Razor Dune Buggy - Red

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 have a metal liner with standard sealed bearings on each side that can easily be removed and replaced. The rear wheels are attached to a solid steel axle. The front wheels are on independent spindle arms connected by a galvanized steel adjustable tie rod. The throttle lever and brake lever are plastic. The disk brake caliper is metal and mounted in the rear under the motor cover. The motor is connected to the gear via a metal chain commonly seen on bicycles. Overall, this thing is made from superior materials and is a heavy 83 pounds.Function:It has excellent speed even in the grass. Our boys are easily able to operate the throttle and steering safely. It has sufficient turning radius. The brake is almost obsolete, honestly. When the throttle is released it stops within about 8 feet from full speed. I rarely see the boys using it. For little hands, its a little difficult to reach. Both buggies came fully charged. They run a solid hour or more on a full charge which ends up being plenty for one day at this point. As described, they can charge overnight and be ready to go for the next day.Safety and Comfort:There is a 1 1/4" adjustable nylon web lap belt. Not sure it's necessary. The chances that this thing would tip enough to dump out the driver are almost nil. The main purpose of the lap belt is to prevent the driver from hitting their face on the steering wheel in an abrupt stop. When necessary, the rear disc brake does an excellent job of stopping.The seat is hard plastic. For kids, this does not seem to be an issue. For older kids and small adults this may be relevant, but with only an hour of drive time probably not. The steering wheel is not adjustable so it can be little difficult to reach depending on the driver. The throttle is operated by the right thumb. It can be rotated toward the driver to make it easier to compress. When the buggy arrived it was rotated away from the driver and was very awkward until I realized that it could be easily rotated. I would recommend rotating it toward the driver so that when the throttle is completely compressed it ends up being parallel to the steering wheel. You'll know what I mean when you look at it. If you don't do this the drivers thumb could get wedge between the steering wheel or throttle. This happened with my son and it was stuck so he crashed into a tree. Fortunately, no harm was done.Shipping:We ordered ours 4 weeks in advance and they arrived prior to Christmas. One shipped in the original box. It was exceptionally well packaged and arrived without flaw. The second was clearly repackaged in a generic box. Unfortunately, both of the rims on the rear wheels were broken. I talked to Amazon and they sent me an entire buggy free of charge and told us to keep the one with the broken rims! I ordered new rims for the other one, so now we have 3 of these monsters. FANTASTIC SERVICE FROM AMAZON!!Maintenance:The chain will probably need a little lube twice a summer just like a bicycle. The batteries should last a couple years or more if properly cared for by following the charging recommendations and storing inside in the winter months. I expect the tires will last several years depending on the terrain. Most of the nuts have are of the nylon lock-not variety and shouldn't need frequent tightening.Improvements I'd like to see:--Adjustable seat--Adjustable steering wheel/bicycle steering wheel (I think this would make the throttle and brake lever easier to manipulate, hence safer)--Faster motor!! (Yes, 10mph is plenty fast for the little kids, but it would be a nice to go even faster of course)--Reverse! (Most of the time this is not an issue. Even my 3 1/2 year old can get out and pull the buggy back on course, but it would save some hassle if there was a reverse)--Lights! (Because it would be awesome)--Alloy rims(Yes, I know these are very doable after-market modifications. I've already started planning.)Summary:We are super pleased with these "toys". My wife is small enough even she can ride one. They are superior quality for the price point. We have several other battery powered cars, trucks, ATVs and tractors that are now obsolete. Fortunately, they were all gifted to us. I would never waste money on any of those other plastic-bodied, plastic-wheeled toys after comparing them to this Razor Buggy and this thing is cheaper than some of the more expensive plastic alternatives.

Bought this for my 5 year old nephew. He already rides gas motorcycles. Yet he loved this toy so much...I had to promise to never let any other kids ride it. He lives in Montana and still begs parents for this razor. Kept in california to keep bringing him back.

My 8 year old son loves to ride this go kart, and all the neighbor kids want to ride it too.The build quality is very good. And it came almost fully assembled.I like that it can be stored while standing up on the back end, that's where the motor and battery is so it stands upright for storage in my garage and doesn't take up much space. The only down side to that is the charger port is right on the back end, so you can't plug it in to charge with it standing up like that without putting strain on the connector.It goes fast enough to be fun, but not too fast that it looks dangerous for a kid to drive it.The flag that it comes with is a little too small, it can't be seen behind most cars, so I had to add a taller flag to it.

Omg we love this! Got for my son’s 10th but he could have gotten a few years ago and enjoyed the entire time for sure

The media could not be loaded. My just turned 7 year old son has been crazy about anything that drives his entire life. We started him out with pedal cars but he begged and begged for a power wheels so we bought him one and he loved it, until it stopped working. I mean, it works, but it only runs for about 20-25 minutes. We bought a brand new battery and still the same thing. He also happens to be autistic and this caused endless frustration and melt downs and us having to pick the thing up on the other side of the neighborhood in our minivan to get it home. I had finally had it so I sold it and bought this dune buggy. Holy cow, it's AMAZING!!! He is in absolute heaven!!!! Not only is it faster, quieter, lighter, smaller, higher quality, more responsive and more fun than his old power wheels, but the battery life...you guys, we timed it from full charge to almost dead the other day and it ran for an hour and 10 minutes, and this includes both concrete and grass! That alone is the reason to buy it over any other kid vehicle! He's been driving it for months now and the battery life is just like the day it arrived. Here are a few things you should know before you buy:- While it says it's for kids 8 and up, our barely 7 year old fits perfectly and had mastered driving it within 3 minutes. If I'd known about it sooner I would've bought it for him at 6. If you have a 6 year old who wants a power wheels, BUY THIS INSTEAD! If you have a 5 or 6 year old who you're worried about this being too fast or too difficult for, I recommend you hold them off until they're 7 and then buy this.- There are no gas or break pedals. The thumb throttle and the hand brake are both on the steering wheel. They are very easy to use once your kid gets used to it. I thought this would be a drawback at first but now I don't see it as a drawback at all. I think it's actually safer this way. If you kid has learned to ride a bike and use bike hand brakes then this is going to be a cinch to ride.- Unlike a power wheel, this dune buggy has a metal frame which I love, and real air inflated tires, which makes it WAY better in my opinion while not really costing that much more. While it is definitely faster, it also has such a low center of gravity that you don't have to worry about it tipping over.- It weighs under 100 pounds and I can lift it by myself if necessary unlike the PW.-VERY unlike a power wheels it comes FULLY ASSEMBLED (HALLELUJAH!!!!!) which honestly is worth anything extra it may cost to buy this instead.The ONLY thing that my son is a little bummed about is that it doesn't go in reverse. He loves throwing things in reverse if he gets stuck or cornered and you can't do that in this dune buggy, but so far it hasn't really been necessary because it takes turns a LOT tighter than a power wheels and is more responsive and easier to steer. That is the only reason I took off a star.Truly, he is IN LOVE with this thing and so are we! I'm actually jealous and a little sad that the weight limit is 120 because I'd love to take it for a spin! I LOVE that this is going to be able to grow with him for years to come. It is SO MUCH FUN and he looks like a cute little Mario Kart character driving it around. Do yourself and your kids a favor and buy this dune buggy. I hope this helps someone else. And yes I paid full price for this!