Weused to have a standard guide for people in your position.
1) Don't buy anything.
2) Go to your local track and look at what is available (Yes Honda Prokart is fun but have you been / seen anything else)
3) Be polite, but nosey. If you explain what you intend, most karters will be helpful. Don't worry that the tent door is closed, that's warmth not privacy... All they can say is 'Please leave'. Of course, make sure there is someone in the tent before entering. Dipping in and out of empty tents is notr recommended, it looks odd.
4)Then go to another meeting at another track.
5) Buy a kart from someone reliable, not eBay and not off the internet, not even this Market Place. Reliable means someone who will be there next meeting and has something to lose if their reputation is lost. If you must buy from the internet, then take someone along who knows what to look for (how to check for a straight chassis, what the homologation marks mean and whether they apply to you etc).
6)Ditto for buying engines. Don't buy an engine on its stickers.
7) Be prepared to wait for a while to get all the bits, (unles you really, really can't wait in which case be prepared to pay for impatience).
8) Find someone who will help you at your first few meetings. Either someone who will let you pitch under their cover or next to them and will do things like point you to scrutineering, signing on and getting to the grid in good time.
8.5) Do get something to keep the rain off. Nothing is less fun that trying to fix your kart in the wet. Also, if you expect a wet meeting, take spare clothes. Not being wet when you go to the grid can increase your speed!
9) Have zero expectations. You will be slow when you start (even if your Arks test was passed at 'Race Pace -10%'). You will get quicker.
Expect to budget around £300 a weekend as a novice: (£100 for race and practice fees, £200 for keeping the kart fed, watered and raceworthy) and £500 when you want to win races. More if you are hiring accommodation (eg: Hotel) rather than tent or the back of the van.
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