opinions on yamaha warrior

[hondahaulic]

Im looking for some opinions on yamaha warriors. I have a buddy that wants to get into 4-wheeling and he found a yamaha warrior for $900 with a freshly rebuilt engine. Im not sure of the year and i dont think it has many mods. (havent seen it myself) and there is also a newer-looking yamaha warrior on an upcoming consignment auction.
Would either of these be a good choice for a nice dependable quad? Ive never been around warriors much so i dont know alot about them. Are there any things to look for or any years to stay away from? And, about how would one perform compared to my or my other buddy's 400ex? Im guessing that the 400ex will have a slight upperhand on speed and handling, but will there be much difference?

[RedRider_AK]

400EX will cream it. The Warrior is more of a cruiser anyhow. The Warrior has lackluster handling compared to the 400EX. It's also got a lot less responsive powerband, and less suspension travel at either end.

You can mod it out really nice, but you'd do better to start with the 400EX to start with.

[Jolly Roger]

There are still alot of Warriors around here in eastern Ky. My buddy has a new 300ex that is jetted with an aftermarket exhaust, and he got mauled by an older stock Warrior. It would be a great beginner bike, but don't give too much for them. I've seen older ones go for $400-600 and a 2000 for $1000.