Buying a golf cart for the Villages 

About to try one out what size is a big battery and what is your range? Look forward to your response as these carts do cost a lot.

Did you get the larger lithium battery to get the 90 mile range?

Hi, how is the climbing of the hills for bridges or tunnels - is it enough power?

I plan to do more video’s on this very topic but at golf cart sellers around the Villages to see what the cost differences are.

Not to mention the increase in thefts of golf carts - presumable for the battery and not he actual cart.

50 miles won't get you very far. And when you sell it you'll be kicking yourself. Had one well never get another one. Throw away carts. Same goes for electric cars. All you have to do is get the energy rating on these electric vehicles and you'll see what real energy hogs they are. Of course Biden and these democrate states have it all figured out. Or should we say they are clueless on everything about EV Transportation.

The price won't come down. And in 5 years batteries will cost what a slightly used gas cart cost. 10 to 12k so don't let that saleman blow smoke up your a__. If the democraps are in power inflation will be 6% min, And who in there right mind would drive a 5 year old lithium ion battery more than 25 miles on a full charge.

That's insane. Lithium batteries now a days are 1500 to 2000 if you go for extended range. And they come with an 11 year warranty. Someone's trying to rip you off with that 8000 dollar quote

Glad you enjoyed it!

Which one did you get? I’m still debating which one to get.

@@GaryAbbott Good morning, First things first, I am a researcher type of consumer. We also have a tendency to buy what we need for functionality, but also something we will enjoy driving in for many years. I found that club car with the long range lithium battery was what we wanted for the above reasons. We selected a new onward with all of the extras, ie: long range lithium battery, the upgraded blue tooth stereo, exterior lighting package, and limited edition seating. I mention these options, because it was what we were looking for in comfort features. The biggest driving factors in the decision were, aluminum frame, that is safer in my opinion because of its inherent strength, also I’ve do not like the smell of gas both on the road or in tunnels that have lots of traffic in them. We did not want that type of smell in our garage when we opened the inside door to the house. What I also found out in my research is that Cart World is a highly respected dealer of Club car company. I found them to be very professional, not pushy at all, extremely accommodating to our request. After the purchase kept us in the know for when our cart would ship, and be ready for delivery. Being a snowbird customer, they always work around my schedule without hesitation to do so. So Club Car onward bought from Cart World is my long an windy answer to your simple question to what I bought, but I do think its an expensive investment, and I want to feel good about those decisions after I make them. Please feel free to call me at any time, if you need more information. You can reach me at any time through my email address d.squeglia@comcast.net

I appreciate this information as I have started to wonder how difficult is it to buy some of these add on’s and install myself. I saw seats can be purchased, the rear facing seats and wondering about the sunbrella rain cover. It may save a lot to order a new cart and just buy add-on’s.

Thanks.

Thanks for sharing

I visit the store every time I visit which is multiple times a year. Did you see my short video on my two favorite golf carts in December. Have Fun!

@@GaryAbbott I did. So many choices. Keep the good content coming.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Hey Keith, I recently purchased a golf cart from a shop in Largo called King Carts. It's a new place, but the people there know a lot about golf carts and they aren't pushy. I have to admit, I'm new to golf carts, but the girl there helped me ultimately choose the Alpha non-sport. I casually mentioned I'd like to eventually install a sound bar and the owner came up and offered to install one for me for free. It was really kind and unexpected. If you go there ask for Bee. She's the one that helped me out. Hope this helps.

Wow.

I haven’t seen a “Green Machine”. I did look it up on the internet but couldn’t really comment on it.

I'm not sure I really get your point as I just finished managing a golf tournament this week and all the carts were electric. Golf doesn't really consume many miles/battery consumption playing 18 holes of golf. Now I get your point if you are a Villager and you live a long way from the club you want to play at. Then you need to know the round trip distance plus golf.

@@GaryAbbott Gary we treat golf carts here like you would drive your car Figure all those electric carts then had to drive home On average the gas cart gets around 250 miles The electric cart 40-50 The new Lithium around 70 The ladies prefer electric for the quietness But if you are an avid golfer gas is the way to go

Glad it was helpful! I have found prices higher in 2023 compared to 2022. It looks like I’m purchasing this week.

My wife is the same size and we rented a Yamaha and it fit her the best so far. But we are on the look out for the perfect cart since I don’t want to buy two. :)

i drove one and not like a full-size European sedan. Very small and feels very cheap. Sorry to those that own one. They are cute but not one I would purchase.

I agree that is a major potential cost but the trade off is no noise. Keep in mind I love making video’s and eliminating the noise while riding around is a big positive.

