Golf cart: Is Polaris Gem a good golf cart?

[Julieakw]

We are moving to the Villages and are looking to purchase a new electric golf cart.
Have you heard anything about the Polaris Gem golf cart?

Thanks

[John_W]

....

[tophcfa]

I played golf the other day with a guy who had one and asked how he liked it. He proceeded to go through a very long laundry list of all the problems he has had with both the cart and the dealership. Based on that, I would stay away.

[Kahuna32162]

If you're set on an electric cart, look at the new Atomic golf carts. You can even get them with heat and AC! Atomic Cool Kartz (https://atomiccoolkartz.com/)

[John_W]

....

[mrf6969]

If you like the idea of an electric cart, but like the street legal capability of the Gem, but how about adding A/C to the mix. You can take Kahuna's advice and look at the very similar Atomic Cars sold across from Brownwood for about $15,000. Here's the latest style.

Atomic Cool Kartz (https://www.atomiccoolkartz.com/)

https://atomiccoolkartz.com/spree/products/95/product/2020_Yellow_Ion_SE_2.jpg?1603674359

Also new to the market, another electric Chinese built street legal car is Crown, which has a dealership right in Wildwood behind Russel Stover Candy. They're also air conditioned like the Atomic and also in the $15,000 range new.

Crown Carts (https://www.crowncarts.com/)

https://i4.ypcdn.com/blob/0198b547729fe08d8f2062ffbeff27d9c20889d1

Gem Cars as most of us remember, looked like an Easter egg and were cute and you could buy a new one for $15,000 and find used one all the time for $8,000 to $10,000. They've gone up in price, and I'm not even sure if they have A/C. Here's a new one at Bill Bryan in Lady Lake for $23,000.

https://www.billbryanchryslerdodgejeep.com/inventoryphotos/3226/52cg2agaxl5021579/ip/1.jpg?height=400

Here's a used Gem car more like you might see running around in TV, this is a 2016 for sale in Sanford for $9,000. One disadvantage only 35 mile range on a charge. Here's a link to more used models for sale. Attention Required! | Cloudflare (https://www.atvtrader.com/Gem/atvs-for-sale?make=Gem%7C156030656)

https://cdn2.cycletrader.com/v1/media/5fc7c60295fa0a6dd318e298.jpg?width=1024&height=768&quality=70&bestfit=true&upsize=true&blurBackground=true&blurValue=100&upsize=true

Street legal means you can drive on roads that have a speed limit of 35 and cross over roads with a speed limit of 45, in many cases that's not really safe mixing with cars, SUVs and trucks. Most roads in The Villages (TV) have multi-modal paths (MMP) along side or a golf cart lane, so you can take your regular golf cart just about anywhere without being street legal within TV. The street legal electric cars have some advantages, but the extras costs involved for street legal and the danger mixing with cars, makes an electric golf cart really the best all around vehicle on and off the golf course if you don't want a gas cart.

Right here in TV, at their Golf Cart stores at Spanish Springs (SS) Lake Sumter Landing (LSL) Colony and Brownwood, they sell EZ-GO Golf Carts. They are mostly electric. Batteries will last 4 to 5 years instead of 2 years like Gem. Batteries will cost about $700 instead of $1500 like Gem or Atomic, an electric golf cart is way better I believe for your needs.

Home Page - The Villages Golf Cars : The Villages Golf Cars (https://www.thevillagesgolfcars.com/)

EZ-GO has come out with some nice styles, here's 2021 EZ-GO RXV cart in stock in TV Golf Cart store right now.

https://www.thevillagesgolfcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/92300916-1-scaled.jpg

Here's a 2021 EZ-GO slightly different style.

https://www.thevillagesgolfcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/92303171-1-scaled.jpg

You'll notice these will have extras that a basic golf cart sold elsewhere will not have, which is why you might see a base price of $9,000 elsewhere. They have the Sunbrella shades that can roll down and protect you against rain and wind. They have upgraded El Tigre Seats with armrests and seat belts, SS wheels, 10" size wheels, turn signals, big side rearview mirrors with turn signals, matching colored roof, floor mats, speedometers, sand bottles, a sweater basket in the rear, golf bag bracket, and so on. That's why a cart may have a list price of $13,000 to $15,000, this is what's called Village ready.
EZGO now has the high output Lithium batteries that will last a 8-10 years. Hold on to your wallet if you want to go this route.

[UpNorth]

Lithium Ion batteries are the way to go. They don't require watering and won't lose their charge if you leave them unused during the summer months. And they are far lighter, too. I would expect the prices to come down over the years since they are "new" to golf carts right now. And I would also pick a cart with A/C motors over D/C. Not all carts with lithium ion batteries are A/C. Carts with D/C motors lose torque and speed going uphill.

