I'm new here and I need your help. I have been lucrking for a while and now I am looking at getting my first real buggy. I have a yerf dog 3203 now. I am going to look at a 2005 hammerhead 150CC buggy tomorrow. $850.00. I know it has 1 bad tire and it needs a new battery. The owner said it hasn't been ridden since last summer, but that he drained the carb bowl before storing it. What should I look for? Is there any issue's with this year or this buggy that I should know about, or consider before buying it?

Thanks
Jason

Check the usual stuff, oil level, check the brake rotors or pads, everything work? Has it been sitting outside? Look in the gas tank, is it rusty? Can you take a battery and gas with you? Does it have spark? Try and fire it up, does it run, etc. $850 isn't a bad price assuming it runs, anything below that would be even better.

what sockman said and also check the tie rods, mounting tabs on the struts to see if they are or have been bent,

and welcome to buggynews

What they said. Take a batt and if it dont start talk him down.

He was asking $1000. I talked him down to $850 over the phone. He told me it has never been rolled. It has been setting in his garage. He also said he would pull a battery out of an atv that he has so I can drive it. I will check all those items, that is a good list and it includes some things I wouldn't have thought about. How much take off should this thing have? Is there a noticeable stall in takeoff when you punch the gas? Thanks for all the help.

If it's stock, don't expect it to push you back in your seat when you take off. Keep in mind, it is a 150cc scooter motor pushing that thing. Top speed should be around 40mph. They can be modified to climb really well, but you'll lose a little top speed with the more simple mods. There are ALL kinds of performance parts available for those and you'll find help on here for about anything you need.

Good luck.

It was actually in pretty good physical shape. It wouldn't run right though. It wouoln't idle, and it kept dying. I couldn't even test drive it. He jacked up the back end and got it to run and the tires spun, but it wouldn't run long enough to drive it. He said the gas was over a year old. That may have had something to do with it. The carb is probably gummed up to. He said he changed the oil filter, the air filter, and the electric choke before he put it up and had driven it but not alot since he had done that. The plug was pretty dark, and it seemed to smoke (although it was chilly today and it may have been moisture? 55degrees) He was unable to get it up to operating temperature.I told him if he could get it running to give me a call. Anyone got any ideas of what it could be? Do you think it is probably the gas or a gummed up carb?
Thanks
Jason

If you are mechanically inclined, I'd offer him $500 and see if he takes it. Gonna be hard to sell a buggy that he knows doesn't run right. It's probably in the carb. Easy to take that off and clean it real good. That's just my opinion. Did it smoke real bad? Do you have a compression tester?

like sockman said, its probably the carb needs cleaning. what color was the smoke? and I would do a compression check. if its blue smoke and did not quit, then the rings could be stuck.

Check the oil level and smell the oil for a gassy smell.