Thanks Suzanne. Also for being the best Villages agent anyone can ask for!

I really like the electric carts.

Thanks Randal. As I’m still looking at all types but Yamaha has a history of making great carts.

Absolutely

I still haven’t purchased and plan to research surrounding golf cart dealers to compare the Villages Golf Carts. Found the custom and vintage out of my price range.

I tried but many just didn’t have what the Villages offered. One even stated he couldn’t compete with what they have to offer.

Thanks for the sub!

Thanks Ron

Hi Marty, I thought I would give you why I stated 1 to 2 hours for electric carts. The Star EV lithium comes in three models with a range of 25, 35 and 75 miles. What I saw at the Villages Golf Cart store is they mostly come with the 25 or 35 model battery. As you could guess the 75 mile battery is substantially more $$$. The star cart I tried out goes 24 or 25 miles per hour which is great but would only last 1 hour full out with the 25 mile range cart. Now the 35 would go a little longer. Now I know full out is not realistic but if you were that would be it. Now most won’t go that far in a day but buyers should be aware. Thanks for watching my video’s.

I have seen rules mentioned about golf carts but I don’t think 4x4 UTV’s are allowed. I looked to see if I could find something specific but I didn’t find it in my quick search. I also have not seen any 4X4 UTV on the cart paths. What you find is golf carts, bikes, and walkers on the paths. I also just learned that skate boards & boosted boards are not allowed. Hope this helps.

@@GaryAbbott Thank you for responding.

As you know golf carts don’t have a/c yet and utv’s do that’s the only reason I ask. I’m going done in July to check the the place out since I retired I was thinking of moving their but don’t know if I could take the heat in a good cart without a/c . That’s why I was asking about the air conditioned UTV carts. But thanks.

They do allow Atom golf carts that have A/C. You may want to check them out. They are located just off highway 44 across from Brownwood.

Do you mean the canvas cover that drops down to enclose the cart?

@@GaryAbbott Yes…and can you get them without the drop down part? Where can I get one for my EZGO Liberty? Thanks for responding…

I have never seen them seperate. They also have two types: a soft cover flap and a hard cover flap. The hard one can be imprinted with a message. These flaps cover the rolled up canvas for the sides. I would check with your EZGO dealer.

So you don’t know the actual name or brand and no idea where to get it…

I don’t. Good luck.

Glad it was helpful!

I agree that I didn’t cover engine and chassis types but it would be a good item to cover in the future. Comments are not posted until reviewed so if I’m busy it may be delayed so not really muted. Thanks for watching my video.

I haven’t seen any with a solar roof and many of the new carts have very little exhaust.

I looked at Club Car but the lifted ones are very high and might not go through all the tunnels in the Villages. The specs on them always seemed to come up short compared to Yamaha or Star.

@@GaryAbbott Thanks for the info and the point re: underpasses -- I've seen that mentioned in other videos also. I just wanted more ground clearance and slightly larger tires -- after all, I presently have a Jeep. ;-) And I heard Club Car was a top-quality brand (and long-time in business making them). Still, when making a purchase -- especially a major purchase -- I look at 2 things: 1. The product itself (of course). 2. Warranty/Customer Care after the sale. Both are important to me so I'd say each is 50% of the buying decision. The negatives re: Club Car's "care" after the sale are worrisome, so that alone may be enough to look at another brand...but again, not something TOO low to the ground, even if they are more stable (less top-heavy). Regards, -- BR

Those are great points but the big issue I found with club electric carts is they didn’t give distance per charge in miles but rounds of golf. I think they are great golf course carts but in the Villages it’s more about miles of travel in a given day. There is a major club car dealer in Leesburg in case you are looking for service.

@@GaryAbbott Thanks...but it'd be a GAS engine, as said earlier -- I have absolutely zero interest in anything electric, be it a golf-cart or even EV car/truck (I have a Jeep Gladiator, V6 gas engine). I'm looking more into Yamaha (used to have one of their motorcycles and it was great!), and the more "obscure" (compared the major) brands such as Star you mention. As for servicing, I may do that myself (been working on vehicles since I was 16)...the only problem is nowadays is do I FEEL like doing that anymore. Maybe, maybe not. I can still do tire-rotations on my Jeep -- probably the most physically-challenging vehicle maintenance service -- but I do admit that moving tires weighing ~90lbs each and back up on the wheel hub/lugs does get a tad "inconvenient." Still doable though. But golf-cars are WAY simpler than vehicles today (and the last few decades, being computerized)...but the simple stuff needing to be done on a gas (or electric) golf-car is also definitely doable -- and incredibly easy. AND I know it's done right (no doubt). However, I will need to remember to use HAND signals (which I haven't done in a VERY long time!) when driving the golf-car. Safety First! ;-) "Right turn Clyde" -- Philo Beddoe ("Any Which Way You Can," 1980)

