Moving in soon! Golf cart advice needed
 

Hey everyone I'm really glad to have found out about this forum while doing research on the villages. I'm excited to say that I will be moving in soon and become a new resident. The first thing I want to do is get a golf cart so I can take advantage of all the villages have to offer.

I need your advice on where to start looking for a cart and what places you've had good success with in the area. I would also appreciate any places to steer clear of too. Thanks for sharing your experience and helping me out.

:gc:

Don't be in a hurry. Get moved in. Get used to how far you will be driving the golf cart. Gas and electric both have plusses and minuses. Make a list of your most important criteria. Decide which are important to you. Make sure you get a cart that goes the speed you want to go and all the ramifications. Shop around. Check out the ads in The Daily Sun. If you want service and are willing to pay for it, check out The Villages Golf Cart Stores and Carts and Clubs in Ocala. If you are more risky, check out buying from a private party or one of the many used golf car lots. Decent carts run from $4000 to $13000. Specialty carts to $20000. PM me if you want to talk more.

Well, before anything - drive carefully if you're going to rent one initially to get a feel of the place. There seems to have been several accidents lately.

If you're going to drive a lot, go with gas. They get great gas mileage and you don't have to worry about getting somewhere and getting low on battery power.

My recommendations would be Carts and Clubs in Ocala for new, or, for rebuilt to where they look brand new and will save you thousands, The Villages Discount Golf Carts. Good luck.

W waited several months before getting a golf cart, and the be truthful, we go just about everywhere by CAR. We live south of 466a, and many of the places we go to are well north of 466, and the drive is way too long in a golf cart. As mentioned previously, move in, get an idea of where everything is located, and HOW YOU WOULD GET THERE by golf cart, in some cases the golf cart route is significantly longer.

You might want to check out...
 

TOTV used carts also....We bought an older model GEM when we first moved here and found that the turning ratio was not golf friendly, they have improved since then. If golf is not your thing you might want to search this website and discover the pluses and minuses of gas vs electric. Good Luck and enjoy paradise.

If you plan on traveling everywhere by cart, you may want to consider gas.
I find them noisy and smelly, but lots of people seem to love them.
I looked at one recently at Villages Golf Carts to see if they have improved the gas smell.
The salesman said "Oh, don't worry about it, it only affects the people behind you". :shrug:

Everyone has their favorite make and type of golf cart.
My favorite type is electric -- no noise, no smell.
We purchased our golf cart at Columbia Par Car on CR 441.
We've had a CPC since 2007 with no problems, and only one new battery.
The range is amazing, some say 60 miles.
All I know is our CPC seems to run forever on a battery charge, we've never come close to running out.

Love my carts. It is the only way to get around in my book. I prefer gas so I can travel daily without worry. With the Yamaha w/4 seats you can haul lots, but still a great single driver. Carl was great at Sumter Landing.

Don't let anybody push you into thinking it's a sin to drive a car here, for non-golf trips around town.

Distances between major areas grow and grow, and the car has A/C needed often in spring/summer/fall when you don't want to be soaked and sweaty again 15 minutes after showering and dressing for a class, meeting, appointment, house party, concert, etc.

More importantly, cars have the advanced safety features such as airbags, which I believe newcomers and even seasoned villagers need for protection against so many drivers who:

a) have no idea where they're going and thus, they're totally distracted;

b) have been drinking at happy hour since 10 a.m. and it's now 10pm;

c) do not stop at stop signs/lights (because they're guilty of line b) above);

d) are driving 2-ton landscape trucks and trailers like asylum escapees.

Unless you're unable to walk far, car parking usually can be found within 1, 2, or 3 blocks from the squares.

I think that is excellent advice, especially if you're planning to drive in busy or congested areas. A car certainly offers more protection than a cart.

