubya]

I have both.
2021 Polaris turbo
1999 wrangler

For aggressive off road the Polaris suspension is like driving on kittens

Jeep is a jeep

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by jdubya

I have both.
2021 Polaris turbo
1999 wrangler

For aggressive off road the Polaris suspension is like driving on kittens

Jeep is a jeep

[alpha_omega]

Sounds like maybe you need both a Gator and a Jeep.

[Vladimir_Kyrilytch]

Jeep wranglers are grocery getters

[Dunerdr]

I have a Honda pioneer 5 1000 and love it. I’ve seen them used for around 8 here in north east Oklahoma. But it doesn’t have ac and goes places a jeep can’t on my property (width of trail issues).

The Honda is the best of all worlds for me we trail ride several times a year and use it for property maintenance and deer hunting. And occasionally pull a small trailer around the property.

Also I’m a big fan of the Honda because it has a real transmission. Not a fan of cvt for slugging around like I do and it’s nice as hell to put it in first and let the trans do the work on a rough downhill.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

I have a Honda pioneer 5 1000 and love it. I’ve seen them used for around 8 here in north east Oklahoma. But it doesn’t have ac and goes places a jeep can’t on my property (width of trail issues).

The Honda is the best of all worlds for me we trail ride several times a year and use it for property maintenance and deer hunting. And occasionally pull a small trailer around the property.

Also I’m a big fan of the Honda because it has a real transmission. Not a fan of cvt for slugging around like I do and it’s nice as hell to put it in first and let the trans do the work on a rough downhill.

We have a neighbor with one of those and it is the only one that has tempted me. If I was going to buy one, that would be it.
Good looking, quiet, not too large and of course there is the fact that Honda makes good shit. Their stuff runs forever.

Originally Posted by TribalElder

for land management the polaris will be hard to beat

utv in missouri are treated like tractors

no title no property tax no need to license them at all

jeep will have annual property tax, license requirements, insurance requirements etc


quite a few municipalities allow you to drive a polaris in town and on the roads, might have to get some turn signal kits etc in some places but can be used similar to a car.

jeep is a jeep obviously, polaris is a land owners best friend

I noticed on the form this last year they are now asking for information on your UTV to charge personal property tax, but that might just be our county here at the lake.

[TribalElder]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I noticed on the form this last year they are now asking for information on your UTV to charge personal property tax, but that might just be our county here at the lake.

It's probably all the people with the turbo polaris who are going to **** it up for everyone

hard to say a 4 seat turbo RZR is being used for farm work

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

It's probably all the people with the turbo polaris who are going to **** it up for everyone

hard to say a 4 seat turbo RZR is being used for farm work

Yep, the county assessor has been seen down here on more than one occasion lately. We didn't used to have neighbors with Audis, Teslas and Mercedes, but we do now.

[farmerchief]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

I have a Honda pioneer 5 1000 and love it. I’ve seen them used for around 8 here in north east Oklahoma. But it doesn’t have ac and goes places a jeep can’t on my property (width of trail issues).

The Honda is the best of all worlds for me we trail ride several times a year and use it for property maintenance and deer hunting. And occasionally pull a small trailer around the property.

Also I’m a big fan of the Honda because it has a real transmission. Not a fan of cvt for slugging around like I do and it’s nice as hell to put it in first and let the trans do the work on a rough downhill.

We used to have Polaris 4x4's, and even a 6 wheeler with the dump bed on back, all worked well around the farm, but plenty of maintenance long term with the Polaris, it seemed. We now have a Pioneer 1000 that we use frequently. Herding cattle, fixing fence, have a sprayer we put in back with fork lift to spray everywhere, Only problem we have incurred, is when I have sprayer loaded up ready to spray, and wife wants to use it to do "clean up" around the yard. :-) We have considerably more acres than OP, or I would have suggested the Pioneer for larger acres.