Great question as that seems to be the number one concern. I do have a little experience with lithium batteries. I got a Stromer ebike almost ten years ago and the battery is still going strong (with regular charging to keep it up). Now the ebike did cost over $4,000 and a replacement battery is $1,000 today. I think that is reasonable for 10 years. So I envision the same will be true for expensive electric golf carts and the battery technology will get better and not be as exclusive as my old Stromer bike. Also if you factor in no maintenance over that time period and performance has been great I have a lot more confidence in lithium than most individuals. Now I still haven't purchased yet so only time will tell regarding a golf cart as I like a deal.

@@GaryAbbott Thanks... I've also wondered if an electric cart had more weight with the batteries to keep if from flipping over on its side. I've seen a couple cart accidents since we been in TVs.

You are right, an electric cart using non lithium weighs a lot. I think that is why their travel range is much less. Now lithium is much lighter and smaller. I too have noticed that some carts seem top heavy especially the lifted ones or larger tire carts. All it takes is full throttle and a quick turn of the wheel and your in trouble.

Glad you enjoyed it

Still renting a cart when I visit. The two best carts are the Yamaha (gas) or the Star (electic) in my opinion.

Hi Jill I didn’t look into them specifically for this video but I think I saw on someone else’s video they run in the $30’s.

@@GaryAbbott I can believe it! That’s a little out of my budget. I do enjoy seeing them when I visit the Villages. I hope to be a resident in the next couple years. Thank you for putting out these informative videos!

The Star cart I tried went 24 or 25 miles per hour. I was impressed.

I agree as most golf carts for the villages are not the golf carts as sold by the manufacturers.

Good to know!

Michael, Do you have a Star cart? Still my favorite then Yamaha.

For some reason the EZGO canopy is lower and I kept banging my head getting in the golf cart. I'm not tall but I'm a big guy so that brand just didn't work out for me. According to the salesman I wasn't the only one who had this issue.

just looking at the Villages, with how many own these carts, I haven’t heard of one incident in the last three years.

I looked for the solar panel golf carts but didn’t find anything on other channels. Maybe you could direct me to one. I only saw a couple of individuals experimenting with old carts.

@@GaryAbbott I’m not sure just know that you are switching to lighter weight and more powerful and expensive lithium iron phosphate which lasts a long time and you plug in at night and you have solar panels on the roof so it charges if it is outside. DIY Will Prowse is one that evaluates any thing solar related and EV. He bought a new Ford lighting and took it back to the dealer because it is a POS.

The adjustable seats didn’t do it for us. If anything they were the worst for my wife by being too high. Couldn’t find non raised adjustable seats. Going to keep looking. But thanks for watching.

@@GaryAbbott It should be a fun experience. You’re not gonna find anything perfect. It’s called life. Make the most of my daughter is 5 feet tall and I got the adjustable seats for her

I definitely have trouble with the terminology as I never had heard of golf car until I started looking at them in Florida. Coming from NH very few people purchase golf carts or cars. Still not sure I understand your self propelled definition.

The more I look even in other states golf carts are expensive. Wondering if our US street legal golf carts are different than in the UK. We do have less costly golf carts that are made just for golf courses that don’t have lights, etc.

I’d like to see a $2100 cart. It’s engine is two squirrels running on a rubberband with square wheels.

I have an electric bike but that cost $5K. The golf cart is just so much more useful when getting groceries, bringing chairs to the square, carrying swim noodles to the pools, etc. Nothing like a golf cart community like the Villages. Thanks for watching my video.

Where does the wife sit , on the handlebars ?

I just realized you didn’t see my video last month where I finally purchased a golf cart. No need to have my wife ride on the handlebars. Also I didn’t spend $20k.

@@GaryAbbott My comment was directed to Grant, with his suggestion of buying an EBike.

Have you rented one? Once I did, I can’t live without a golf cart. So fun and convenient my wife and I plan to reduce our number of automobile vehicles we have.

​@@GaryAbbottthe home we bought came a cart a very nice one but still we prefer to drive a bit faster than 15mph and with air conditioning. It's just not a means of transportation for TV for us but if I decide to take up golf I'll be using it.

Did you have that experience? I have lithium batteries in my bike and in my RV for years with no issues.

What an ignorant comment. I’m in California where gas powered golf carts aren’t allowed. The largest state with the most golf courses and carts in the USA. How many fires? ZERO!