where is the best place to buy a chinese quad online or aboad
which brands give you the best bang for the buck
If purchased from overseas, how do you clear customs w/o epa

 

Be extremely carefull of what you buy when it comes to Chinese quads...most have little to no parts availability, and no place to get service manuals. Many are disposable, when a problem occurs you just throw them away. Before I ever would purchase one I would want to know just exactly where to buy parts and get service. The Chinese section is full of people wanting help to find parts and repair info. Better off to save your money and get a brand name or something with a parts supply background.

 

I'd recommend asking the question on chinariders.net. Taotao is probably the largest manufacturer and parts are easy to get. Lots of online sellers. Taotao ATVs are also EPA and CARB certified so there is no problem there.

 

As much as you wont want to hear this " Search" lol... when i bought my import for the little one i already knew i wanted a taotao. I spent a month every evening searching for Canadian dealers trying to find one that could be trusted and the best pricing. Found one in teh next province that was pretty good and saved about $500 between shipping and purchase price.

 

You wrote "where is the best place to buy a chinese quad online or aboad".
I read it as "where can I get a black eye and like it".

 

Here is a repeat of what I wrote in another post a couple of weeks ago.

"The big problem is, because they are cheap, and corners are cut, they are not as reliable as the "big four's" products, but the mechanics time for working on them costs the same and parts supply is poor. So dealers like us shy away from selling them, knowing that we don't get a lot of money on the sale and inevitable problems are going to cost a lot to put right. This leaves sales to the Twistem, Grabit & Run variety of dealers. Owners fetch them for us to fix, and trying to source parts on the "no names" a nightmare. We have a Hammerhead style buggy in at the moment, GY6 engine, no makers name anywhere, needs a new throttle cable, only way is to make one, not difficult for me, but most younger mechanics have never made soldered nipple cables."

Incidentally, the pipe from the fuel tank on the "Hammerhead" had been fastened to the drain pipe union on the carb, which was dry and bright green inside, though we did get it to run OK once cleaned out and the pipe connected to the right place. That wasn't the end though. No ignition switch, nor any place to fit one? Battery flat as a solenoid slowly clicked away when battery charged up. Checked for a diagram on the net, no chance, so fitted a switch to cut power from battery to dashboard. This has stopped the battery drain, but the ticking is getting quicker once switched on. However owner delighted it actually runs so we gave it back.

 

Mostly agreed. I love my Chinese bikes and quads but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone who isn't willing and able to do the maintenance themselves. Even then I'd be sure to buy a brand that uses a standard engine design and has parts readily available.