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gas or electric?
Dear TV Folks,
Moving to the Villages, should we go with gas or electric golf cart? |
This has been discussed several times in past posts. Please do a search on this site, you will find lots of opinions and information.
Hope this helps. |
You are going to get more advice than you ever wanted. All of it conflicting. Try both and make your decision.
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Dear OP You will find strong opinions on both sides and both sides have good arguments as both work and have their advantage.
I had an electric cart for 9 years liked the quiet. However did not like replacing batteries or charging them daily. Did not like the idea that after 2 years the battery power began to lessen. The Villages growth is striking. I live on the south side of 466 and by cart the farthest golf course north, for me is six miles and south its about 9 miles. This caused me distance anxiety. so I bought a gas cart and never looked back . you will hear people complain about the smell of gas. I have never smelled gas fumes in my garage and seldom if ever on the road. You will hear some posters complain about the smell of gas as they trail behind a gas cart. If you do, then ask these posters ( usually electric cart owners) if they also drive an all electric car or a car powered by gas. I know many people who would only own an electric cart. They travel where they choose and get long life from their batteries. Again the defining difference for me was distance anxiety as The Villages expands rapidly and I didn't want to be confined. Enjoy the comments as it will help you to make the best decision for you Personal Best Regards: |
Rubicon,
Excellent synopsis, of several hundred comments. Well done! |
Electric pluses are that it is quiet, does not pollute, does not smell, less annual maintenance.
Electric minuses are, as Rubicon stated, distance anxiety, slight risk of catching fire while charging, constant need to recharge, almost guaranteed to get acid burns in garage, cost of battery replacement. Gas pluses are 300 miles to a tank of gas, no worry about recharging, clean garage floor. Gas minuses are it can be smelly if exhaust pipe not properly positioned, extremely noisy when they get old. |
Still don't understand distance anxiety......have had two electrics for two years and have never had a place I couldn't go. We live below 466A and often go to SS for a show at the Sharon, have also played OB on the historic side and came south. As stated, I just don't understand it. Yes, we do charge it every night....it's really not that hard to put a plug in a recepticle. I have an auto fill on both carts and and use it every 3 weeks....that's 5 minutes each time....a lot less then driving to a gas station. As others have said, you can check the threads the battle fields but I also agree that you might want to rent both (for a month or two each) and see which you find environmentally compatible with your lifestyle.
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Perhaps gas carts aren't smelly from the driver's perspective, but I think they are smelly if you're riding in the back seat. Or if you're driving behind one. And really smelly in tunnels. Just one opinion, and you'll get many! |
Own a gas and an electric. I prefer the electric.
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I also find having a conversation, without raising your voice, is much easier in an electric cart. At the same time, I also understand where some might have 'distance anxiety' and prefer to own a gas cart. Being centrally located near LSL, I have yet to find a corner of TV that I couldn't drive to, play 18 with a passenger and still make it home easily. But it really is to each their own. :shrug: |
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I've even thought about getting a gas cart just to play around with some mods (especially the clutching) and see what I could do with it, but decided the cost of one of those big tickets for running 35+ mph....probably isn't worth it. :D As I said...to each their own. :shrug: |
I understand the 2017 Yamaha gas carts with new technology is almost as quiet as an electric cart. The Villages Golf Cart stores have a couple you can test drive and order but there are none on the road yet. If true, that would be my vote. There is a thread about them if you want to do a search and read more.
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Lithium ion batteries, 120 mile plus range per charge.
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Gas. An older electric Par car came with our house. It stalls in the rain. We bought a 2015 Yamaha and love it. We have been here one year and have 5000 miles on it.
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Waiting for our New Gas Yamaha to be delivered. We test drove the 2017 quite gas model and was impressed. When they say quiet it's true. Since my hearing is terrible I bought the 2016 Yamaha with a Carburetor but my vision is fine so I'd rather look at $2000 still in the bank. To answer your question I really don't think either decision is wrong. Good Luck.
