Talk of The Villages Florida - Forward facing 4 Seater Golf Cart?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by PoolBrews (Post 2331746)

The D5 Ranger with the standard tires (225/55r14) will NOT go under two tunnels at all - the Saddlebrook tunnel (which is the shortest), and the tunnel under Buena Vista Blvd at Talley Ridge Dr - and will be close to scraping at many more tunnels.

Note that you would have the same issue with Star EV carts and the EZ-Go Liberty (EZ-Go's 4 forward seat cart). I have no idea why they make the roofs so high on these carts.

I had the dealer swap out my tires for 205/45r12 tires (went from a 14" rim to 12" rim). The dealer (Botero Carts Ocala) did this for free, and it lowers the cart by 2.2". With these tires I can get through the two shortest tunnels without scraping - but I have to be careful.

My wife still thought it was too close for comfort and didn't want to worry when driving the cart. The rear of the roof is 2.5" higher than the front. The struts go straight to the roof with no bends. I removed the bolt for the struts, lifted the back of the roof, then cut 2.25" off of each strut, drilled a new hole and re-attached the roof. The cart now clears the two lowest tunnels by over 2". It's not much taller than a standard Yamaha! Now we can zip through any tunnel without any worries. (Note: If you're going to lower the roof, do it BEFORE you get your rain enclosure. I had to take mine back to get snaps moved and material taken off the bottom :))

Absolutely love this cart. I've had it 5 months and have over 1,500 miles on it. Wouldn't go back to my Yamaha Drive 2 - the ride is better and way more features.

So after doing my research, I pulled the trigger on this cart, but made a few changes to Poolbrew's very helpful recommendations.
First, I went with Hidden Creek Golf Carts in Wildwood, he was more open and helpful. Botero wanted 995 just to change the tires(Their quote was $1000 more WITHOUT the enclosure on it). Here is what I learned-
1. The 205 is not available and it might be a year. They have a 160 Amp hour which runs 50-60 miles and that is plenty for us.
2. We went with a 205/65R10 tire which is basically the tires that come on a Yamaha cart. He said the bigger sidewall gives a much smoother ride than the 205/45R12s and only 3/4" bigger. He had a nice selection of rims and made the switch for $200.
3. He recommended adding a Canopy mounted brake light/turn signal setup for safety - $200. I did it. Lots of half blind people in TV.
4. He is dropping the back and reprogramming to 24 MPH top speed (that is what I want) for free.
5. Custom Villages made Sunbrella enclosure color matched to cart included.

Just over $13K including tax with free delivery. I know it is painful compared to the $20K+ the TV golf cart store wants for a Star, but I guess I will have to use my savings on something else.

My wife and I test drove one in Wisconsin, and she fell totally in love with it. Her comment - It is perfect, quiet and no gas smell like the Yamaha's (we have a 2018 Quietech).

Can't wait to get it.

Ed

Quote:

Originally Posted by PoolBrews (Post 2331746)

What dealer did you buy from? I understand some dealers will lower roof for you
Were the smaller tires at same price.
Want to buy D5 if can get this taken care of.
Main concern at this point. I assume you now happy with cart?

Quote:

Originally Posted by headsx (Post 2364647)

1) Botero Carts of Ocala
2) They swapped mine for free, but I was one of their early customers.
3) I lowered my own roof.
4) Love it so far. Coming up on 2,500 miles.

I can't say enough about service from Botero. They have been extremely responsive. The primary reason I went with Botero is that they have locations in 7 different states, have been around for quite a while, and only sell Evolutions carts - so they know the product and are obviously successful with it. I didn't want to get in a situation where my dealer suddenly stops supporting the product (i.e. The Villages Discount Carts). I don't know enough about Hidden Creek carts to go with them, but have heard nothing but good things about them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raggedy-andy (Post 2332006)

Great information -- thanks so much. I'm not going to guess at this but have you crossed the Morse Bridge and had any issues that people complain about with the wider carts like the Atomics and others? If none, I definitely have something to put at the top of the list when buying.

Gem carts are the worst on the MMP's. The 4 seaters take up a lot of space.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raggedy-andy (Post 2332006)

D5 foot print is 1” wider than a Yamaha quietec.

Quote:

Originally Posted by raggedy-andy (Post 2332006)

No problem with width. It's about the same width as a Yamaha.