Gas or electric golf cart? Pros cons?

[jrdonn]

What are the pros and cons of electric vs gas golf cart? What do you recommend for a newbie couple?

[livsea2]

I will quote a golf cart salesman here in he villages when I proposed the same question. " I sold over 150 golf carts last year, I can count on one hand the number of which were electric." I think the villages have spoken with their wallets.

[skyking]

We visited three golfcart dealers all of whom recommend that if we were going to have only one, get gas. We bought gas but do not drive it as much as many Villagers. If I had it to do over again I would buy electric. Quieter and more fun.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

I agree it really depend on how much you will use it on any given day and how far you might travel. If you run out of gas that is not as big as an issue as running out of electric power away from home. Most people who do not golf probably would never run out of electric power in a day. If you want easy and quite go electric in my opinion which with $1.50 might get you a cup of coffee.

[Halle]

I will quote a golf cart salesman here in he villages when I proposed the same question. " I sold over 150 golf carts last year, I can count on one hand the number of which were electric." I think the villages have spoken with their wallets.

That is probably because they have very few electric carts in their stores. We bought a used Yamaha Electric Golf Cart from The Villages Golf Cart store in Lake Sumter Landing in November 2007, this year we decided to buy a new cart we checked there but they didn't have any new electric carts. We had heard great things about the EZGO RXV, we went to Town and Country drove one bought it and love it. We like that it is quiet, doesn't have a gas odor and maintains speed going up hills. Many gas owners don't hear the noise or smell the odor but we do and it was something we didn't want.

It is a personal choice we have been driving an electric cart for over 6 years we have never had a problem and plan to always own electric.

Welcome to The Villages!

[bargee]

If your serious golfers or like to go joy riding then gas is probably the way to go.If you just want to go shopping and visit the squares I would suggest electric.The general feeling is to go Yamaha for gas and Club Car for electric.Have fun looking for your new golf cart.

[Rango]

Rent each kind, then make a decision

[travelguy]

I will quote a golf cart salesman here in he villages when I proposed the same question. " I sold over 150 golf carts last year, I can count on one hand the number of which were electric." I think the villages have spoken with their wallets.

i think that this salesman has a bias against electric, and prefers gas....(probably makes more commission on gas); almost all of our friends/acquaintances in TV who have golf carts have electric. and love them.

[Hacker1]

What are the pros and cons of electric vs gas golf cart? What do you recommend for a newbie couple?
Strongly recommend Electric. Much quieter, and no nasty fumes to fowl the lungs of those behind you and in the tunnels. Today's electric carts with 8-battery configuration will take most of you further than you'll ever want to go in one day. Yes, batteries are expensive, but with proper maintenance, including use of a battery-minder, they will last for many years. As to what brand to get, I have a theory that the companies that make electric exclusively do electric better because electric is all they do. We have a Star for over 3 years now, and very happy with service from the cart, and the dealer. Star is currently (or at least were very recently) offering a 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, and cost a couple of thousand $ less to buy than most of the other brands. And they are made in the USA - Greenville, SC to be exact. I do also read good things about the new EZ Go electrics, but they are more expensive to buy.

[Hacker1]

i think that this salesman has a bias against electric, and prefers gas....(probably makes more commission on gas); almost all of our friends/acquaintances in TV who have golf carts have electric. and love them.

I have noticed that the sales people in the main dealership in The Villages do have a very strong bias against electric. I also notice the gas fumes in the tunnels and elsewhere are getting noticeably worse with the increasing gas cart traffic.

[Barefoot]

What are the pros and cons of electric vs gas golf cart? What do you recommend for a newbie couple?

Columbia Par Car electric cart. Has on board charger. Quiet, comfortable and reliable. No smelly fumes. We can golf, go out for dinner, and drive home. And the indicator shows we have plenty of battery left.

If you drive through a tunnel behind a gas cart, it may help you make your decision.

[villagerjack]

Owned the same 1998 EZGO electric for 15 years in two different locations. Would not own a gas due primarily to odor. Can get everywhere we want to go.

[bonrich]

If we were here full-time we would get an electric cart instead of the gas cart we now have. Our trips using the cart is not as extensive as many of you. Going North of 466 would not be a usual run. But because of the time of being parked while we are at our other home up North, our concern is the batteries drying out. Would have to rely on our home watch to take care of that concern, while the cart is on a trickle charge. Also leaving the trickle charger plugged in for a extensive amount of time raises a concern.

[Bay Kid]

I have 2 gas, Yamaha and Streetrod, workhorse and pleasure. 1 electric, EZGO for Mom & Dad. I prefer the gas for ease of use. To each their own.

[jalopy54]

I have a gas cart but thinking on getting an electric. I don't like noise, so electric will be my next cart.

[Advogado]

Because of the air pollution they cause, California has outlawed the sale of new gas carts. I wish Florida would do the same. The Villages would be a much more pleasant, safer, and healthier place without their noise, smells, and dangerous (in the common case of tampering with the speed-governor) speeding.

