If you don't mind the tinny noise and smelly exhaust, the 2 stroke should be fine. One thing you might want to be careful of is the suspension, though. I haven't ridden any '99's, but our '96 sportsman 400 is a nightmare to ride. Rough roads toss you all over the place, and it nearly pitches you off every time you hit unseen rocks. So when you go take it for a test ride, be sure to drive on more than just flat roads so that you can get a feel for how well the suspension works.