Buying a used go kart for the first time help

[annie]

Hi everyone

I'm trying to get into go karting and I thought I would get an old kart to practice BUT I know nothing about Go karts and I would really appreciate some insight about this used kart I found online.

The owner doesn't know too much about it (like how old it is and how used it is) and I know it will be hard for you guys to tell from just pictures but I will take whatever help and info I can get.

What we do know about the kart is that it has a IAME engine leopard 125 cc and that the chassis is a Intrepid.

If anyone could tell me what you think this kart is worth, the state of it it, like what needs to be changed and if it looks reliable it would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you

 

[OzFab]

To me, it sounds a little sus that the seller knows almost nothing about it... if you know what I mean...

It's difficult to put a price on it without knowing where it is as prices can vary depending on location

 

[landuse]

It looks good though

 

[itsid]

perfectly nice kart..
If I have to make a guess, I'D say the engine is ~2007 - 2009 and the chassis maybe the same year, maybe a year or two younger than that...

if that engine is in good shape you're looking at roughly 2k there;
since the seller claims to know about nothing about it's age..
I'd say it'll be close or even past it's maintenace by now..
means 300 to 400 bucks to bring it back to full power.

uncracked intrepid... (assuming it's uncracked) can be as low as 200 naked, and as high as 800;
the ONLY measure is time (and by that I mean track time...)
if it's gone soft by now which it likely is.. 200 naked, 400 with all but the engine.
Now, back to the propellant...
if it needs maintenance (again it likely will) that's still about 300 bucks for a iame Parilla leopard as long as the crankcase and carb are uncracked and the cooler isn't oxidized.

So yes, unfortunately.. that means anything from as little as 700 to as much as 2k are perfectly reasonable depending on condition and age.
(and yes.. sometimes even location..... it's worthless if it doesn't comply with your local kart racing rules )

We can't tell, especially not if the seller can't tell you about it's history (racing hours, age ect.)

Now, the best advice we could give you is this:
go to a few races, talk to the racers, ask them about used karts, they will have some, and most imporant they likely have sold some of their old ones already...
So you get a good idea of what to expect.

'sid

PS check the tyres for the manufacturing date to get an idea when it last saw a track.

 

[briggsandstratton123]

the motor looks water-cooled

 

[OzFab]

Maybe because it is

 

[itsid]

LOL, at least it should be.. else it'll overheat and blow within just a few minutes.

Oh and according to the internets magic I found an intrepid cruiser from 2007 that had the same graphical layout... so yeah, I'm rather confident about it's age.

'sid

 

[annie]

thanks everyone for the great insight i really appreciate it.

 

[GregMartin]

I've bought a couple of second hand racing karts now and the advice about going to the track and talking to people there is very sound.
Before you buy a racing kart you need to know your local licensing rules and kart classes. In some places there are restrictions on what class inexperienced drivers can race. An Intrepid with a 125 water cool iame 50mm axle and sticky tyres is a reasonably high performance kart, however some competitions run restrictors to reduce the power for entry level classes. So find out what class you should run in.

So the next point is whilst racing karts have no suspension they do have almost infinite adjustment. It's taken me about two years to get my head round this and become good at kart setup, but there are ways to get a head start.
You can buy a secondhand kart from a kart shop and if you do the owner will sell you the right kart for whatever class you run in and he will also help with setup. I wish I had done this in the beginning

I know you said that it was just for practice laps but I've seen it before. A well setup kart makes driving much easier and you improve much more quickly. So then you start chasing lap times and then you start racing. And if you bought the wrong kart in the beginning you're r soon looking for a new kart.

So my advice, go to your local track and talk to people before you buy this kart. Hope this info is useful

 

[buckwheat]

Starter Kart

If you are just wanting to get into karting you are taking a giant step IMO. That kart is designed for serious racing on road type tracks.

 

[GregMartin]

Oh yeah that kart in good condition would do a bit over 70mph on the back straight (120 yards) at our local track.