[EdFNJ]

I have an Atomic and it has lithium batteries (and A/C and heat & wipers and power windows etc) and is NOT street legal as it doesn't have to be unless that is what you want which requires trucking it to Ocala for inspection , plates, "real" auto insurance etc. This is my 2nd Atomic. First was street legal and had sealed gel batteries and I went through 2 sets very quickly. I have about 12,000 miles over 2+ years on this one and the lithium batteries have not degraded 1 iota. I have been getting the same mileage on it since the day I got it (~65 per charge - a bit less with A/C and a lot less with heat which I have used maybe once). If you get electric, if you can get lithium. Retro fitting carts with lithium I would guess takes about 400 lbs off it and probably creates more of a tip over risk unless they somehow make up the weight since they are designed based based on the weight of the batteries helping maintain the COG. I do notice some loss of torque going up a long steep hill like O'Dell but still easily maintain 20mph. If I get a "running start" can do a lot better. ;) No problems on the tunnel hills.

[FMF Doc]

We are moving to the Villages and are looking to purchase a new electric golf cart.
Have you heard anything about the Polaris Gem golf cart?

Thanks

I have a 2015 Gem Car two seater. I purchased it new in April 2015. It is decertified as a street legal, meaning I don't have to license it or insure it as a car. I just recently replaced the batteries. I have the 9 8 volt battery set up and my normal range is about 40 miles. The newer ones have lithium as an option.

We like the three point seat belts like you have in your car that come standard. The roof is also designed like a roll bar that will support the weight of the vehicle if you end up on your roof. It has a nice ride, you sit up a bit higher and is very comfortable. So I provide that as an owner of one. The newer ones are even better.

George

[MandoMan]

Lithium Ion batteries are the way to go. They don't require watering and won't lose their charge if you leave them unused during the summer months. And they are far lighter, too. I would expect the prices to come down over the years since they are "new" to golf carts right now. And I would also pick a cart with A/C motors over D/C. Not all carts with lithium ion batteries are A/C. Carts with D/C motors lose torque and speed going uphill.

I agree. When it came time to buying a new golf cart, I ordered an EZgo with the biggest lithium-ion battery pack. The batteries have an eight year guarantee. Most electric batteries need to have their water checked, and some here have automatic waTering systems. They can be finicky about how they are charged, lest they stop taking a full charge. Lithium-ion batteries are smaller, lighter by hundreds of pounds, don’t need filling, and have no charging memory. If you just want to drive your cart without thinking about all these things, Lithium-ion is the way to go. I considered a Yamaha, like most people here, as they have so many strong qualities, but with GM going to all electric vehicles, that may happen here, too. The lithium-ion batteries in an EZgo are a lot like Tesla batteries.

[Rwirish]

TV is too big, go gas.

[Travelhunter123]

If you're set on an electric cart, look at the new Atomic golf carts. You can even get them with heat and AC! Atomic Cool Kartz (https://atomiccoolkartz.com/)
I drove an atomic and found it was safe and comfortable, ac, heat, windshield wipers and more

[yogajan]

We love ours!

[MSchad]

If you get anything other than a standard “golf cart”, make sure you have it equipped with, or can get golf course approved tires. If not you will not be able to use it on the golf courses.

[Pedrocarrasco01@yahoo.com]

We are moving to the Villages and are looking to purchase a new electric golf cart.
Have you heard anything about the Polaris Gem golf cart?

Thanks

Wife loves the look of them, so when it was time to get another one (replacing a Club Car) we looked at them, we went to Bill Bryant and drove one, really nice cart, we looked at the Atomic also, did not wanted a Gasoline cart since our needs do not require them, finally after a lot of comparison and costs of operation, we found a used one that met all our check list items (first was my wife loved the style and the color Orange, we chose (don’t laugh, they are great) a 2014 Tomberlin that had 2200 miles on it. This cart is solid, 48 Volt (yes lead/acid batteries) 3 point seat belts, hydraulic disk brakes on all 4 wheels, 2 speed electric motor, full automotive Windshield with electric wiper, 2 separate glove boxes with locks, 10” oversized tires, full locking trunk, Aluminum Wheels, automotive Type Emergency Brake, built in charger, automatic battery filler, built in smart charger (it read the batteries and charges them according to needs) I purchased it by trading the 1998 Club Car and a few dollars more, I was looking at a $12k to 20k expenditure and ended up saving a lot of money. Had it now for 18 months and I love it even more, next time batteries are due, I will look into Lithium/Ion batteries, but if is not broken, don’t fix it. I am more than impressed with this cart and frankly love it. There are too many carts brands around and all of them have pluses and minuses. There are not that many Tomberlin there as they were sold to Columbia/Par Cart (I think) Like I said before we love ours!!!!!!!!

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

The GEM is an LSV and it is required that you register and insure it. I drove one once and found it to be very uncomfortable.

The upside is that you can drive it on all the roads in The Villages that have a speed limit of 35mph of lower.

The downside is that you'll be in a vehicle that is only capable of going 25mph on roads where cars and trucks are normally traveling at 40mph.

IMHO, it's not worth the extra additional expense to save yourself a few minutes on trips. I also think that the range is kind of limited.

If you want an electric with a lot of range look toward lithium ion batteries. My preference is ClubCar but most companies have them as an option.

[John_W]

Doc, after reading post #9 from an actual Gem Car owner, it appears that street legal GEM can be decertified and it can become a regular cart.

