​How Many Miles Can I Expect To Get Out Of My Polaris RZR?

If you don’t jump houses or use your rig like a submarine, you should get several thousand miles out of her before any big problems arise – provided that you maintain it per the manual and punctually / preemptively take care of regular wear items. It’s common sense that the mileage you can expect from your RZR depends heavily on how much love it was given, as well as how many beatings it has received, but it’s better to consider this as well as both the hours and mileage to judge the life expectancy of a Razor.

Some vehicles may have close to 300 hours on them with less than 1,500 miles, while others could have 10,000 miles with around only 100 hours. More miles with less hours tells you the intensity / speed with which the machine was ridden, while low miles and high hours indicates that that key was in the ignition and the bike was turned on, but it wasn’t moving. As such, because it completely depends on how / where the vehicle was used and how much (or little) maintenance was performed, it’s hard to judge the value / potential lifespan of a UTV like the Polaris Razor by mileage alone.

Let’s Talk Numbers

Now that we’ve touched on a few provisos and went through the nuances, it’s time to get down to brass tacks: What is considered high mileage for a Polaris RZR? In general, 10,000 is the line in the sand for a high-mileage vehicle if one had to be drawn. This doesn’t mean that you can’t potentially get 30K+ miles out of a Razor (and in fact, many rental companies have no problem hitting these figures), but there comes a point when it’s just not worth it to make the required repairs.

Keeping Your RZR Running Right

Experienced riders will almost always buy a Razor with 6K miles that has been maintained and driven on hardpack trails over a Razor with 1,500 miles that has never seen a grease gun or oil change. And where harsh conditions are concerned, muddy, sandy, and salty places are among the worst. We tell riders to never use their rigs for spreading salt or fertilizer. If you do, however, make sure to wash it right after. In fact, we recommend washing your machine down after every ride, and then wrapping it in a storage cover once it’s dry. This will not only protect it from the elements, but it'll also flush away any mud, dust, rocks or debris that could mess with the vehicle’s internals.

For those who ride mud, snorkels are paramount to achieve a long-lasting machine. And for sand riders, make sure your air boxes are fully sealed and that you’re using a double-layer greased air filter -- or something similar.

Few things can shorten the life of a Polaris RZR like significant aftermarket modifications. But if you pair your aftermarket mods with even more aftermarket mods, they can complement each other and compensate for their respective drawbacks. If, for example, you’re running bigger-than-stock tires, you might also want to upgrade your clutch pucks and clutch spring.

Wear items like wheel bearings and a-arm bushings will need to be replaced often, and you might have to throw on a new axle or u-joint. Most importantly, as long as you check your fluids and keep everything lubed up, you’ll be setting yourself up for a long and prosperous relationship with your Polaris RZR!

What’s The Mileage Threshold For Someone Looking To Buy A Used RZR?

If you don’t trust people, you may not want to buy a Polaris RZR with more than a single mile on it from someone other than the dealer. But as long as you know what to look for – or if you know someone who does – you can find great deals on machines with several thousand miles on them. Many people buy Razors, deck them out with aftermarket accessories, then realize how little time they have to enjoy them. If you can find a used rig from such a person, it might be worth buying. On the other hand, if you see a machine for sale that has a bunch of mud-related accessories installed, you can assume it has been through the wringer at least a time or two. Getting educated is the best way to avoid a bad deal on an RZR, and there are a few things to look for aside from mileage when considering a used side-by-side.

Skid plates and bumpers are both clear signs that the previous owner made efforts to protect their Razor, and if the machine is clean on the outside, inside, and under the hood, that will tell you that the owner either didn’t take it to dirty places, or cleaned it up nicely after they did.

You should also be wary of a seller that swapped out the speedometer with a new one to give the appearance of lower mileage. One thing that’s harder to hide, however, are the grooves, cracks, and scarring in the primary / secondary clutch sheaves; so pull the clutch cover and have a look at that – in addition to the front bushings and gas / brake pedals. If you can, you should definitely do a compression check before buying a used RZR, and also inspect the welded areas for chipping paint, as this would tell you that there has been a lot of flexing from hard riding.

Inspect the machine closely for other signs of abuse like deep scratches and dents in the roll bars, and pay attention to the cleanliness of the engine. If there is burnt mud on the exhaust pipe, this likely means that the machine has been buried at least once. You should expect some dirt, but not a huge amount. When test driving a used Razor, see if it drives straight, or if it’s misaligned. Furthermore, look for cracks where the a-arms mount onto the lower fronts of the sub frame, and check the axles for play in the up-and-down direction on the case. 

There are great deals to be had for sure, but it takes diligence to find them! If a vehicle is already decked out with aftermarket accessories, all the better. But even if a used Razor is lacking something you want, it can almost certainly be found here at Everything Polaris RZR!