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2017 Yamaha gas; darn near as quiet as electric; 240+ miles on a tank of gas allows you to drive as long as your rear can stand it and not having to stop to re-charge. Give it a serious look.
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Nothing against electric...the quiet is nice. But I fill up my gas cart once every few weeks or so. Nothing else required. That's a no-brainer for me.
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electric
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When I moved here in 2006 electric carts dominated. A guy I played golf with and lived north of 466 was one of the few guys I knew who owned a gas cart. I asked him why he chose a gas cart? he said I made my living working on electric motors enough said..and stopped the conversation. At that time TV didn't much go beyond Mallory
Walkers like gas carts because they can hearing them approaching:D |
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Do you have them on your cart, or have you just heard/seen where folks have been converting? Any info or links on converting over from lead acid batteries? Thanx! :thumbup: |
4500 miles is in excess of what Yamaha recommends for oil changes. The air filter and spark plug can probably go longer.
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We test drove the 2017 Yamaha and also thought it was very quiet. They also changed the rear suspension to be independent; my wife thought it rode better than our 2014 Yamaha. Anyone interested in buying a new cart may want to take it for a spin.
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Personal Best Regards: |
I follow you. I would suggest that oil changes follow the Yamaha recommendation of 1250 miles going forward after your first change at 900 miles. I would not wait until 4500 miles for the next oil change. I do my own work so I tend to error on the conservative side. The good news is the Yamaha engines appear to be bullet proof.
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Gas.
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If you buy an electric cart, be sure to always carry the phone number of a cart recovery and towing company in your pocket. You might want to purchase towing insurance. And start putting away some money now for the cost of replacing all of those batteries. Remember, it is recommended that you replace all of them at the same time. I've had both, and am now a confirmed gas cart man. :gc: |
If you forget to change your electric cart or have a very busy day in it, remember, it's very difficult for you spouse to bring you a gallon of battery juice when you run out.
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I certainly have an opinion, but I will not, because I suspect this is a fun TOTV game. It goes like this:
I could be wrong… |
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I have both electric and gas. Go for gas.
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We've had both, and much prefer gas. If you buy a new one, they come w/ good insulation so they are much quieter than the older ones, and the exhaust is directed away so it's not sucked back into the cab. Also get a fuel injected model. They are not smelly plus u never have carb issues. I get over 50 mpg. I can go anywhere and never worry about if I can get back. If u have electric u will have an odd odor in ur garage from the batteries sulfating...a natural process they all go thru. The best vote for gas is go to The Villages Golf Cart Store and ask them which kind they sell the most of. They will tell u it's gas hands down in the last couple years. In the beginning it was battery models, but w/ the growth of TV, gas is the most popular now.
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Are gas stations close?
Are there a lot of gas stations that are GC accessible?
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The overwhelming majority of new carts sold are gas, mostly Yamaha, just look around or ask any cart salesman. If you need to sell it, the resale and demand is much higher for Yamaha gas models, especially the 4 seaters.
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I have an electric cart (Atomic) and it runs about 60 miles on a charge with the air conditioning on at full blast, about 100 miles in the spring and fall with the A/C off. I live south of 466A and my wife was in rehab at The Club--about 15 miles, and about the furthest you can travel in The Villages. Never had an issue with the 30-mile round-trip. And the batteries are sealed, so no acid burns on the garage floor. There have been great advances in batteries in the past few years and there will be many more in the upcoming years. This improvement is being driven (no pun intended) by the research necessary to power electric cars. As electric cars get better and more popular, the batteries for golf carts will continue to improve as well.
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Quiet, clean and a real dream, the service is great, for the first year, they come to your house for service, no charge. bbbbbb :clap2: |
Gas v electric cart
We decided on electric and have never looked back...we got suped up batteries and I do not have a problem plugging in the cart to charge, I plug in dozens of things each day...gas carts are very polluting, much more so than cars, which have pollution controls on them...boils down to personal choice...experience both before you buy, We did and it helped us make the choice that was right for us...
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I have 2 gas carts and a 3 year old EZGO. I will sell the EZGO. Does that say it all?
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