[collie1228]

You need to decide what's most important to you. Personally, I don't like the noise or smell of a gas cart, so I prefer electric. Of course, the smell doesn't really impact the driver; it's the cart following you that gets to "enjoy" it. I have two electric Club Car carts, and have to be diligent about maintaining the batteries and keeping them charged. If you don't think you will be meticulous about maintaining the batteries, you should get a gas cart. And if you want electric, you need to understand that the range will not be as good as a gas cart. But I can drive from Spanish Springs all the way down to Bonafay, play 18 holes of golf, and return home with more than 50% remaining on my batteries. That's as far as I ever want to travel on any golf cart, gas or electric. I will have to replace the six batteries when they are 3-4 years old at a cost of around $800.00 (you can probably go longer, but you will be at risk of getting stranded). Bottom line, there are clear differences between gas and electric, and you need to decide what's important to you.

[CatskillBill]

Because of the air pollution they cause, California has outlawed the sale of new gas carts. I wish Florida would do the same. The Villages would be a much more pleasant, safer, and healthier place without their noise, smells, and dangerous (in the common case of tampering with the speed-governor) speeding.

Speaking of dangerous, have you ever been around a battery that exploded?
I was just last week. My neighbor needed a tow from the mail box because his ELECTRIC cart died. Before we started to tow it he decided to try one more time. Good thing the seat was down, because when he hit the pedal a shotgun blast went off. The top of the battery blew completley off and acid was everywhere. By some dumb luck neither of us got hurt and it didn't catch fire. BTW, how many Villages homes have burned down from electric cart fires? Seems like every year there's one or two.

Open this link for some revealing hydrogen info. While responding to hundreds of CO alarms from carts charging, the Fire Dept is not available

The Unexpected Golf Cart Hazard - Firehouse (http://www.firehouse.com/article/10518243/the-unexpected-golf-cart-hazard)

[Gat0r]

I have seen a gas cart burn up on Odell.They had to replace the pavement.

[784caroline]

Just be prepared to spend $650-700 in batteries every 3-4 years. Once they start to go bad you cannot mess around and you need to replace them or you will get stranded.

Also you need to consider how much you will be using the golf cart and where you are located compared to where you will be travelling to most of the time. If you live in Collier or further south and plan to go to Katie Bells or other places up north, that will be alot that wil be alot of battery drain...should not be a problem with new batteries but they do get old.

[CatskillBill]

I have seen a gas cart burn up on Odell.They had to replace the pavement.

It does happen, but not very often. You'll occasionally see a car on the side of an interstate on fire too. Was the cause electrical? Probably.

Replacing pavement is alot easier than replacing skin.

[Advogado]

Just be prepared to spend $650-700 in batteries every 3-4 years. Once they start to go bad you cannot mess around and you need to replace them or you will get stranded.

Also you need to consider how much you will be using the golf cart and where you are located compared to where you will be travelling to most of the time. If you live in Collier or further south and plan to go to Katie Bells or other places up north, that will be alot that wil be alot of battery drain...should not be a problem with new batteries but they do get old.

After almost 5 years, we replaced out batteries (36 volt) with Battery Boys. The cost was a little over $500. The battery-replacement cost is offset by lower maintenance costs and fuel costs with an electric. Non-biased sales people used to say that overall operating costs are about the same for both types, but with today's higher gas prices, I think that the cost-scales may have tipped in favor of electric.

[looneycat]

Just be prepared to spend $650-700 in batteries every 3-4 years. Once they start to go bad you cannot mess around and you need to replace them or you will get stranded.

Also you need to consider how much you will be using the golf cart and where you are located compared to where you will be travelling to most of the time. If you live in Collier or further south and plan to go to Katie Bells or other places up north, that will be alot that wil be alot of battery drain...should not be a problem with new batteries but they do get old.

amen, my batteries are 2.5 years old and I barely can make the trip from Hadley to the regional hospital and back...then the cart is back on the charger and useless to me!

[Hacker1]

Just be prepared to spend $650-700 in batteries every 3-4 years. Once they start to go bad you cannot mess around and you need to replace them or you will get stranded.

Also you need to consider how much you will be using the golf cart and where you are located compared to where you will be travelling to most of the time. If you live in Collier or further south and plan to go to Katie Bells or other places up north, that will be alot that wil be alot of battery drain...should not be a problem with new batteries but they do get old.

My batteries are 4 years old, and still almost as good as new. A year and a half ago, I invested in a Battery Minder, which is a trickle charger and de-sulfater. If batteries are properly maintained, they will last much longer than 3-4 years.

[l2ridehd]

I have one of each. If I could only have one cart it would be gas. I do really like the electric, and use it when the trips are short or just going to play golf and come home. If doing a lot of running around, not sure when we will be back or how far we will go, we take the gas. I personally have seen twenty three carts being towed. I have towed three myself. Was not able to verify all of them, but at least 16 plus the three I towed home were all electric. My guess is that all twenty three were electric. Also I believe it's 100% user error. People forget to plug them in or leave the key on with the lights on or never add water, something user caused. If you follow good operation and care electric is good. I again would say if I only had one cart it would be gas.

[George Bieniaszek]

I will quote a golf cart salesman here in he villages when I proposed the same question. " I sold over 150 golf carts last year, I can count on one hand the number of which were electric." I think the villages have spoken with their wallets.

A salesman ONLY sells what is in stock.

Test drive all the models, both electric and gas and see what you feel is the best cart to buy.

[indianavette]

I am in your same position and have "studied" this discussion for some time. In my opinion, it really does not matter as either are good choices. We have decided to go gas but just because I feel more comfortable with that choice. I got down to two, Yamaha gas or Ezgo battery. Both are excellent choices.