New to Sport, Should i buy this one?

[pchliving]

Hey, so took a lesson and got the basics down. Looking to buy gear.
Would a 2009 Slingshot Turbo 3 be a good starting kite? its an 11M. I weigh 155.
Looking for something i can ride in somewhat light winds and stronger winds. I know you normally want a few kites but i want a good all around til I'm at that point...
Let me know what you guys think!
or if not recommendations?
guy wants 350 for it with everything but board. which is way better than my instructor wants me to pay. Don't want to pay an arm and a leg for my first kite.

I know i'll prob piss some of you off asking a noob question but you gotta start out somewhere right?

[alamos_kiter]

I don't know this particular rag, nor do I know in what state it is. But it would be helpful if you told people where you're going to kite. You want a kite to fit your local conditions.

[tautologies]

Assuming you pick the right size kite what is the condition if the kite? A 2009 kite can be tissue paper or not. If it is worn the kite is not worth anything.

[FabsPH]

older kites will most likely have bummed bladders and valves , never mind the fabric offer 150 or spend 600 and get last years model of any brand

[H53Driver]

No......but if you if you do buy it $100 US would be the most I would risk. Then expect to spend some more $$?? to fix bladder, bar and bridle problems. Have you seen this kite in action? Will you be buying it from a trusted individual?

Also, unfortunately for your wallet, it is never a good time to have only one kite. So if you are committed to the sport look for new 8m/12m 2014 kites that will work with the same bar.

Think of it this way; you are almost guaranteed to fall in love with the sport and you will spend the money sooner or later. So just spend it sooner and start having fun without the headaches of having only one broke down kite.

[roastkiter]

I had a SS turbo 3 briefly a few years back and I wouldn't recommend it especially for learning on. It has pulleys by the bar which is an outdated design and I hated the way it handled (but that could have been because I was used to a C-kite). I also don't know whether this happened to other SS kites of that era, but all the valves unglued from the bladder which might have been a problem with the glue.

Like everyone else is saying I think you'll end up spending more in the long run, rather go for something newer...

[deniska]

6 years is incredibly long time for a kite. Do yourself a favor and get a new (or slightly used, recent) one. As a beginner, you'll be making a lot of mistakes on your own.. so you don't want to add the risk of failing gear to that equation. I change my kites every 2-3 years (always getting them new) and still have occasional problems like bladders exploding mid-air, bridles snapping then least expected, bar breaking a half in the middle of a jump, etc. Trust me you don't want to deal with any of those situations when you are still learning
You can go cheap with a board though..

[edt]

2:1 bars SUCK pass this one, look for another

[FLandOBX]

The Turbo 3 can be rigged with either 1:1 or 2:1 bar ratio (like edt says, you want 1:1). It's predecessor, the Turbo 2 could only be used in 2:1 mode. Three years ago, I sold a 9m (A+ shape) and 11m (repaired) Turbo 2 with a bar and lines for $300.

Like others, I think (1) the asking price for the T3 is too high and (2) you'd be much happier with a recent model kite (no more than 1-2 years old) if you can afford it.

[ORSales]

Note: I make a living selling kites.

However, I need to agree with posts here - a 6 year old kite is way to old for your 1st kite. The main issue being, kite design has progressed immeasurably over that time and you will only frustrate your learning and development using out of date gear, from any brand.

However, if you do want quick advice on buying used:

1) Cost of used kites (imo) goes down 50% per year assuming the kite is in fantastic condition. By this I mean, next year the kite is worth 50% less and then the year after yet again 50% less (25% of initial cost) and the year after 50% less again (12.5% of original cost)... etc, etc - so you can see by year 6 the kite is getting to be about what someone else said - maybe $100 with bar and lines.

2) Stick to 1-2 year old gear bought from an experienced kiter. This means the gear not only will have been abused less but it was also likely better looked after as the experience means less trashing of the kite on missed tricks and more attuned eyes on the kite for potential problems, fixed before they get out of hand

3) Buying relatively newer used gear also has the advantage of allowing you to better research the type of kite you're buying. As a new kiter you will want a jack of all trades kite. Something like our Prodigy kite or similar from other brands. Stay away from the dedicated freestyle kites that are more demanding to fly - you want a predictable, fun, stable kite to let you develop quickly.

4) Totally agree with the bar comment above too... bars take the brunt of the abuse in used gear. Moving parts need to be replaced or maintained to prevent breakdown on the water. Look for trim lines that are frayed or worn, lines that are whipped out, faded or have knots in them and plastic that looks sun faded or brittle. Consider buying a new or like new bar and line set for whatever kite you buy - it is your control set and your life line when on the water, take it seriously.

Best of luck. If you have questions, feel free to PM me.

John Z ~ OR