I have a 2013 Yamaha Kodiak 450. I was going to get a Honda or Yamaha when I was buying went with the Kodiak as it was 3 inches shorter and i could close my tailgate on my truck (6'6 box). Not regretted the decision one bit.
When i tree planted in the early 90's we ran honda 250's and I have been on a machine that had four people on it with another couple boxes of trees and we were going down a logging road fast enough that i thought if one of us falls off we are going to hospital.
The salesman is going to try and tell you that the 450-500 dont have enough power and you should step up to a 700, 800 or a 1000. Dont listen to them. I can go almost 80kms a hour down a FSR and at that speed it down right scary. Not sure why you would want to go faster. Also when I bought mine the guy asked if I was going to be plowing snow and if so the 450 would not be able to do it. At the time I said no as we had a small driveway. He said if I was plowing I needed to get into a 700. They must be related to the salesman that tell you a 300wm is the minimum you should look at when hunting deer.
Well now we have a big driveway and I bought a plow for it. The limiting factor for snow removal is the plow and not the machine. Its shocking how big a snow pile I can push with the puny 450. I dont even put chains on it and only put it in 4x4 when pushing the big piles that i have made in the middle of the driveway.
I bought when our dollar was close to par and looked at getting a machine in the states. It was way cheaper then what some of the dealers wanted up here so defiantly look around. I found South Cariboo yamaha and the yamaha dealer in vernon to be only a 3-4 hundred dollars more then what I could in the states when you actually crunched the taxes and import etc. That said both dealers were easily at least a $1000 cheaper then buying here in kamloops or anywhere I phoned on the coast.
BHB