theres nothing wrong with buying used if you buy it from the right person. or if you buy it at the right price! most of the time, people sell cars because they are getting a NEW one, not because they are bored/leaving the hobby... and they get that NEW one because the old one is starting to get slack/wear on moving parts like suspension, drivetrain, etc.
its fine for someone beating around because you probably wont notice the difference, your not running in an isolated environment, ie, a track with precise bumps and jumps and curves... but for the average RACER, they will notice a difference between a worn buggy and a newly built one, even if the setup is identical.
now dont get me wrong, used isnt a bad way to go to save some money, just be VERY careful what you buy, ask some questions! like how many gallons its been run, etc. the bottom of the chassis is usually a good first marker of a worn buggy. look for scarring and scratches on the bottom.. if the chassis looks fairly new still, it couldve been replaced, look over the suspension parts, check the slack in the a-arms, shock ends, look at the spur gear and make sure it looks ok.
one good thing is its really hard to get burned too bad, since every part is replaceable. so you dont get stuck with something you cant use, it just may cost more to fix it, lol!
but me personally, id rather buy new, lol!
Originally Posted by
Mugen MBX-5
i think you guys are assuming that ALL second hand buggies are complete POS.
i bought my buggy second hand and it was built right, trust me. same with 95% of the buggies out there.. how would you like it if no one bought your second hand buggy (which was built perfectly, like most of em are) because they thought it wasnt built right or treated properly.
like i said before, the reason people mostly sell their buggies are because theyre bored of the hobby, they cant do it anymore due to work/wife.. etc.., they cant afford it, they have a new/better buggy, NOT because its a wrecked, non-properly built POS....
if youre looking to save money, theres nothing wrong with spending 250$ on a 2nd hand buggy that runs at 97% performance, or spending 500$ on a brand new buggy that runs at 99%... im sticking with second hand still.