Golf Cart + Cars + Trucks = Injury and possible death. Get a Prius instead [emoji2]

I say rent a gas golf cart for a week, and then rent a electric one for a week see what you think

There is nothing like exploring in a cart.....you have the opportunity to leisurely enjoy the parks, the wetlands, stop and chat with neighbors or anyone else. We only use the car if heading outside the dome or above El Camino Real. I understand there are people who don't want the leisure life and have a need to get from point A to point B quickly and if that is you then I agree that you will use your car more than your cart and that should enter into your decision. Our choice was to sell on of our cars and use the carts. We have two electric carts, a ParCar and a Star EV. Have driven them from Brownwood to Lopez, and have returned home to south of 466A and haven't come close to running out of power. The technology has improved so if you go used, the older electric carts may not provide the range but we have a 2014 and 2015 and have no worries. When we used to be snowbirds we rented gas carts and just didn't like the noise or the smell that lingered in the garage. This purchase is truly a personal choice because it will help define who you want to be and what you want to do in this community. One size doesn't fit all.

Good Advice!!

But.......don't rent from The Villages, they are not a representation of what a golf cart is or should be.

:gc:

Thanks for posting this. I'm not yet a TV, but when I get there, I want to enjoy myself. I'm trying to get away from the heavy highway and inpatient drivers. I want to leisurely travel through enjoying all the sights and sound. 50 mile trip on a charge, seems like I can go anywhere.

I do have one question. Are there charging stations anywhere. Meaning, if I do find myself needing a charge, can I charge someplace and have a beer?

Well, not really. The ParCar has an on board charger which means you only need the cord. If you carry a cord then you only need to find someone that will let you use their outlet to plug in. If the cart has out board charger than you would need to carry the charger with you and that's not a practical solution. A 50 mile plus range should be more than enough for you to do what you want to do and plug it in at night and you should be good to go every day. Perspective.....Orlando is 58 miles from TV.....do you really want to travel that far in a cart? If you want to see what we have send a PM and we will be happy to show you what we bought and how the charging systems work.

Nope.

There is a service that you contract with and they will come and jump you if you need it and you hopefully have a beer with you.

The "claims" on battery ranges are fine, until you come up short. Batteries get old and the charge does not last. But, there are plenty of battery lovers in TV.

When I see a cart abandoned along one of the paths, I quite often stop to see if it is gas or electric. More than 80percent of the instances that I see involve Electric carts.

In talking to several cart dealers when coming to TV they told me that used electric carts lost value much more quickly than gas and were more difficult to resell.

No ax to grind --just info . Would be interested to hear a rebutal from anyone with facts.

Both new gas and electric we have owned hurt my back so, my sweetie is the only one to use the latest electric 4 seater Star, I prefer my Honda personally.
So I agree with others here, see how far you go in a car, and rent various brands, and types of carts to see if it is really for you, don't just buy one because you see so many, or it looks really cool.
Oh and make sure you take them out in the rain that is another experience in, and of itself including leaks, fogging, no lightning protection like in a car,read POA information on that, etc., and don't forget to get seat belts installed if you purchase one if it does not come with them, as most folks who are fatalities are ejected from the carts on roundabouts, or accidents like the one this week, sadly. Please be careful while enjoying your wonderful new life in TV.

You've replaced only one battery in 8 years and still get 60 miles per charge? Or was it one set of batteries?What's your secret? (inquiring minds want to know)

I understand the hot summer heat is what really does a number on cart batteries and don't you spend all those days up in Canada? Could make a big difference..

Gas is the only way for me. Gets me as far as I need to go on less than a tank of gas. No plug ins, no worries!

No rebuttal but as in all things, most failures are user issues. You should plug them in every night and if you go away for a couple months use a battery minder and you should get good service. A good electric cart has a volt meter and you will know when you are getting to the critical voltage. The carts just don't stop, as the batteries get old your meter will give you an indication of declining range. If the cart dies it's because the user wasn't paying attention and most likely didn't charge. It isn't rocket science, as with most things, most are user errors.

Electric is the only way for me. Gets me as far as need to go without running to a gas station. No fumes, no noise, no fouled carburetor, no spark plugs, no gas filters or air filters, no leaking seals, no oil dripping on my garage floor, no worries......sorry, couldn't resist the urge....smile.

