Man, I am craving a toy.I had many moons ago a sand rail type dune buggy that I built mostly myself. It was just a fun toy to drive around town, through the back roads, woods, beaches and lake venues.

I am considering exploring having a street legal, sand rail type, built by Carolina Dune Buggies (or can the brain trust give a recommend of others?) so that everything would be basically brand new, and of a much higher quality than I can do myself.

On the other hand, I started thinking about the Polaris Slingshot, which I know very little about other than what I have read on the web. I am thinking that I will probably keep whichever I decide on for a couple of years worth of fun then re-sell it. From a resale standpoint my thought is that the Polaris might be easier to sell when the time comes.

I suppose the new Polaris may the the higher priced of the two, but that is not a real factor in the decision.

So does anyone have a Slingshot that can provide any feedback, or guidance on, with regard to quality, reliability, fun factor or anything else worth discussion?

Anyone know of a price "deal" on one of the Slingshots?

I have a SS and really enjoy driving it. My wife is also a really big fan. They are easy to drive, have quite good performance and most importantly because they sit so low they feel very different and exiting when you are driving.
There is a pretty good accessory market for them and at a minimum you will likely want a higher wind screen, and better suspension as the stock options are not great.
You will also likely find the local SS community to be both very friendly and helpful.

I do not have a sling shot but have been very pleased with the reliability of my Polaris Ranger. For the SS, they are freaking cool looking machines. There was one parked at my son's baseball game this weekend and it looked like the Batmobile.

Ariel Atom !

What about a Miata? Loads of fun and practical enough to travel around the country in any weather.

There's one of those sand rail type buggies for sale for $3500 nearby. It's a Good Thing I've already got a lot on my plate, is all I can say

Slingshots are very popular here in Central Florida.

I've never been in one, but the look pretty cool. I would be worried about the single rear wheel from a traction and stability standpoint, however.

Probably not a lot of 4 wheel fun you can buy for the same price, though.

A friend of mine bought a used slingshot and had a lot of nagging problems with it. He owned it for several months and in that span of time it was in the shop for one thing or another several times. He eventually sold it to fund repairs on his rental property. If I was in the market for a 3 wheeled toy I'd go for a trike or Cam Am. I'd look into a Miata or similar convertible before I bought a slingshot.

The Slingshot is cool, but the CanAm Spyder may also be an option.

quote:

Originally posted by Archie Teuthis:
Ariel Atom !

That'd be my vote too, but they're 3x+ the price

Slingshots can be had down here for 17k base, about. I've driven and ridden in one. The '15's had an issue, later models look great. I played with the Can Am also, but I didn't like the feel, they were expensive and resale value dropped quickly. I settled on a HD factory trike.

Demolition Ranch on Youtube has several videos of his toy similar to what you are looking for. He has a Goblin. It’s a turbo charged Chevy Colbalt that weighs nothing.

http://dfkitcar.com

Did you mention a sand rail? How about one of these? Just make sure to bring en extra pair of underwear just in case.

If you plan on getting the sling shot they are classified as a motorcycle and you’ll need your motorcycle license if you don’t already have one

Just moho but the sling seem's like about the stupidest thing I have ever seen. More $ money than sense comes to mind. I vote the SR.

quote:

Originally posted by limblessbiff:
If you plan on getting the sling shot they are classified as a motorcycle and you’ll need your motorcycle license if you don’t already have one

Actually, they are classified differently from state to state. I looked at the Polaris site and it says, South Carolina classifies them as a passenger vehicle, thus a normal driver's license is all that is required. Although a Slingshot forum says motorcycle license is required. So work to be done to figure that issue out.

I was at Biketoberfest last month. it's amazing the mods they do to Slingshots, everything from engine,chassis,body..Almost unrecognizable

They are neat but they corner like shit due to having only one wheel in the back. Top gear did an episode on them. I’d go with a Sandrail and mod it a bit. Will probably be cheaper anyway

Check to see if you have a motorcycle event coming up near you where Polaris is doing demo rides, you'll need to sign up early as they fill up quickly, Daytona, Sturgis, Myrtle Beach etc.

At least you could get a feel for getting into and out of them, how they ride and what features you'd want on one.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
What about a Miata? Loads of fun and practical enough to travel around the country in any weather.

Different strokes for different folks but I can't see what a slingshot has over a convertible.