3 Things to Look Out for When Buying a Go-Kart

So, it seems like you’ve started to enjoy go-kart racing and have dabbled with the idea of potentially buying your first go-kart! You’re probably thinking that there are several things that you need to take into consideration when purchasing a go-kart – that’s right! It’s normal to question what to look out for when buying a new or used go-kart.

It’s great that you’re asking this question, as the more things you consider and the more thorough your research the higher the chances will be of being happy with your purchase decision. There are several places to buy go-karts. I’ve bought several go-karts before, new and used. I’ve dealt with retailers, but also directly with sellers when I purchased my first used go-karts.

In short, here are 3 important items on what to look out for when buying a new or used go-kart:

Age

When it comes to go-kart valuation, you’ll have to account for the fact that they depreciate, similar to cars and other types of vehicles. It’s not uncommon to see a racing go-kart lose about 50% of its value in about 2 – 5 years. This of course depends on which country or state you purchase your kart in and also its condition.

Therefore, when buying a used go-kart ensure that you take note of the year when it was manufactured. You can identify the year of manufacture on the homologation plate of the chassis. This will give you an idea of how old the go-kart in question is.

Unfortunately, there is no real guideline that checks how much a kart is worth solely based on its age. Many different factors come into play, such as condition, usage, location, and more. The best way to benchmark its value is by comparing its age and condition with similar classified listings.

For new go-karts, you won’t run into this issue, as their pricing is based on a manufacturer’s MSRP and if you buy it off the manufacturer directly, it will be their selling price.

Type

Another thing that you should consider is the type of go-kart. There are various types of go-karts available and each of them is valued and inspected differently. You should take note of the four different types of go-karts:

• Open Karts: racing karts with no roll rage
• Caged Karts: off-road go-karts for dirt racing
• Straight Chassis Karts: standard go-karts used for racing
• Offset Chassis Karts: off-set seat go-karts used for oval tracks

When you’re buying a go-kart make sure that you know which type of go-kart you’re looking for. Each of these go-kart types is used for a specific purpose or race and buying an incompatible go-kart would not be a good idea. You should also carefully inspect the go-kart depending on its type. Pay special attention to the frame, engine, and other parts – more on that a little later.

Homologation

Depending on what type of race you intend to participate in you need to ensure that the go-kart you want to buy meets the respective homologation. Homologation standards in the world of go-karting are set by the FIA (International Automobile Federation) and its sub-commission, the CIK (International Karting Commission) – FIA-CIK in short.

If you intend to race casually or locally, you’ll need to check with your organizer. Most national and international karting events are sanctioned by the FIA-CIK and the participating go-karts are required to meet the respective homologation standards.

If you’re buying a used go-kart, make sure that you understand which parts of the go-kart are modulated. If the go-kart you have in mind is from a reputable manufacturer, you can easily search this online. You may find additional information on the parts or you may inquire directly with the owner.

Items that are required to meet FIA-CIK homologation standards are typically the chassis, brakes, engine, ignition, carburetors, clutches, exhaust and intake silencers, as well as tires. If you don’t intend to race professionally, you won’t need to check these. Nevertheless, it’s valuable information to know.

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