This is why The Villages is so great! Everyone is happy: gas or electric! If these are our only concerns, seriously, our lives are wonderful!

if you don't golf and live in the newer section (south of 466a) you really don't need a golf cart. When we need to got to Target or Lowes etc. It is too far for a golf cart. We drive our car 99% of the time. If you do get one gas is nice, you don't have to plug in, add water to the batteries, replace batteries or worry about making it home before needing a charge. With gas, if you get low on gas you just pull into a gas station. In hindsight I wish i'd saved 12k and not bought one.

Gas is the only way for me. No need to plug in every night, no need to top off batteries with water, no battery acid dripping on my garage floor...
Sorry, I couldn't resist it either.
Actually I do like them both but have chosen to drive a gas cart.

How about all that dripping battery acid on the driveway, garage floor, cart paths?? :clap2:

Haven't seen a drop on my garage or driveway......and not sure that isn't oil on the cart paths.....but, that's why you have gas and I don't....we both believe in what we have and that keeps all the suppliers in business....not a bad thing.

The gas station is on the way to places we are going and we only fill up about every 200+ miles. We get 50 miles to the gallon. I haven't noticed any fumes. It is a bit noisier than electric but doesn't bother us. It is fuel injected so no carburetor. The spark plug needs to be replaced once a year and only takes a few minutes. The fuel filter is replaced every 4 years and the air filter is replaced once per year and only takes a few minutes. It doesn't leak oil but even if it did, oil is much better than battery acid, which will eat through concrete. Essentially, we put gas in it about once per month and there is about 20 minutes of maintenance once per year.

Yes, we've only replaced the batteries once since we bought the Columbia Par Car in 2007.
I'm not really sure why we've had only one battery replacement in eight years.
We have our Par Car plugged in for six months during the summer heat when we are away from TV.
Our Homewatch Company occasionally takes the cart for a drive.
Perhaps we are not typical. I apologize if my posts were misleading in any way.

Love Love Love driving around in my golf cart. I live south of 466a and go everywhere in it.You're only talking 15 minutes more or even less to get to the furthest reaches in a golf cart.:shrug:

OP as you can see either you are a fan of your gas or your electric. We have gas an older model that we bought from carts and clubs. It gets us anywhere. They come to the house for service. They have preowned you can buy see if you love the cart life then you can always sell it and go for a new one.

When we visited here and rented homes, we rented golf carts or used the ones provided by the home owner. Most were gas. Golf carts are just plain fun! We knew we wanted one, or maybe one each.

During one stay we rented electric. Bill just called a private ad in the paper. The cart was not fully charged when we got it and we weren't sure how long to charge it. It all seemed very complicated. And we weren't thrilled with the electric option at that time.

Fast forward and we have one car, (a Prius), and 2 electric carts. I fell in love with the Ca. Roadster and found a great deal on a used cart. It fits me to a "T" and I drive it when ever possible. Being used, the batteries are due to be replaced, but I can drive confidently to Lake Sumter and to Brownwood, to Colony and home. It was our first cart, just because I found what I really wanted.

Bill took his time and looked, and looked while just using mine for golf. We loved my electric so much that he found a used 2010 Star for less than 1/4 the price of a new cart. It is great! He gets much better range than I do with mine. We live south of 466A and he goes everywhere in it unless time is a issue. We have driven across 441 on the Golf cart overpass and explored the historic area. Never any range problems. The electrics also have good power and can easily go 25 mph, so we have to watch our speed.

For us the fact that we can carry on a conversation quietly, no smell, and clean and green make electric the best choice for us. Despite our early experiences. We have never broken down. (or run out of juice) It is no big deal to plug them in at night. Just like locking the doors. Part of our nightly routine.

Different strokes for different folks! I must say that we have 2 great carts for less than what one new cart costs. So do look at used. There are so many good ones out there.

