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You have chosen the best sport on the planet, welcome!
However, reverse your thinking!
If you want to enjoy your karting, and be in it for a whole year, at least, keep your hand (and thus, your money) FIRMLY in your pocket for a while! It is MUCH too early to think about WHAT to buy or to make firm decisions about what 'age', class or quality of kart.
Hopefully, my changed 'title' to this thread will attract 'locals' to read it. The idea is that you tell them when you can go and SEE some races (usually Sundays, usually, once a month) and someone (or more) will offer to meet you at the track and spend some time with you during their races. In this way, you will see what we REALLY do and also the choices that you MIGHT want to make!
The 'class' of kart depends on your budget and your abilities. It ALSO depends on what is raced at YOUR Tracks! Not ALL classes are run at EVERY track. Secondly, there are a LOT of karts that are perfectly good but may not be raced ANYWHERE at the moment as that class may have 'died'. So.... taking the risk of BUYING before you see what you can afford and what looks fun and what isor isn't raced locally is probably the DAFTEST thing you could do!
Ideally, go to see THREE race meetings before you put your hand NEAR your pocket.... (except to buy the teas and bacon sarnies for those who 'introduce' you.... of course!)
The second big advantage of this is that you will get to hear about quite few karts that are for sale and you may even be watching them RACE. The advantage is that you will be able to see if they are as good as the owner will TELL you that it is!
Thirdly, you will have got to know a handful of karters who (if you have been polite and helpful) will remain firm friends for your stay in karting. They will be able to help you agree a price on a kart and/or advise you to buy it or to give it a WIDE berth
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Next...... you'd be pretty well BONKERS to start on the kart that you want to use in RACING... later!
Why?
Because you WILL crash while learning and you WILL hit the kerbs. You WILL run the engine too hot, too lean and not enough oil (unless you are VERY careful.....) and you WILL be wearing out major parts of the kart while you do the early stage of learning to drive! And then learbing the MUCH more complex saga of learning to RACE!
The very, VERY good learn enough to be a mid-fielder in their first year (if they race once-a-month for example); most are still pretty happy to stay in contact with the rest of the pack by the end of the first year. It is VERY competitive out there!
So.... if you DO buy a top-class chassis to start with, by the time you have done a number of open practice days (before you start racing) and then passed your 'tests' and are no longer forced to start at the BACK of all races (All 'novices wear Black numb er plates their first 5 races!), you will have either damaged or 'tired' your chassis.... or BOTH!
The difference between the performance of a race-winning chassis/kart and a 'mid fielder' chassis/kart is MINUSCULE.... defininitley not much more than 1 second a lap. However, the difference between your quality of DRIVING and being up the front with the 'quick boys' will be MUCH larger than that.....it'll still probably be TWO seconds a lap AT LEAST! So.... the place where most of your time will need saving will NOT be in the chassis/engine.... it'll be in your quality of YOUR DRIVING and, NEXT, your abilities to make the best 'set-up' for your chassis/engine! Get the driving and the technique of race-prep right BEFORE you spend large sums of money on newish equipment!
So... while you are learning to RACE and learning to set up the chassis, a TOP LINE chassis will be no advantage to you.... by the time you CAN make use of it.... it'll be bent and tired and the engine will need a service!!
It's therefore usually MUCH better and cheaper to buy an older chassis/engine/kart on which to LEARN and then sell that for not MUCH less than you paid for it after 1 year and THEN buy a QUICK kart when you CAN make use of it! By al means, buy one in the class that you want to choose to race but do NOT buy a very new or good or 'race leading' one! Buy one that is clean, tidy.... well looked after, STRAIGHT (not bent) and probably 2, 3 or 4 years old and that may well come with USEFUL (not old rubbish) spares, tools and other useful things.
However, I fully understand it's YOUR money and YOU have to make the choices! I am just old, experienced and a right old CHEAPSKATE and I really do NOT like spending money if I don't have to!
Karting can either be BANK BREAKING or it can be pretty well AFFORDABLE! The choices you make control which of those two it will be for you.....
Oh..... finally,.... you've chosen an unlucky time of the year to ask the question. Most people will be concentrating on Xmas and turkey etc. for the next few days so not many will see this posting. Secondly, karting IS an all-year-round sport but the racing tends to be MORE frantic and busy in the spring, summer and autumn. Race tracks are ALWAYS cold and windy and many drivers simply 'hibernate' for the worst of the season. So..... if you don't get many replies, don't be put OFF...... we are either asleep (comatose) because of Christmas or asleep for the winter!
Ian
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