Going to look at it tomorrow.  All I was told  is that it is just the way it came from west coast quads.  What should I be looking at??

Just kidding, apex's are fine, some of the older ones( than 2009) have had some issues with the tranny, but for a "stock" quad they run good, as with any mini, improvement is always available,look to make sure the frame isn't cracked, check for slippage or clunking in the tranny, check compression too. Good luck....

My Three Sons,

For what it's worth, I'm a dad with 3 boys as well, all race WNYOA hare scramble series. Youngest is in youth quad on a DRR DRX2 90 H2O cooled. I've known a few dad's running APEX and I can tell you that my experience has shown DRR is a better choice. My son has ran his DRR 90 for about a season and a half with only one DNF due to a deep mud hole. Otherwise his 2008 DRR has been bullet proof! The APex and the DRR are virtually identical and both totally capable straight out of the box. The only mods I did was a non limited CDI, a hit clutch, and a stronger clutch main spring. The DRR has been bullet proof since we bought it new and the dads I've spoke with who own APEX have all said they wished they went with the DRR. ANother great thing about DRR is the support, I call the tech dept any time I have any question and they talk to you for as long as it takes, awesome support! I must admit though we did have a cracked frame (no gusseting done) at the shock support and did end up gusseting there. Other than that I can't tell you enough about how good this quad has been.

DR350Dad