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I just returned from a visit to the local mega-dealership carrying everything from Harleys to Triumphs to the full Japanese line manufacturers.  I noticed that a good deal of their showroom floor was dedicated to the ‘utility vehicle’.  These things, only bigger in many cases:

These creatures are not only big SOB’s, they are expensive - to the tune of $11k for a base model stripped version.  Expensive enough to keep me out of the market for sure.  As for the used market, they do not depreciate very fast I am told (little enough that new seems to be a better buy).

In some ways, I find it rather surprising that the ‘utility vehicle’ is such a hot seller.  I have also noticed that out here in AZ, hopped up / lifted gas and electric golf carts (no that is not a typo) are all the rage too.  I think a cool perk is that both vehicle types can be easily street legal.  And cruising into town to grab a bite to eat, or to the corner store would actually be a little fun versus simply an errand.

The kicker - I overheard a salesman at the dealership tell a guy who shared my curiosity “we sell one utility vehicle for every two quads”.  No shit.  If true, and that may be a stretch that a motorcycle saleman is not lying ;), I’m scared.  This is exactly the vehicle I do NOT want to see on the trails in opposing traffic.  I will lose big time in the game of chicken…and survival.

I was actually considering a vehicle like this as a family activity, but the expense is crazy for what I would want.  Add the bigger engine to handle the extra payload, the rear seating option (about $1500), and of course…the gun rack (because I’m a knuckle dragging redneck), and you reach about $15k.  Or, for about $4k I could get four import quads that will allow some time to figure our if this is an activity the family wants to pursue.  Of course, the resale on the quads will be much less, but who cares at that point.

The plus to the utility vehicle is that we could start now, whereas the quads will have to wait a few years for my daughters to get a little older.  The minus is that unless we drive the pig right to the trails, I would have to refigure my trailer situation - these machines are too big for a pickup bed (any pickup bed) and too wide and long for my fold-up 4×8 trailer.  A major negative.

I’ll have to think on this idea for a while, but the reality is that I’m cheap.  I simply cannot see laying out some $15k for a utility vehicle to putt around in the desert with…family activity or not.  I think I would have to buy a new motorcycle (something for which I have never done in my life), before buying a new ‘tank’.  We’ll see what happens.

EDIT - Some actual survey data to support the salesman’s claim on the popularity of UTV’s:

While first-half industry reports show a down market for new powersports units in comparison to last year, that doesn’t appear to be the case for UTVs.

Nearly 55 percent of dealers said sales of UTVs, also referred to as side-by-sides, are up over last year, according to a national survey conducted for Powersports Business.

Only 13 percent said their UTV sales were down compared to last year while about a third said new side-by-side sales were flat, according to the survey of 150 dealers.

For those dealers who have increased their UTV sales this year, the payoff has been noteworthy. Those dealers report an increase in sales of 24 percent in 2007 compared to a year ago.

The survey’s findings were not a surprise to OEMs, who see this still relatively young segment growing not only in the short term but for years to come.

Read the whole article.