What's it worth?

[nicolesbro10]

I'm brand new to the buggy scene but I just bought what I believe is a yd 3206 go cart. Compression is good on it however the wiring is crap someone messed it up bad. What I want to know is what my buggy worth? I paid $75 for it and aure itll run with a new wiring harness and a brain box but is it worth getting running or will it save me to just sale it? I was offered $450 for it? Should I go with that or will it be worth fixing? Please help!

[Masteryota]

It depends on whether you want to keep it, it would be hard to turn down the profit margin if it were me. On the flip side, the 3206 is a solid base to start with, many many members have them from stock to crazy modded units. I have a 4209, which I believe is just one year newer and a different color. I also picked mine up with a blown ball joint for a $100.

On the other side, if you were to sell it, you might be hard pressed to find another buggy. A few members here are actively searching for them with little to no luck.

[nicolesbro10]

Do they have enough power stock to do anything?

[Masteryota]

I only had mine running for about 2 hours before I decided to tear it down, and as big guy, it did alright, but I did not take it off road. It really depends on what you want, and what you are willing to do, the stock engine puts out roughly 8hp and 8ft-lbs of torque, and with the CVT, you make it better low range or gear it for top end. Some guys have recorded 40mph or better on theirs, but that was with a good amount of mods done to the engine.

I decided to look for a different engine for mine based solely on the fact I wanted a gearbox over a CVT.

Take a look around here and search yerf dog spiderbox and you will be able to see some of the weak areas on the 3206/3209 frames, mainly in the front end, balljoints, spindles, a-arms, and so on, so it would be an undertaking to make it a serious off road machine, but if you were to buy a different machine, you might be looking at $500+. It's really up to you, and what you are willing to do, and what you are capable of doing, welding is a plus, basic mechanical skills are a must, the rest we can help with.

[nicolesbro10]

If I were to put another engine with more power would it be very complicated?

[Masteryota]

It depends on what engine you want to run, a relativity simple swap would be to a 250cc GY6 type scooter engine, almost bolt in, I'm told. I am using an ATC engine, and most opt for quad engines, mostly for the option of reverse, but that gets a little complicated. Another option is to start doing internal engine mods to push the 150cc to its limits, but I don't see it paying off in the long run when you do all the math.

Can you weld, or have access to a welder?
Do you have access to fabrication tools? sawzall, drill press, torches, etc..

If you have these, fabbing up a mount for a quad engine can be fairly straight forward, but if you decide to go with a quad engine, do some research first, see if it's worth the money and time, check atv forums for issues specific to that engine, if there are, see what it entails to fix it, it will be 10000 times easier to fix it out of the frame before you install it into the buggy, and make sure it has the power you want. Mine is a modest upgrade to 13hp with stock internals with a 5 speed trans, but I may end up changing some internals for more power.

[nicolesbro10]

I really like the fourwheeler engine idea what type should I be researching? Again I'm sorry I'm sounding so ignorant to all this

[SLESTAK75]

Welcome to the site. There is a ton of research here to help you in your quest. And members willing to help. I have been quite happy with my modded 150 though I know I have nowhere near the power of a 250. They are quite fun in the end. What do you want it to do? That will give a good starting point for suggestions.

[nicolesbro10]

Thank you! And I'm more interested in a little mud with mostly trails and road riding

[Masteryota]

My experience in muddin' when I was younger is that you want a low final drive gear ratio, that will keep engine RPM up in the power band. Trail and road riding, the CVT will do very well as you don't really anticipate much wheel spin. For all around usage, I would lean toward a 200-250cc quad engine, it will help to look at/for sport quad donors, as they are typically chain final drive and 2wd only. Avoid anything shaft drive or AWD. Some guys like the polaris set ups with the CVT and reverse, but as Yerf's don't come with reverse, technically you aren't losing anything. Bear in mind, if you go crazy with a big engine, the rest of the buggy will also have to be made to withstand the increased power, stress and speed. Take a look at my engine swap thread, I know it says dirt bike swap, but I am using a 1985 Honda ATC 200s 3 wheeler as my donor engine, it is an air cooled, single cylinder, with a 5 speed semi-auto trans, meaning the clutch is internal and will not require adding a clutch pedal. Drawbacks are, no reverse, pull start only, and does not have a rectifier for a good charging system, but the internals can be upgraded for more hp, and Honda makes some of the most reliable quads out there.

[nicolesbro10]

Think I could find one cheap? And how hard is it looking to make this swap?

[SLESTAK75]

Definitely agree on the need for more power for what you want. You can gear a 150 to do okay but you will lose alot of top speed.

[nicolesbro10]

I think that's what I'm leaning more toward I just don't even know where to start

[x-bird]

first place to start is to get what you have sorted out and running reliably and ensure that the rings on the engine aren't worn. get a good baseline before tearing into it. if all's good then you can decide where you want to go in the power curve and work on the simple, cheap (relatively speaking) changes in the CVT to achieve it.

[SLESTAK75]

ditto

[nicolesbro10]

Oh and back to the first question how much is a yerf dog in good condition simple needing a wiring harness worth?

[Masteryota]

It's hard to say without looking at it, and knowing anything about how and if it runs. Post some pics, we can give you a better idea at least with a visual.

[nicolesbro10]

I'm on my phone so I can't post pictures

[nicolesbro10]

Don't know of this will work but http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/93815387@N02/8535209258/

[SYCARMS]

I would let it go for that price then look for a better buggy with the money made off it. The yerfs are light but have weak axles and front suspension, and have no reverse. Stay away from Carter buggies, look for a hammerhead, kinroad joynner or some roketa like the GK13. The GY6 150cc is a very good engine and has plenty of performance parts available. Rear axle HP on stock engine is 5hp. You can easily double that #. I have 150 and 250 both modded and the 150 will do circles around the 250. The 250 would be a better choice if more in performance was available for them.

[nicolesbro10]

I think I'm going to get it running then sale it. Wiring harness isn't much and that should be all it need to get running. Has good compression but not getting fire to the plug