Buying a Karts from eBay.co.uk!

I remember at time when all you could do to find a kart to buy is either go to a kart circuit, or look I the kart magazine. But with the revolution of the Internet, it has become much easier to purchase a kart. At first it was just a couple of karting websites sites that utilised the web with Market Places, but now something much greater and more powerful is influencing the UK karting scene, and it’s what I call ‘Formula eBay’!

eBay has made it so much easier for the average Joe to get into karting. And with this increased availability it means some people are less inclined to research the product. And that means some people unfortunately buy karts they can’t use, or race.

So what do you need to look out for if you are looking to buy a kart from eBay?

1. What kart is it? – Simple question, but vitally important. You see, you cannot just simply buy a kart and then race it. In the UK you can only race a select amount of classes, that usually have strict rules. Here’s are small breakdown of the two main direct drive class’s that are run in the UK:

- Formula TKM – A single engine make class. This class uses the TKM BT82.engine. Also the chassis’s have to be British made and made post 1994.

- Formula Rotax MAX – Again, a single make engine class. This class uses the Rotax MAX FR 125 engine. The engines are sealed. This basically means you are not allowed to look inside it. It’s an idea to stop ‘cheaters’. The chassis are open. That means you can use chassis manufactured in different countries.

So you must understand that if you want to race, it is essential you find your local circuit and ask what class’s can be raced there!

2. What condition is it in? – This is a difficult one because you generally have only a few pictures to look at. And the truth is that you are taking a risk! But generally you are looking for a nice clean engine and chassis. If you can actually go and see the thing before you buy, that is of huge benefit.

3. Sometimes the sellers don’t know what their talking about, or there just plain lying! – The truth is this; the reason a lot of these karts are on eBay is because the seller couldn’t sell them any other way. Sometimes that’s because they are not raced anymore, or that the kart isn’t fit to be used. So do your research. If the seller says the engine is a TKM BT82 it doesn’t mean it is. I have experienced someone buying a kart on the sellers premise that you could use it in Formula TKM. Unfortunately the kart couldn’t be raced in any class at all!

4. What is the availability of spares? – In the current UK karting market there are only a limited amount of engines that are used. And that means finding spares for an engine that isn’t used much anymore can be very difficult. So what do you need to do? Well firstly you need to find out what engine you have. Generally the name of the engine will be printed it on it somewhere. Then you have to find out where you can get spares for it. I recommend speaking to the guys a Spellfame.

5. Just because the motor say it is a TKM doesn’t mean it can be used in Formula TKM! – There are many engine makers out there, e.g. Parilla TKM, Rotax etc… They make many different specifications of engines. You have to be careful because if the engine is the right ‘make’, it doesn’t mean it is the right specification you need to race. E.g. TKM make the BT82 engine, and the BT95 engine. Only the BT82 can be used in Formula TKM whereas the BT95 cannot be used. So be careful!

There are huge benefits of buying karts of eBay. The truth is that most of the karts that are sold in ebay come with engines that offer much better performance than the ones currently used today. There is a terrific amount of fun that can be created on an eBay kart. And they come at a very low price as well.

Unfortunately there is no class to race most karts bought of eBay. But Mary-Ann Horley from Kartlink has come up with some great ideas on how to implement a class to accomidate karts bought of eBay. Click here to check it out.

You’ll find that a lot of karters today might buy an old kart of ebay, purely on the basis that the motor is a lot more fun to drive than the current generation of kart engines being raced!

But when you buy a kart of eBay you must ask yourself this – do I want to race, or just have fun! If you want to race it I recommend you take great care in what you are buying, and do the research. If you want to have some fun, there are plenty of real bargains on eBay!

The most important tip is this – Ask questions! Don’t be afraid to seek advice from anyone in kart racing. Here is a karting forum that will provide with an opportunity to seek advice from karters in the UK – www.karting.co.uk/notice

If you ever have a query about buying a kart on ebay please feel free to email me at alan@karting1.co.uk

Alan Dove

Today is definitely a classic clip day. This guy likes to call himself the paintball moron. In this clip, he gets shot with 140 paintballs in about 2 minutes.

Speaking with some experience in this subject matter, it must hurt like hell. Particularly the next day.

Enjoy the clip and the rest of the weekend.