Go Karts are simply great fun. For those who don’t know, they are small, suspensionless vehicles which people drive around for usually recreational purposes. Of course, there are those who drive them professionally, racing and such, and we will get to that towards the end of this article. We will also touch on how to find both cheap and used go karts, as you can often save a lot of money and get a really good deal by buying in this manner. But it does take looking in the right place.

Go karts come in all sorts of shape and sizes. The most primitive is what is called a soap-box racer. In America it is popular for young boys to build their own for race in a Soapbox Derby. This is a long tradition that dates back many decades, but many people don’t realize that this is a form of a go kart. Indeed it definitely is.

Then you can trace the evolution all the way up to go karts which race at speeds of up to 160 miles per hour or so. These are typically only found in the possession of pro racers or else very wealthy or avid fans who can afford to purchase and/or make something as complicated as that.

In order to find cheap go carts you may have to look around in a few different sources. The first and most obvious place to look is your local go kart supplier. Especially in darker economic times, this guy can be a source of some real deals. But of course, he probably won’t be able to give you the absolute cheapest go kart in the world. SO in that case we also want to check some other sources.

Look around on Craigslist. If you live in a metropolitan area or just a highly populated suburb this could really work. Of course, if there are many go kart enthusiasts that live around you they can also be a good source of cheap go karts. I wouldn’t commit to anything until you have checked out a bunch of different places. This is especially important if you really don’t know how to price the things. You do not want to get ripped off now.

Finally, I suggest looking around online for discounters, wholesalers, and companies that are trying to liquidate their go karts. This is very often where you can really get in on a good deal and get a steal. That is because they have so much inventory that they need to move in order to create a cash flow for their businesses. When this is the case the company or supplier is really not in a position to haggle over every little price differential, so they are a lot more likely to just price the go karts very low from the start.

Craigslist is also a great place to look for used go karts as that is the best place for people to post them for free. It is such a good market and most transactions have no fee placed upon them; plus it is local. Everything you want going for you is present here. On the flip side, it is a great place for buyers because they can search and tap right into their local market for go karts. The used ones should be priced notably lower than what they would go for used. Go kart prices in general (for new ones) can range in price from $300 up to $10,000 and probably beyond. Use that as a range to help you get the best deal for you or whoever is going to be driving it.

Finally, let’s talk a little about go kart racing as this is where many enthusiasts and hobbyists eventually end up. It starts out as just a little hobby that the son and dad do and it morphs into a seriously competitive sport.

The actual governing body of go kart racing is Italy’s Federation Internationale de l’Autombile. This is the FIA, which also regulates Formula One Racing, of all things. This body regulates the Karting World Championship which is the premier race when it comes to go “karting”.

These professional level racing carts can go up to 160 mph. Non-pro go karts usually won’t ever go much above 90 miles per hour. So that should give you an idea of how serious the races can easily become at this level. Yet, it still has failed to quite gain the recognition that other motorsports enjoy these days. Maybe one day that will change; only time will tell. But one thing I know is that go karts will be fun forever; they are just the perfect way to get into racing and driving early. And you can go as far as you want with it as life goes on.