Gas vs Electric

[Buckeye Bob]

We hope to become Villagers within the next 6 months. Have a lot of questions about golf cars.
In general, what is the best, gas or electric? The concern I have with electric is the range.
Do you carry insurance on golf cars; if so, what is approximate cost?
What is the advantage to a "lifted" cart?
Thank you.

[dewilson58]

Always a good question by a newbie.

You will get lots of replies, but do a search on this site.

Lots of people get good "range" with electric, but it does fade over time. But, with electric..........go smells in garage or driving.
Pro's and con's all around.

Good Luck.

[Barefoot]

We hope to become Villagers within the next 6 months. Have a lot of questions about golf cars.
In general, what is the best, gas or electric? The concern I have with electric is the range.
Do you carry insurance on golf cars; if so, what is approximate cost?
What is the advantage to a "lifted" cart?
Thank you.

:welcome: it's an exciting time for you.
If you're new to TOTV, you may not be aware of the search button (above).
It gives you the ability to look at archived threads.

We prefer an electric golf cart because it's quiet and doesn't smell.
Our electric Columbia Par Car gives us a range of up to 60 miles.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

It's a matter of personal preference. Some people like gas because of the range and now with the new golf cart gas station at LSL it's easier to fill up.

I prefer electric myself because of the lack of noise, smell and pollution as well as the ease of maintenance and lower cost. Although I will admit that the new EFI gas cart reduce all three of those significantly.

I have recently installed a new type of battery called The Ranger in my cart and I get 50 to 60 miles on a charge. We've never gone anywhere near that in a day but it's nice to know we can if we'd like to.

Additionally, I worked with fleets of carts my entire career and have gotten comfortable with electric.

If you intend to trade in your cart every few years it doesn't make any difference, but if you plan to keep your cart for a long time, electric carts have fewer moving parts and are much easier and less expensive to maintain.

I like the ride, and lack of noise of electric, but that's me. Some people don't mind it.

Like I said, it's a matter of personal preference. There are pluses and minuses to both.

I wouldn't base you decision on the gas rental carts that you get here however. The new gas EFI carts are a totally different animal.

Nationwide, electric outsells gas by a huge margin. But, most golf carts are used on golf courses and most golf courses prefer electric for all of the reasons that I mentioned.

Here in The Villages, the biggest retailer is Villages Golf Carts who have four locations within TV. Up until recently, they have been exclusively a Yamaha dealer. Yamaha makes the best gas golf cart by miles so they sell a ton of gas carts. They will tell you that gas sell 9-1 over electric in The Villages. I don't know that that's true but I'm sure that it's true for them. Just by my observation, I would say that there's a fairly even split between gas and electric here.

It's probably difficult to make up your mind of you don't have a strong preference as you can't really come down and take out two new golf carts to try for a week or so.

I have an older cart and my insurance is less than $100 per year.

[champion6]

You most definitely want to buy insurance. the cost varies by company and the coverage that you get. Estimate: $100/year +/- $30.

The advantage to a lifted cart is to bolster the ego of the driver/owner. That's all!

AND welcome to TV ... the best is yet to come!

[outahere]

We recently bought a 2015 Yamaha EFI gas cart from The Villages Golf Cars at Brownwood and are really pleased with it. It is quieter, more responsive and doesn't smell anywhere near as bad as the older carbureted models. Our insurance runs $128 per year for all the usual coverages and 250/500 liability and uninsured motorist. I would suggest taking different models for an extended test drive. The Villages Golf Cars will let you take one for a 24 hour period, at no charge.

[karostay]

Here we go!

[villagetinker]

Buckeye Bob,
If I can offer some advice, please WAIT for the golf cart. See where you live in relation to where you want to go. many of the newer sections are quite a distance (my opinion) for golf cart travel. We have been here almost 1.5 years. I bought a used golf cart for my wife as she wants to golf. It sits in the garage unused, as we go everywhere we want to go by car. We are in Pinellas ( south of 466a) and 90% of what we do or go to is North of 466, or up to Spanish Springs. personally I am not interested in spending 45 minutes to an hour in a golf cart getting to somewhere that I can get to in 20 - 25 minutes in a car.
This is my humble opinion, just please approach this with your eyes open.
AND welcome to TV.

