[Travelhunter123]

Originally Posted by Tunesmith

We may be buying a home in The Villages soon. As part of that, I'm researching the prices and dealerships of Golf Carts.
I know of many websites that will provide the dealer invoice prices of cars & trucks, but for the life of me I have not been able to find a single website (or forum) that gives dealer invoice prices on any of the golf cart manufacturers! On most of the dealer websites, all that they show is the MSRP, and sometimes they don't even show that........they just say "Contact us for pricing".
Do any of you have this sort of info, or know where to get it? It certainly would be useful to know what the lowest price is that the dealer would accept for a golf cart.
Or am I just being silly?
P.S. I'm seriously considering an E-Z-GO Freedom Elite 4.2.

Consider an Atomic electric golf cart, they are heated and air conditioned

[banjobob]

It doesn’t matter what the dealer paid , he is not going to sell it for chump change. Decide what you want in a cart and negotiate your best deal for both of you. If you think you can “steal” a new cart it’s not going to happen prices are all over the board shop what you want to several dealers and buy the best price.

[lawgolfer]

Take the short drive to Country Power Equipment in Webster. It's a pleasant drive through the countryside. The store is directly across from the "Webster Markets", a large flea market. Check the market's schedule and you can spend a little time checking out the "treasures" for sale.

Country Power is a franchised Yamaha dealer. See the salesperson, Carol. She will give you a fair deal that will be less than The Villages dealer, without any hassle.

Country will deliver the cart to your driveway. When it needs service, Country will pick it up and return it to your driveway. The cost of the service, including delivery will be no more, and likely less, than The Villages dealership.

Country has a truck in The Villages most every day.

[TC_Arch]

Why buy a new cart? There are many used carts for sale by individuals in The Villages. Some are hardly used. In many instances, the owner needs to get rid of it because they got a newer one and don't have room in the garage. Or, the owner is ill and has no need for it, or has deceased and his heirs do not want it. A little patience in the hunt and you can get some really good deals.

[Astron]

Originally Posted by Tunesmith

"...Contact us for pricing".
Do any of you have this sort of info, or know where to get it? It certainly would be useful to know what the lowest price is that the dealer would accept for a golf cart.
Or am I just being silly?
P.S. I'm seriously considering an E-Z-GO Freedom Elite 4.2.

We just went through the same situation for the same cart. We found, as so many others have, that there are some barriers to your plan. Dealers will never tell you their profit margin, so don’t wast your time asking for their misleading “invoice price”. The demand for EZGO Freedom Elite 4.2 exceeds production capacity during the pandemic, and the wait for delivery may getting ever longer. We ordered in early October and received ours in late February. Prices in The Villages bubble will be thousands of dollars more for the same exact cart purchased outside the bubble. While you can get warranty work done by The Villagers Golf Cars, EZGO requires them to as a dealer, they made it unpleasant for us to bring in a cart not purchased from them.
There is a bias in the bubble to go with gas, but the argument that electrics lack the range no longer applies to carts like the Elite 4.2. We have driven ours all day, on trips that cover more miles than my bottom enjoyed and have yet to have the charge meter drop to 50%. The Elite 4.2 has required zero maintenance, although we have had it looked at as it is noisier that other electric carts we have driven. It appears to be a normal variation in the EZGO Elites. Bottom line, the only way to get a lower price on an EZGO Elite 4.2 is drive away from the bubble and wait for delivery.

[DavidStockhausen]

Look up Star Sirius, new state of the art model, independent front suspension magnificent ride and rated 50-60 miles on a charge

[Raton270]

If you’re locating in the Village I would buy my golf card from The Villages. Probably the reason that they don’t give prices just because I’m sure the golf carts themselves are probably the regular price but there’s so many upgrades they can add. Everyone has their own opinion about golf carts. THE VILLAGES has grown so big I would purchase a gas golf cart. I would also purchase a Yamaha because they’re extremely dependable.

[bncuhler@verizon.net]

Agree! Love our EZ GO Elite. We went from Monarch Grove to Lake Sumter and back and still had over half a charge!

[Lisanp@aol.com]

We are in the same position and visited The Villages Golf Car's new location in Magnolia last week asking "exactly how much does it cost to buy a cart?". We were handed a price list for the various models (battery, gas, lithium ion) and all of the possible options (2 seat, 4 seat, available extras). I'm sure if you call them, they will email you that price list as a starting point, I'm not sure if those prices are negotiable as we didn't go that far in the conversation. They did tell us that if you wanted lithium, the 2021s are completely sold out and you need to wait for a 2022 which should be available in August. They are also selling off the "reconditioned" gas carts from the lifestyle program as they convert those over to lithium models as they move the lifestyle program stays from the villas near Brownwood to the villas in St Catherine. Hope that helps.

[pgettinger01]

Sticker or Invoice do not help. The market determines the price. If the demand is high the price is high. If the demand is low the price is low. Also the dealers add on many items for The Villages. These prices will not be listed in the Invoice.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Tunesmith

We may be buying a home in The Villages soon. As part of that, I'm researching the prices and dealerships of Golf Carts.
I know of many websites that will provide the dealer invoice prices of cars & trucks, but for the life of me I have not been able to find a single website (or forum) that gives dealer invoice prices on any of the golf cart manufacturers! On most of the dealer websites, all that they show is the MSRP, and sometimes they don't even show that........they just say "Contact us for pricing".
Do any of you have this sort of info, or know where to get it? It certainly would be useful to know what the lowest price is that the dealer would accept for a golf cart.
Or am I just being silly?
P.S. I'm seriously considering an E-Z-GO Freedom Elite 4.2.

