Things to check when looking at a sandcar?

EastMT said:
How old is to old and needs to be replaced? Do all fuel tanks in sandcars have foam? What is a guestimate on a new fuel cell?
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My guess is the car you are looking at (that we talked about) does not have a fuel cell. Probably just a tank, no foam.

 
Look for sand accumulated on any hoses or on the skid plate and shocks. Sand= fluid leaks. 

 
South Bay said:
Imo, any decent car should come with a full service history. That way you will know what has been gone through and when . . .
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Hopefully the guy has records. Thanks for the suggestion.

 
Recent trans rebuild/service by a reputable shop with receipts is good piece of mind.

Look at the owners other vehicles.  Might be a good indication of how they take care of things

 
Trans would be the first and most looked at for me any funny noise trouble shifting im passing the deal or getting a good cut in the price.I wouldnt take any the shifter needs adjusting or any stories.Some know the trans is failing and want to dump car while they can.

If they think its a shifter adjustment or minor issue why would they have it fixed or fix it themselves when selling a car.

 
One of my first questions I ask is how long they've owned the car. I prefer to buy from original owner if possible. I try to avoid buying from a flipper. 

 
Carwashguru said:
anticipate to spend 10-20% of the cars purchase price on Prep/Fix 

or you could do the opposite like me and buy a car for 20 and put 30 into it 
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I did that.  

Learned my lesson though, when I bought our boat I paid 35 and only put 25 into it.   

 
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If it’s a dark colored chassis, cracks will be a lot harder to see. Run your hand down tubes near all joints to feel for any cracks and inspect with a light. 

Check the wiring everywhere for hack jobs and ghetto repairs. Hell, any evidence of “dune fixes” still on the car are a huge red flag. 

Jack the car up, wiggle tires top/bottom, left/right for play, and rotate the tires for gritchiness. The rear tires should rotate freely by hand with no hard spots at full droop.

Bore scope would be useful to see exactly how long it’s been since that “fresh rebuild”. You can also check the R&P for chips. 

 
Hondajimz said:
One of my first questions I ask is how long they've owned the car. I prefer to buy from original owner if possible. I try to avoid buying from a flipper. 
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My first car, I bought from a “flipper” he had it about a year.  We drove the crap out of that car for 15 years and never had a single problem with it. 

Current car, I bought from the 2nd owner, a life long friend who had owned it for 18 years.  Receipts?  Hell I worked on the dang thing all those years.  After a season, I took the engine out to rebuild it and make it turbo ready… one more trip and the valve seats would have dropped out.  as long as the engine was out I decided to have the trans freshened up.  Seems I pulled it just in time.  Most of the gears were good but the builder called me with the estimate and asked “if I could really shift gears in it”. It’s a 5 rib and apparently the nose cone and a few things were shot.   

If you don’t want any problems, just finance a SXS and warranty.  If you really really don’t want any problems, buy a speed UTV, you can’t break what you never took delivery of.   

 
EastMT said:
I'm looking for suggestions for what a first time sandcar buyer should be checking besides looking for cracks in the frame and odd noises from the transaxle?
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My first on the checkout list is to rock the car from side to side via pushing on the side roof roll bar then do the same to each tire using my knee on the top sidewall. If there is a lot of slop / noise it’s a good indicator that the owner may be prone to let things slide on maintenance or not be an educated owner.

 
Thanks for all the the suggestions guys! It’s been a long day on the road and I’m still not there. Just short drive tomorrow morning to check out this car.

Had I known I would have brought my borescope, great suggestion! 
I’ll jiggle and shake the car looking for slop.

It’s a one owner car so I have that going for me. 
I have pondered the SxS thing seriously and decided to drive a considerable distance to check out this car. 
Will post more tomorrow. Appreciate everyones help.

 
EastMT said:
Thanks for all the the suggestions guys! It’s been a long day on the road and I’m still not there. Just short drive tomorrow morning to check out this car.

Had I known I would have brought my borescope, great suggestion! 
I’ll jiggle and shake the car looking for slop.

It’s a one owner car so I have that going for me. 
I have pondered the SxS thing seriously and decided to drive a considerable distance to check out this car. 
Will post more tomorrow. Appreciate everyones help.
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In all seriousness, the group of guys in here will not steer you wrong. Post pics, or ad, price point etc and they will give you their honest opinion. I hate driving anywhere to only get disappointed. Good luck with it! 

 
Chingon619 said:
In all seriousness, the group of guys in here will not steer you wrong. Post pics, or ad, price point etc and they will give you their honest opinion. I hate driving anywhere to only get disappointed. Good luck with it! 
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This 

 
What brand of car is it, most of us know some common failures on the some of the more common

scu, su,Funco,Tatum, buckshot, amplified etc

 
CHRIS J said:
What brand of car is it, most of us know some common failures on the some of the more common

scu, su,Funco,Tatum, buckshot, amplified etc
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Sand Limo. Will post a picture and details tomorrow morning. 

 
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