[bobbym]

Buckeye Bob,
If I can offer some advice, please WAIT for the golf cart. See where you live in relation to where you want to go. many of the newer sections are quite a distance (my opinion) for golf cart travel. We have been here almost 1.5 years. I bought a used golf cart for my wife as she wants to golf. It sits in the garage unused, as we go everywhere we want to go by car. We are in Pinellas ( south of 466a) and 90% of what we do or go to is North of 466, or up to Spanish Springs. personally I am not interested in spending 45 minutes to an hour in a golf cart getting to somewhere that I can get to in 20 - 25 minutes in a car.
This is my humble opinion, just please approach this with your eyes open.
AND welcome to TV.

Buckeye Bob I thought I was alone with my opinion of golf carts. I rode motorcycles since I was 16, I raced Dune Buggies and road ATVs for 20 years and I don’t get any kicks out of bouncing in the gutter with cars whizzing by 18 inches from the side of plastic cart. My first choice is the car. I am looking at a Smart car to replace the golf cart.

[Bay Kid]

I would not lift my cart. It will make it top heavy.

[twoplanekid]

Buckeye Bob I thought I was alone with my opinion of golf carts. I rode motorcycles since I was 16, I raced Dune Buggies and road ATVs for 20 years and I don’t get any kicks out of bouncing in the gutter with cars whizzing by 18 inches from the side of plastic cart. My first choice is the car. I am looking at a Smart car to replace the golf cart.

My brother who will own a house down the street from me in the Villages decided to purchase a new 2015 Honda Fit for use in the Villages. It will get around 33 MPG city and 41 HWY. It also includes a camera that helps you see cars on your right rear side when traversing roundabouts. And, it has a reasonable price tag. He should be taking delivery of the Fit this week in Ohio. I am eager to give it a try.

[graciegirl]

Buckeye Bob I thought I was alone with my opinion of golf carts. I rode motorcycles since I was 16, I raced Dune Buggies and road ATVs for 20 years and I don’t get any kicks out of bouncing in the gutter with cars whizzing by 18 inches from the side of plastic cart. My first choice is the car. I am looking at a Smart car to replace the golf cart.


Good. Now for the rest of us who play golf.........

We have a nice used 4 seater Yamaha gas. (Says OHIO STATE on the front) That's mine.

And a nice used Par car electric.

We can drag around a bunch of guests and show them The Villages that we love so much.

Now.........back to Frank7. HE is the expert on Golf Carts and a very nice fellow too.

[Buckeye Bob]

Wow. I'm blown away by all the responses, thoughts, ideas & suggestions. Thank you all so much for your input and looking forward to becoming a Villager. Thanks again.

[TNLAKEPANDA]

If you are smelling gas from your gas cart something is wrong. I have never smelled any gas from mine. If I had two carts I would have one electric and one gas. But with just one cart is will be gas.

Raising (lifting) a cart makes it more unstable than it already. Why would you want to do that in the Villages?

[Barefoot]

If you are smelling gas from your gas cart something is wrong. I have never smelled any gas from mine. If I had two carts I would have one electric and one gas. But with just one cart is will be gas.

I was considering changing from electric to gas. I asked the salesman at the Villages Golf Cart Store if 2015 gas carts still smell.
He said to me (as a sales pitch), "Don't worry about the gas fumes, it's only the people in back of you that will smell them". :eek:

[ajbrown]

I was considering changing from electric to gas. I asked the salesman at the Villages Golf Cart Store if 2015 gas carts still smell.
He said to me (as a sales pitch), "Don't worry about the gas fumes, it's only the people in back of you that will smell them". :eek:


I have always thought that a reasonable approach would be that gas carts should have to have the exhaust routed through the cab first before the rest of us get to enjoy it :duck::evil6: <just kidding>

I have no idea what you should buy, talking to someone like Frank7 makes a lot of sense. The hardest part of knowing is your true requirements... I have had electric always and never even come close to an issue with range, but that is just me and how we use the cart...

Why would someone lift a cart? Pretty simple stuff really. I wanted 205-65-10 tires on my carts for looks and they do not fit without one. I love the way my cart looks and have yet to flip over :a20:

http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/Club%20Car%20Project/P1030854.jpg (http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/ajbrown2007/media/Club%20Car%20Project/P1030854.jpg.html)

[Buckeye Bob]

That's a great looking cart. Thanks for the reason why they're lifted.

[ajbrown]

That's a great looking cart. Thanks for the reason why they're lifted.