It is like any other business they need to make a profit. MSRP Manufacturers suggested
retail price. That means nothing. It is a number that allows the retailer to say we are $$$$ less than the suggested retail. Dealer cost? On a car you will see ads that say stuff like a hundred dollars over cost. Wow that is a great deal-or is it. On a car there is something called a call back. The dealer typically gets 7% off the invoice. You buy a 20,000 dealer invoice car and pay 20,100 and think the dealer made only $100. He actually made 20,000-7% real cost=18.600 plus $100stated to you profit. Real profit $1500.

Price vs value. We bought our Yamaha from one of the cheaper guys. He has gone out of business. Does not really matter to me but it was supplied with a Club Car floor mat
rather than the more expensive Yamaha one. The exhaust pipe was not properly hung.
it fell off, in doing so it damaged the muffler. Proper way, I don't know but our Sunbrella
cover is secured to the windshield with glue. The glue keeps letting go. Our windshield
it has always rattled. It has a vertical crack down it. Either a cheaper part or not properly installed.

Contact us for pricing. That is another part of business practice. You call and it is a opportunity to sell you. You research on the internet this guy is 20,000, this guy is 18,000 and you call the guy listing for 18,000. The guy for 20,000 may never get the chance to explain why he is more.

[CDerington]

If you want to get an honest and fair deal please go see Susan Pizzuti at Villages Discount Golf on 466. Her # 313-492-4439
She is very honest and no bull **** type of person. It would be worth your time to talk to her.

[Spalumbos62]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I know. But, the dealer invoice is a sales gimmick. You will never be able to determine what the dealer actually paid because of the complex sales and incentive arrangements between the dealer and the manufacturer. They are top secret.

I know this person is making a joke, but its true...sort of.
We spent yesterday cart hunting for a used cart... started out inside the villages, then headed north to Ocala area....first let me tell you... what an education we got....these cart shops take in all kinds of carts and make them into all sorts of things....fancy paint jobs to look like real autos, add a back seat, add new curtains, lights,usb ports....its amazing! And all parts are interchangeable for at least the 3 major brands. So imagine a cart comes in -your basic off white thing from a major golf course(replacing inventory) its a 2019.....now this thing becomes exactly what you want. This IS how the business works, I was floored...of course you can also buy the vehicle just as it was when it came into them- polished up.
Anyway...we went to MASTERS, very nice guy Ned, has lots of used- good prices.
Headed north again to the Yamaha dealer just south of ocala...very nice- but sells strictly new and looked to have some inventory....bc we wanted used he directed us back south to WHOLESALE Golf Carts. Again same process, they had alot of vehicles both electric and gas. But let me tell you....fair, nice people! Gave us double what the villages offered us on a trade, thru in extras, going to spiff it up for us and deliver today.
Oh....did I mention...any service they come and get it, free labor and wholesale on parts,plus a warranty as if it were new.
I dont buy a cart everyday- but we absolutely felt like we got a great deal.
Tic toc....it comes in a few hours!

[Tunesmith]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. Here's a bit of background regarding my 'golf cart search':
We visited TV in November 2020, stayed for a month. We rented a 2019 gas Yamaha Drive2 EFI QuieTech. I found that I was somewhat bothered by the gas fumes, noise, and responsiveness of that cart. That's why I became interested in the electric cart, and when I found that the Lithium batteries extended the range and eliminated the maintenance of a lead-acid set of batteries, I decided to go with an electric cart with Lithium batteries. I accepted the fact that Lithium has a much higher original cost. I wanted a major brand cart, and the forums I've seen have identified the Club Car, Yamaha, and E-Z-GO carts as being the top 3 (affordable) brands. Many people have recommended Carts & Clubs (Ocala) and Country Village Power (Webster), but it seems they are dealers for Yamaha carts only, although you could possibly find a used cart of other brands (usually a trade-in). So the only E-Z-GO dealer near The Villages is The Villages Golf Cars (I think).
I'm a handy guy, so I would be perfectly willing to buy a used electric cart and convert it to Lithium and accessorize it myself (as one of you suggested). But living in Wisconsin makes it difficult to search the used-cart market down in Florida. Is there a TV club for people who build and customize their own carts?
We are coming down to TV in late May for a 1-week 'Lifestyle Preview', but the visit is to focus on house hunting rather than cart hunting. However, I do plan on heading over to one of 'The Villages Golf Cars' locations (probably the new Brownwood store) to look over their stock, features and prices. If anyone could recommend a salesperson that they've had good experiences with, I'd appreciate it!
So, to summarize, I'm strongly leaning towards an E-Z-GO electric cart (Freedom RXV Elite 4.2) which has Lithium batteries. But I can be swayed if you can make the case for a different brand or model.
Sorry for the long post...

[TCRSO]

The reality is that the demand for golf carts exceed the supply. Just purchased a new Yamaha. 10 weeks for delivery. Dealer cost is irrelevant. If you want a new cart you pay the ask price.