Advice on atv's for my kids

[Burgerman]

Hello with Christmas coming up I was wanting to get my kids a couple of atv's I was wondering what brand would hold up better the only brands I can find close to me are extreme and coolster I could drive to Atlanta(4 hours away) and possibly get a tao tao just trying to get pointed in the right direction I'm not opposed to ordering online if I can get a better deal but probably won't be ready to order till December 16th and I'm afraid shipping will take too long if someone could point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it thanks

[culcune]

We need size (height and weight) and age of kiddos. Taotao is as good as any when it comes to kids quads. Coolster is emerging as a quality brand, too. Not sure of Extreme. Ordering online could be dicey since even with all the stuff being shipped every which way for Christmas, there might be weather issues thrown in which could throw off your gift plans. Driving to pick them up might be your best bet, but let us know how big and age of the kids and we could point you to the right models.

[Bruce's]

What size and style machines are you looking for ? Are you handy with a wrench ,or do you need something turn key ?

[Burgerman]

Yes sorry I ment to put that in my original post my son is 6 (4'4" 55lbs.)and my daughter is 4 (3'6"40lbs.)and I am pretty good with a wrench I do most of my own automotive work but I am preferrably looking for something that is ready to go when I get it I just don't want to give it to them and be working on it on day one

[Burgerman]

I was looking at the mini 110 for my daughter and a midsized 110 for my son if I could find something smaller for my daughter I would get it but so far the smallest one I've found is a 110 mini

[letsride]

I think the small 110 with the 6" wheels would be perfect for your daughter. My Dad has one down at his place that he bought in about 2008 or so for the Grandkids to ride when they come over. The thing has been fantastic. Just normal maint, oil changes, valve adjustment, and we replaced the chain and sprockets once. Just go over the things when you get them. Check all nuts and bolts and loctite them. Change the oil, adjust the valves, and lube the chain with a good lube. And at your first the earliest convenience throw the battery it comes with in the TRASH and replace it with a good sealed maint free battery. And remove the trickle chargers they come with and again toss them. Install a good battery tender brand on them. They are good little quads. And don't be fooled I took the throttle limiter out the little 110 one time, and hopped my 200lb butt on it. The things will HAUL A*# almost scary fast with that narrow wheel base.

[Burgerman]

I think the mini 110 would be great too but my wife is scared to death about it she's afraid she's not ready do you think the midsized 110 would be a good fit for my son or would he grow out of it too quick

[letsride]

Me, I would probably get them both a mid size. As the mid is not much bigger than the mini. It has 8" wheels and a little wider wheel base. I don't think either your son or daughter will outgrow it for a while. My daughter is 10 and has a Kymco Mongoose 90 that is about the size of a Chinese Mid Size ATV and she has been riding it since she was 6.

[Burgerman]

I don't know about the midsized for her my wifes already freaking out about the little one I will compare sizes when I go to get them but I'm really more concerned about which brand is built better and will last longer

[letsride]

I'm also racking my brain about either a kart or quad for my 5 y/o little boy. I was just up at a dealer in Columbia the other day looking at the Tao Tao Boulder 110 sitting right beside a Tao Tao 125 "mid size". To me there isn't much difference in size. I think the tires make the difference and the wheel base looked a little wider. But then I went to another fly by night China quads and karts dealer to look at a Coolster 110. The Coolster looked to be better made and a little more time spent building it. SO if I go with a quad I'm going to get a Coolster 110.

[Burgerman]

I've been leaning toward the coolster also but I wanted to get some opinions from the people on this forum before I buy there seems to be alot of knowledge about these quads on here

[2LZ]

Regardless of what you choose, the trick is how they've been assembled and adjusted. Make no mistake, at least out here, "assembly" means some guy in a back rent-a-warehouse assembles a boatload of them a day. He's not too concerned about proper adjustment or making sure things are tight or not cross-threaded. Generally, the faster he can run something in with a power driver, the more he can assemble. They just need them on the floor to sell. So....do yourself a favor and even if you buy one "assembled", go over it with a fine toothed comb. You'll find tons out of adjustment or not set up correctly.
That said, my dealer here in Sac sells both a ton of Tao Tao and Coolster. His son who works with him told me that they're both good quads (again, it's the setup) but that he prefers the Coolsters. They seem to be built with a little more care, he tells me.

[Swampy]

X-2 what 2LZ says about checking the entire quad for issues, it will save you headaches later. As far as the quads being too big for them, the kids do grow pretty fast. With my youngest I went through three dirt bikes in a couple of years and if I had to do it over I would have skipped the second one and moved up to the third. Convincing your wife will be the hard sell………

[BlackBike]

But 2lz, all the websites say they are professionally assembled ?

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Burgerman

I've been leaning toward the coolster also but I wanted to get some opinions from the people on this forum before I buy there seems to be alot of knowledge about these quads on here

There won't be much difference between the Coolster and Taotao in the grand scheme of things, since you mentioned you can drive and pick up the Taotaos in person vs. mail-ordering. My suggestion is to make the drive, see if you like what you see, and purchase the bikes; if you don't like what you see, drive back and order online. But, you mentioned in your first post that this can't happen until 12/16. I am worried if there are any hassles nationwide with shipping, you won't get the bikes on time. Like 2LZ and other stated, the Coolsters are supposed to be slightly better in quality, but I am of the opinion that if you could pick up the Taotaos in person, and have them at your home, you won't be 'losing' out as far as quality is concerned when comparing the two brands. I put a Taotao 125f1 (too big for your needs, but mention it as an example) together for a raffle, and it was very nice as far as fit and finish go. Again, I am sure the Taotaos will fit the bill nicely if you drive the distance and see them assembled and you get to see them run. Leaving nine days to mail order could be dicey for either brand.