Thanks for the compliment on the cart. You are welcome w.r.t. the lift, but to be clear, that is why MINE is lifted. Many carts can fit the 205-65-10 tires. My cart is a 2002 Club Car and the front tires would rub without some kind of lift.

IMO gas is often the easy choice for anyone with range anxiety. I would never talk someone out of a gas cart, but I sure wish the manufacturers would put some effort into the exhaust and noise.

It is not a money maker for them.

Good luck in your search. The worst thing you can do is get the "wrong" electric cart and be disappointed. Not all electric carts have the same range. This is where someone like Frank can be a great help.

[jimbo2012]

gas carts smell.

The folks that say they don't just lost their sense of smell.

You can smell when in them or behind.

Yes they are noisy also!!!!

But if don't care about your carbon footprint or the grandkids then by all means get gas.

Range...OMG, tired of hearing that one, any elec can go 40-50, talk to Frank he has one that goes more.

Do you really think you can even sit in one that long?

Mine with solar goes 72+

Soon better batteries will be on the market and 100 miles is within reach.

[tuccillo]

We have a 2014 Yamaha EFI (electronic fuel injection) gas cart and I would say any exhaust smell is pretty minimal. We have never had a carburetor-based golf cart. There isn't any gas smell that I can detect - very much like a car in that regard, I don't smell gas with cars. Regarding noise, our cart came from Carts and Clubs in Ocala and they put sound deadening material around the engine. I was skeptical at first about how effective it would be. After having been in Yamaha carts from The Villages Golf Cart store I would say that it is very effective as our cart is definitely quieter. Friends who have been in our cart have also commented that it is quieter than their Yamaha. Regardless, they all quiet down at cruising speed - most of the noise is during acceleration. We get about 48 miles per gallon. We put gas in it about every 3 weeks. It meets our needs.

We recently bought a 2015 Yamaha EFI gas cart from The Villages Golf Cars at Brownwood and are really pleased with it. It is quieter, more responsive and doesn't smell anywhere near as bad as the older carbureted models. Our insurance runs $128 per year for all the usual coverages and 250/500 liability and uninsured motorist. I would suggest taking different models for an extended test drive. The Villages Golf Cars will let you take one for a 24 hour period, at no charge.

[obxgal]

gas carts smell.

The folks that say they don't just lost their sense of smell.

You can smell when in them or behind.

Yes they are noisy also!!!!

But if don't care about your carbon footprint or the grandkids then by all means get gas.

Range...OMG, tired of hearing that one, any elec can go 40-50, talk to Frank he has one that goes more.

Do you really think you can even sit in one that long?

Mine with solar goes 72+

Soon better batteries will be on the market and 100 miles is within reach.

Considering YOU SELL solar panels for electric carts, I can see why you are always putting down gas carts.

Electricity does leave a carbon footprint, but the way you talk, it doesn't count, but you do have to plug in the batteries of your electric cart regularly to charge them. So what about that "carbon footprint for the grandkids??

[JRichm369]

I Rented a place last February, full time now. The rental place had the use of an electric golf cart, this cart had a reliable range of about 30 miles, and no one could bring me a can of Watts, damn! I then moved here and bought a fuel injected cart. Shortly after I bought it I was asked why I would have bought a gas powered, as you could always smell gas fumes in the tunnels, I told them that they were right I could always smell gas fumes in the tunnels, and that was when I was using the electric. Gas cart does not smell any worse and I have a range of 200+ miles and if I get really stupid and run out of gas I can bring a can of gas and get home.

[jimbo2012]

Considering YOU SELL solar panels for electric carts, I can see why you are always putting down gas carts.

I think you see very little, your statement is clearly not true.
I do NOT SELL solar!

Electricity does leave a carbon footprint, but the way you talk, it doesn't count, but you do have to plug in the batteries of your electric cart regularly to charge them. So what about that "carbon footprint for the grandkids??

Elec has a fraction of the footprint of gas. Lead is totally recyclable!

I do not need to plug my cart in at all, we are in the sunshine state.:a20:

[jimbo2012]

this cart had a reliable range of about 30 miles,

then there was something wrong with it

I get really stupid and run out of gas I can bring a can of gas and get home.

just like reading gas gauge a good elec cart should have digital volt gauge which tells you exactly what your range is
rather than a colored red/yellow/green idiot gauge.

I've yet to run out of power

[obxgal]

I thought you sold them, sorry about that. I know you have solar panels on your cart, but most do not. Electricity also leaves a carbon footprint. Maybe not in your case but in most. ;o)