one well known issue is left rear wheel/axle seal and bearings
they start to go, BEFORE you can really find any movement in then and then allow water to get past, thuis filling up axle tube, and then that water rusts the splines off the rear axle
on short order
SO, I would strongly suggest replaceing them once you get it, easy job, cheap parts, maybe like 25-30 bucks for all new seals and bearings for BOTH sides, and then you know there GOOD
IF not, the axle when it goes(very common) there about 150-200 bucks, so, a cheap fix can save you $$
next would be to look at the oil on the dip stick, se what color it is and that its up to correct level
sad part here is MOST folks tend to change oil before selling to hide any evidence!(water or?? in oil)
next would be to inspect the air filter(under seat and easy to do, NO tools needed) it should be clean, same with air box, IF not, that tends to show owner doesn't take good care of it
also at this point look for any mod's done to the air box, that might show that he at one time had a snorkle on it, snorkles tend to HIGHT:Y increase the odds the atv was sunk once, and that is NEVER good, or a cheap fix
besides this, I would look closly at the frame, to look for any bent or broken parts welds tubes, rust hole???
IF you have the time and ability, doing a compression test is a GREAT idea, again FAST and easy, and if you do your home work before going, you wil know where its at, on a better scale
LAST known issue, and its on MOST honda atv's
is the rear brakes, they tend to sieze up from lots of water use/mud use
so, if there NOT working well, they will need to be cleaned and or replaced
IF you buy this ATV, next I would suggest changing all fluids, oil, diffs, a NEW spark plug, and air filter
run a few tanks of seam foam thru it , to help clean up any MILD carb issue's
as for price, if it is as clean and low miles as he says, then I say YES 1700 is a decent price for sure
but is he the original owner?? NOW if its got a lot of MUD water mods on it, bigger wheels spacers or?? I tend to stay away from these things, as I see problems in BIG letters that come with price tags to correct!