Off-Road Sand Vehicle: Dune Buggy

Photogranut: Have owned this buggy for a year and my daughter has loved it! It still works like the first day she (and I) drove it and we've had no issues. I take good care of my stuff and this electric buggy has required very little maintenance. Just careful battery management and some anti-rust spray on the bolts to ward off rusting. We store the buggy in the garage so it hasn't degraded from the weather. It is not weather or water resistant so protection from the elements is required. Top speed is about 8.5 mph (GPS verified) which was great for my daughter when she first started riding at nearly age 7, but now that she's almost 8 and an experienced rider it's a little boring for her, she wants more speed! I'm considering upgrading to a genuine atv to satisfy her cravings but haven't pulled the trigger yet. No battery issues so far, unit still charges and drives like new. My daughter learned how to control the speed and brakes very quickly. Accelerator is a thumb button and speed is easily controlled by how much pressure is put on the thumb button. Only criticism would be that is has zero suspension and creates a rough ride over the smallest bumps even on sidewalks. Smooth bike paths are...

United States on Dec 03, 2017

Smiles: Got two (well, 3; I'll explain) of these for our kids for Christmas and finally thawed out enough here in the upper Mid-west that they can use them. They are having a blast with them. Our boys are 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 and have no problem safely operating these buggies (with helmets). The grass is still brown here and we have flat terrain, so they can zip all around the yard no problem.

Materials:
The frame appears to be 3/8" painted steel tube that is bead welded at all the junctions. The steering wheel appears to be about 1/2" tubular steel and the column appears to be about 3/4". The frame for the motor and gear box is steel as well. There is a single spring shock in the center behind the seat for a smoother ride. It appears to be adjustable with a star-shaped finger nut, but I haven't attempted this. The platform and foot rest are a thick plastic that seems appropriate and durable with a diamond-tread texture. The seat is a durable plastic. The cover on the motor and gear box is durable plastic. The tires are rubber and have an inner tube. The rims are two plastic parts sandwiched together by 4 lock-nuts and probably the weakest of all the construction materials. The rims...

United States on Mar 29, 2017