I have a 2015 Gem Car two seater. I purchased it new in April 2015. It is decertified as a street legal, meaning I don't have to license it or insure it as a car. I just recently replaced the batteries. I have the 9 8 volt battery set up and my normal range is about 40 miles. The newer ones have lithium as an option.

We like the three point seat belts like you have in your car that come standard. The roof is also designed like a roll bar that will support the weight of the vehicle if you end up on your roof. It has a nice ride, you sit up a bit higher and is very comfortable. So I provide that as an owner of one. The newer ones are even better.

George

[nhtexasrn]

We are moving to the Villages and are looking to purchase a new electric golf cart.
Have you heard anything about the Polaris Gem golf cart?

Thanks

We have 2 Tomberlin electric golf carts and love them. Both have a range of about 50-60 miles so no problem with running out of juice. We have been all over The Villages in both of them. The dealership is Luxus Tomberlin in Leesburg. They deliver and come and check the cart every 6 months to make sure everything is OK. Nice to work with.

[nhtexasrn]

[QUOTE=nhtexasrn;1910286]We have 2 Tomberlin electric golf carts and love them. Both have a range of about 50-60 miles so no problem with running out of juice. We have been all over The Villages in both of them. The dealership is Luxus Tomberlin in Leesburg. They deliver and come and check the cart every 6 months to make sure everything is OK. Nice to work with. Oh, and we love that they not noisy like the gas carts.

[mcwood4d]

The GEM are still what I'd consider a new product. Personally, I'd stay away and go with something more conventional (established) like the RXV. Pick the lithium batteries and AC motors.

[DAVES]

We are moving to the Villages and are looking to purchase a new electric golf cart.
Have you heard anything about the Polaris Gem golf cart?

Thanks

It is all a matter of opinion For all of us, including me, our opinion is based on the choice we have made.
My opinion. Whatever, golf cart, or anything else you/we buy will it need service? For a more expensive thing such as a golf cart, or any vehicle of course it will need service.
Parts availability? Accessory availability? For me, I would choose either a Yamaha, or a Club car. As they are the most popular there is no shortage of parts, accessories or places to get it serviced.

If, I'm not mistaken the Gem was originally sold by Chrysler. I think it is independent now. They are designed as a sort of shuttle vehicle for large factory transportation.
Higher speed that the 15 mph design of a golf cart that we boost to 20 mph the legal speed where you do not need to purchase insurance or need a driver's license. I think the gem has both front and rear brakes where as the Yamaha and Club car have only rear brakes. That is superior. Less prone to skidding. It is possible to ave them adjusted to not go over 20 mph.

Opinion, there are many choices. I did my reading. We narrowed it down to either
Yamaha or Club car. We wanted Gas not electric because of the range and frankly contrary to what many people might say, I find the electric golf carts too quiet-people
may not hear you. I've had people in electric golf carts pass me on my bike and you are unaware of them.

We have a Yamaha, gas fuel injected golf cart that we use almost every day and it is eight years old. No regrets.

[Dee Smith]

I have a neighbor that has one for sale. Call 801-541-6000
Thx

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

The GEM are still what I'd consider a new product. Personally, I'd stay away and go with something more conventional (established) like the RXV. Pick the lithium batteries and AC motors.

I've been in The Villages for almost nine years and GEMS have been here since then at least. I don't know how you would call them a new product.

According to Wikipedia GEM has been manufacturing LSVs since 2001.

[BlackSheep]

There are so many choices for carts! I do want to say, beware of Crown Carts in Wildwood. I had such a bad experience with them. I bought a brand new cart and in a few months was back and fourth 7 times for repairs. The carts are so hot because they are all glass and they have little windows that you slide, if your claustrophobic your in trouble. The a/c can't keep up either. Don't waste your time there...

[tophcfa]

I recently got stuck behind a Polaris Gem going over the Lake Sumter bridge. The wheel base on those carts is much wider than a typical golf cart. The GEM’s wheels on one side were literally scraping the curbing and the wheels on the other side were straddling the center line. When carts were coming from the other direction, both passing carts had to slow down to a crawl to pass with only inches to spare. I would not want a cart with that wide a wheel base unless it was strictly for street legal road use.

[Garywt]

The Gem is a cool looking cart but that is all I know about it. If I were to buy electric I would look at EZ Go, Club Car or Yamaha as some of the others the looks are not appealing to us.

[rustyp]

A couple of points to bring out about GEM carts. They are tall beware of tunnels. They are also street legal and if registered are not allowed on the MMPs. When licensed they are registered motor vehicles. No different than taking a car on the MMPs. Before you jump on me that was straight from the sheriffs mouth at a golf cart safety course years gone bye. But his next words were like bicycles and stop signs. The law could be enforced. Get it ? Thus if not allowed on MMPs no need to go through tunnels. Last they are cool looking and have great acceleration. They used to qualify for substantial tax credit as an electric vehicle. I do not know if that is still in effect. I would also suspect if given that credit it would have to be registered and licensed for a period of time before decertifying it. That makes sense or electric golf carts would get the credit.