93 Elite help

[stickerguy]

Hey y'all! New to post but not new to the site. I use this site very regularly and appreciate the vast knowledge I find here!

So here's my dilemma(s):
I have a 93 Elite SA50 that my brother brought down from my hometown Grand Rapids, MI. I've been working on it for a while here and there and now want to get it back on the road because my daily driver (84 Aero NH80) recently broke down after the bottom of the piston shattered in pieces as I was riding. I'll get to that on another thread.
So my brother and his drunk friend decided to try and modify the Elite not knowing what they were doing and really funked this thing up. It will run for a few seconds after spraying starter in the carb which I know is a fuel issue. Emptied the old gas, cleaned the carb and tested the petcock, replaced hoses, still get the same thing. Would an aftermarket carb be a good purchase? I see a bunch of cheap looking carbs on ebay that don't impress me. I'm wondering if there are other models/years' carb that would be compatible with this scoot? Or is it something as simple as putting the airbox back on because the compression is off?
Other issues:
This scoot did not have a starter on it. From what I've read on here, that is an unnecessary piece, right?
Also the drunk friend busted a hole in the cover where the kickstart would come down in its normal motion. Is this an issue? Or can I safely run this scoot without that cover without worrying about junk or moisture getting in there - I live at the beach and salt air is a very real problem.

You guys are the best! And again, MANY thanks for the plethora of information on this site - you all deserve awards for helping out so many of us!

[Rip_City_Spree]

Hey its a good idea to use a little premix to get it started instead of starter fluid. Generally frowned upon. No lubrication in it and that's not healthy for 2 strokes. I'd clean the carb make sure your getting gas. Unless something is broken in th carb Id clean really good take your time do it right. There have been some threads recently on how to find out if your getting fuel to the carb. If your gonna get a carb don't go cheap you get what you pay for.

[birdman]

Welcome to the forum

[stickerguy]

Breaking down the carb again today - thanks for the tip Rip!

Thanks birdman! Glad to be part of it!