I'm sure you will figure out what fits your needs best. But we do consider a golf cart ride to be a daily treat. Bill plays golf almost daily, but I just need my golf cart fix and happily use it to get groceries, shop, and run errands. It takes longer than in the car. But the world is much prettier from a golf cart. And we are retired. We just plan for the time it takes to get from point A to point B.

Also, I do know there are some recharging stations. "Outback" has one for their customers. I saw a list at one time.

***DISCLAIMER***We did have our grandkids (over 14, and legal) drive mine until it was out of juice ONE TIME. They pulled into SeaBreeze and plugged it in to an outside outlet using our onboard charger. They asked permission from the Rec desk first.

More charging options would be nice. But the newer batteries have 50+ mile ranges and make it really unnecessary. Who wants to cover that much territory in a golf cart in 1 day?

You will love exploring The Villages in your Golf Cart! Welcome Home. Gas or Electric, you will find the cart you need!

Oh, in your original post you said that you've only replaced one battery in 8 years. I think you meant you've replaced one set of batteries. That makes more sense.

It takes some time to figure out your transportation patterns. We live in Amelia and use the cart almost exclusively (except for very cold or rainy days) for runs to Colony Plaza, LSL, and tennis at Seabreeze - mostly under 3 miles. We like electric. Replaced batteries at 5 years. Longer trips we use the car. I enjoy going places by cart - as does our dog!

We went with gas also and it was pretty close between gas and electric. The main reason for gas was the overall convenience - just put gas in occasionally. The maintenance is minimal and I can do that myself but even if you pay someone the cost is minimal. As far as I can tell, gas carts are amazingly reliable and nearly indestructible. The operating costs for gas should be less than electric based on a battery life estimation from one of the electric cart dealers: 8000 miles for a set of batteries or about 12 cents per mile for batteries. If you figure electricity will run about 2 cents per mile the operating cost of an electric is about 14 cents per mile. My gas cart is about 5 cents per mile for gasoline plus about 2 cent per mile for gas cart specific maintenance for a total of about 7 cents per mile. While gas has lower operating costs, I don't think that is necessarily a major reason for choosing gas as the annual operating costs are a small percentage of the purchase price of a cart. I would be interested in hearing what sort of lifespan, in miles, owners of electrics are seeing. Most people talk in terms of how many years the batteries last but I am more curious about the number of miles.

In the future, if lithium-ion batteries (or another technology) come down in cost and become available as original equipment, I would be inclined to go that route. They are available as a retrofit but are still pricy. They have a number of significant advantages over lead-acid batteries: weight, charge time, lifespan, charge capacity, and no maintenance.

Yes, one SET of batteries, sorry I mispoke. That one set of batteries lasted us about six years.
Our cart isn't used much during the summer, but it is plugged into a batttery charger in a hot garage.
My biggest negative about gas carts is the smell that surrounds them, and it's a bit noisy for talking.
Fireboy is keen on gas carts. I think most men are. Whoops, I realize that's a sweeping generalization.
If they could fix the odour problem with gas carts, I could probably be talked into buying one. Until then -- electric.

Our gas cart doesn't have a smell to it. If is a fuel-injected cart - perhaps the older carbureted carts have more of an odor?? It can be a bit noisy during acceleration but when cruising around at a steady 20 mph it quiets down but is not as quiet as electrics. My wife was actually the one who wanted the gas cart - I was actually leaning more to electric but we went with gas since she does the vast majority of the driving.

I wish Honda made gas carts because they are fundamentally an engine manufacturer and I am sure a gas cart from Honda would be quiet and vibration free.

As I posted above, when Lithium-ion batteries become mainstream I believe we will go electric. I suspect that might not be for sometime. Until then, gas and electrics have good and bad points. With lithium-ion batteries I think electrics will be preferred

I recently visited The Villages Golf Carts in Lake Sumter Landing to look at brand- new golf carts.
I specifically asked the salesman "Are there any new gas carts that don't smell?"
The salesman answered "No there aren't. But don't worry, it's only the people behind you that it affects".

Well, there is no gasoline odor. There is exhaust.