I am currently looking and researching the purchase of my first buggy. Right now, I am looking at the Roketa GK-32A 800 cc kart.

I lie the looks of the Roketa, and for the price, the lowest I have come across so far is $4413 out the door, cash price, me picking up the crate at a local dealer 20 miles from my house. I can't find anything comparable.

What are the thoughts of someof you out here. Please weigh in. I had originally set out to buy a four wheeler, however, I showed these karts to momma and she is all about getting a kart versus a four wheeler, and so am I.

Those of you who have the Roketa, what do you think?

Any other brand, for the money I will pay above, that is better?

How about going ahead and getting the turbo kit? Too much for starter?

In the 800cc category -- don't even consider Roketa (IMHO)! The Joyner is far ahead in the large displacement buggies. For one, the Roketa has an open differential -- one wheel drive. For two, the Joyner has much better quality control. For three, Roketa doesn't make buggies, they are a huge Chinese distributer, and there are possibly...many versions of their 800cc buggies -- made by...many different manufacturers.
Above all, contact the Trusted Dealers on this website. They will steer you in the right direction, and give you excellent support.
I know there are a Roketa owners who contribute to this site, who have good luck with the smaller Roketas (they are also mechanically talented), but it seems the 800cc Roketas are very problem prone.

When considering an investment into purchasing a buggy, the lowest price is not usually the best deal. Support after the sale means a lot. Roketa does not have a good reputation in this area. It stems from what Lou mentioned above. Roketa is a distributor. They have nothing to due with manufacturing the buggys they sell. They go around to different factories and buy what is there--whether it is good or bad. Whether there is QC or not.

Yes.....Joyner is more expensive. But they are much more responsible for their products. They have extended warranties up to 3 years. You must have confidence in your machines if you are prepared to offer that length of time. Parts are readily available and they have a good dealer network.

Glade

Hi,hands down Joyner is a far better machine. A freind of mine is a Roketa dealer,i can't believe the night mares he gets into. Under size wiring,blown cvs,missing parts,can't get parts. Ghost

I have found a distributor that sells an NST 800cc buggy that looks just like the Roketa. Is this the same buggy? Is the quality any better? I have been reading the posts of people on this site, who bought Roketa, and it seems that a large majority get there buggy, and parts are missing, things are already broken on arrival, or they break within a couple of hours of run time.

If I am going to invest the money, I want something that I can get into and have some fun.

I plan on using my buggy for trail riding, occasional light mudding, and some dunes in Texas and Oklahoma.

I am a big guy, 5'10", 235. My want my girl to be able to ride around with me also. She is 5'6" and 130. 360 pounds of adults int he kart.

Will the Joyner do what I want to do?

NST, BMS, Roketa, I think they are all the same. I was scared away (by members of this forum) from purchasing a Roketa. It appears those buggy’s can have some serious issues.

When all was said and done, I decided to go with a Coolster 6250 Dbl. It was either that or a Kinroad. The Kinroad is probably a little better quality, but for the same price I got a two seater with independent rear suspension. Also, Coolster is a go Kart manufacturer not just a distributor. I am very pleased with the overall quality of the Coolster so far.

Now a word of advice regarding Chinese made buggies in general. You got to approach your purchase as though you were going to build the entire buggy yourself. Meaning it took me over 20 hours to assemble, my 85% assembled buggy. I removed every single bolt and applied red locktite. I spent hours bleeding and adjusting the brakes. I applied grease to every pivot bolts, shock bolts, tie rod, shifter component, etc. I drained all the fluids and replace with quality name brand fluids. I went over every bolt on the engine, CVT and drive train. In other words, I re-assemble the ENTIRE buggy!

Now, because I go through such a methodical process, I would not worry about purchasing a Roketa. In fact, I really like the looks of the GK40-800cc. However, that thing has really gotten some bad reviews on this forum. Still, I wonder, is that because some newbie, who didn’t know what they were getting themselves into made an impulse buy, expecting hours of trouble free fun from an ORV that cost 1/3 the price of a Polaris Rzr? I’m not really sure?

In any event, it is always a cr&p shoot when you purchase a Chinese buggy. Just hope all the parts are in the crate when it arrives. If so, you are off to a great start! If not, you immediately got headaches. Also, unless you purchase from one of the fine dealers on this website, there is no such thing as a warranty. If you are looking for the lowest price, remember you get what you pay for. Just be prepared to do a lot of wrenching and you will have a great time!

If price is an issue, you can find used Joyner 800s for about that same price. Some guys have decent luck with the Roketas. It's not aguaranteed problem waiting to happen, but Joyner is definitely going to be the better purchase. Pretty much every other 800cc brand is just a Roketa by a different name, usually manufactured by a company called GOKA.

I've seen 8oo and 1000cc kinroads as well. Never here but on the net. Now I would have zero reservations about buying a used roketa. I can fab what I need to if parts are'nt around though. But if you ship me a buggy missing parts or things break and it's new Thats not to say a Joyner wont have an issue. But I know full well Glade or BigE will take care of it and I aint paying.

Just think, you get one thats been stored for a few years, the carb is shot, nothing but run around. Thats like 300 bucks you'll have to spend to ride a new buggy that you just bought for 4-5thou

I have a Joyner dealer in Arlington, TX, close to me, that I called today. The 800cc Joyner was listed at $8995. They have a demo model for sale with 46 miles on it for $7800, an 800cc Sand Viper.

I realize that you pay for quality, and I was impressed with a 2 yr warranty that comes with it, but Geez, Louise, that's double the price of the NST kart that I found.

Are the NST, Roketa, BMS, that cheaply made? What are people doing when they break?

I must admit that I am not a novice. I have built my own go karts from scratch, one I built had front and rear suspension. I have welder/chop saw, drill press, and I know how to use the tools. But I dont have the tools or skills to build this type of kart, and I want something nice for a change.

I don't know what to do, because I dont want a piece of junk, and I can't afford the Corvette.

I'm in Ellis County, TX. There arent any karts within 500 miles of me for private sale. Any suggestions?

If I were you I would give some of the dealers on here a call. A little 1 on 1 pow-wow with these guys would give you more then enough information to make a good purchase.

Some of these dealers carry many brands including the ones you have in your poll.

Do your homework before you drop a few G's in someones wallet.