05-07 Rhinos Advice needed.

Huh. I will try to avoid any brand discussion and stick to the normal stuff. I will tell you that I would not buy a USED RZR, too many that people let sand/dirt into them. I changed the air filter design before it touched dirt. That said the Polaris is the performance winner every day.

1. Be aware that an attempt has been made to outlaw the 4 seat conversion in CA. and may or may not be enforced where you ride. If you want one that holds 4 people buy one that was made that way, a number of MFR's make them.
2. On an 05-07 I would be worried about total miles and how much dirt the thing has eaten. Ask about air filter maintenance, you want to hear that they maintained that frequently.
3. Spare belts are always good to have, so is a simple tire repair kit. I have full spares in the bottom of the trailer storage, on the trail a repair kit should be enough unless you are REALLY far from camp. Some basic tools are useful on the trail.
4. 4 or 5 point harnesses are a must. The MFR's don't put them in but I would not ride without one, I have met people who are no longer with us for lack of a harness.
5. In CA. helmets are the law so that won't play into the discussion.
6. Check the dedicated forums, I could point you to the RZR one but there is one for every brand.
7. I would recommend long travel for the deserts, especially on a used machine.
8. I'm pretty sure those years not fuel injected which makes them a little cranky in the cold. Less of an issue in the low desert but it can make them harder to start in the high desert.

Good Luck!

05-07 Rhinos are carbeurated, so altitude above 5000' does sometimes come in to play. As far as spares, a belt, a spark plug, and a fuel filter will get you running most of the time. If you are looking at used, pull the air filter, under the cowl between the seats, and wipe a clean white rag down inside the intake pipe running to the carb. That will give you a good guess if it has inhaled dirt. Good shocks are more important than long travel, but all of it combined helps ride and handling. Also on the earlier Rhino, it lacked reverse power, and a CDI helped that and starting. Also the earlier Rhino only ran a rear brake off the driveline ahead of the rear end, and that also doubled as your e- brake. They always tend to chatter or growl there when glazed. Unless it is tricked out engine and clutch wise, you'll only see about 36-40 mph out of it. The back seat configured Rhinos were grandfathered in if built before 1/2013. Anything after that has to be factory purposed 4 seat.

I have an 06 with 6k miles on it, has been a very reliable unit.

Upgrades: I would definately find one with long travel if nothing more than the added rollover stability it provides. They ride much better too. Cdi unit and a nice set of aftermarket seats.

Only issues I've had are a couple fuel filter changes, cracked exhaust, rewelded and still running it but dont think it was a very good design. Getting ready to install 3 belt, have never lost one yet. And a cv boot that is under the exhaust, can get hard and crack because of heat from exhaust.

It's not the fastest or most capable unit out there but has been a pleasure and very inexpensive to own.

I carry basic tools, spare tire, fuel filter, tire plugs and small compressor and a tow strap. It has never let me down.

i'd say if you are going with something that old then find one with longtravel.. Although i am not sure the Rhinos are fast enough to really use it properly. At the very least look for one with upgraded shocks. Shocks are probably the single best upgrade you can do an any UTV regardless of speed..the guys seem to cover everything else pretty well.

I'd recommend always carry a tow strap, plug kit and always ride with a buddy if you go more than 1/2 to 1 mile from your TV. An added bonus would be lower doors or leg nets, seen too many people start to go over and try and put their legs out...entertaining to watch but the results aren't pretty.

I'm not a fan of carrying a lot of extra weight in UTV, hence i leave most supplies/tools in the TV and get towed back...and don't you worry, you'll break something and get stuck somewhere..everyone does... :)

If your dead set on a rhino I would look to one of the newer 700 models with EFI. There are more capable machines out on the market these days but nothing wrong with the Rhino. We have had a 700 model for a few years we use primarily for hunting and it's been a great SxS.

Thanks for the input everyone.

I didn't even think of pulling the air filer to check for dirt and the funny thing is that is something I do when looking at a dirt bike.

How difficult is it to do a compression check on them, is the spark plug easy to get to?

Okay, I am going to go the long travel route.

Would love to do the fuel injected 08' and newer but it is not in the budget, same with a rzr 4 or anything else for that matter so the 05-07 Rhino is it.

So looks like I should have all the stuff to fix a tire, a belt, spark plug and fuel filter in the car with me. Do any of you keep spare axels, cv boots, bearings, spindles or anything like that on the trailer, just in case?

What would you rather buy given the maintenance was kept up on both? A 150 hour 1500 mile used strictly in the dunes or a 250 hour 1700 mile used strictly in the high dez hard pack.

Blackdiamond, the only other thing i carry on a regular basis is a tie rod end and bolt...i have broken or lost those a few times....

Switching from a vacuum pulse fuel pump to an electric one will do wonders on the carbureted models. Having the fuel properly prime after sitting or running out is easy with the electric pump and it handles the full throttle demands better without letting the bowl drain of fuel.

I have an 06 660 Rhino, overall it has been pretty good. Cold starting so I put on an high output fuel pump which helped. I hunt northern Minnesota, because of the extra width and weight I have to be more carefull in mud then other 4 wheelers. The back seat in older jeeps fits in the back real good.

I would have to look at both, but sand is a big enemy to these things if not maintained. It will kill clutches and engines if the filter is not kept clean so I would lean toward the high desert one with everything being equal as it probably didn't work any harder because it wasn't pulling hard in the deep sand all its life. I also have an 06 660 and it has over 4000 miles on it. Never been in the desert so just dusty mountain trails and mud and plowing snow, but with good maint. the only thing I have done is to replace the seal in the rear diferential, installed a hunterworks CDI so reverse worked better and it starts easier, replaced the belt once, and mounted the winch and snowplow. It has been a great workhorse and was purchased new in 06. It still plows snow and works around the farm but play duties have been taken up by a Polaris RZR.