Golf carts $$$$$ ripoff
 

In the paper today, article re the least expensive CAR in the USA. A brand new 2023 Nissan Versa. $15,800.

Compare that to (probably) the average new golf cart avail in The Villages. Price no doubt about the same.

Then compare the content of the CAR to the CART. O M G.

The new CAR has a 4cyl engine, auto trans, airbags all over, windows all around, 4 large radial tires, sound system, power steering and brakes, 4 doors, and bunches of electronics and safety systems.

The new CART none…

How the mfrs and dealers of carts can justify the $$$$$$ of their relatively simple products…. A gouge especially of new carts by dealers in The Villages areas.

I’m just happy that our cart, more than 8 years old is running just fine and we don’t have to pay these inflated prices for a new cart here. OMG

Supply & Demand baby..............plenty of suckers willing to pay the prices.

EXACTLY! We bought our cart outside of the Villages and they delivered it to our home. Thousands $$$ cheaper!

Was it a fleet or commercial cart?

Low volume mostly hand built vs high volume automated Assembly.

Have you left the bubble lately and notice the golf cart dealers especially between here and around Ocala next to highway 441.
The profit on those carts got to be great.

I started a post not long ago about buying just a Hybrid vehicle that would serve the purpose of a golf cart and a long-distance vehicle.

You would pay a little more up front but would have A/C, more storage space, with X number miles of battery usage, same as a cart.

We moved here from the Tampa/St Pete area. We knew of several golf cart places and shopped around until we found one we liked. It is a Yamaha 2 seater. They delivered it to our door for an extra $100. This was years ago.

We have been in the Villages since early 2000 and have learned the ABSOLUTE WORSE thing to do when purchasing something expensive is to mention you live in the Villages.

Avoid answering the salesperson, Where are you folks from? by quickly asking a question about the item you are looking at. Most people think Villagers are millionaires and will upcharge the hell out of you given the opportunity. It has also been our experience that items cost more in the Villages. We always purchase outside the bubble.

I know there are differences, but I just bought a nice new John Deere lawn tractor this year. 22hp, v-twin engine, hydrostatic transmission, mowing deck and bagging system. $3500. It has 4 wheels and a steering wheel, just like a golf cart. Hard to justify why a new golf cart costs around $15,000 more.

Ahh........"It has 4 wheels and a steering wheel, just like a golf cart".
Other than that there is nothing they share......:mornincoffee:

John Deere needs to get into the golf cart business, where the profit must be really high.

Capitalism 101.

Charge what the market will bear.

Imagine a yesteryear cart $20,000+ and no a/c

Try the cost on a John Deere four wheeler, around $12,000.

Someone FINALLY figured it out,,its a GOLF CART!! not a $20,000 automobile.
 

Price out a new Yamaha cart without the add-on stuff in Ga or Ala. Everything else is an add-on. Youll save $4-$5k. after you buy and a 3rd party puts the wheels on, canvas enclosure, upgraded seats and bolt on dash. Thats pretty much it,,radio if you need it, Or just buy one out the door,,it's only $5000.00

Poor Fit and Finish Too
 

The quality, fit and finish of a golf cart is much worse too - adding to the rip-off - that deserves another OMG!

a/k/a...........Supply & Demand.

Other wise known as more $$ than sense syndrom.

Wow that’s a great deal. We bought a basic golf cart with nothing extra on it except upgraded wheels and tires in PA more than 5 years ago and it was over $5000!

Obviously there isn't much golfing going on in this group. I golf 3-4 times a week and prefer to be a bit more comfortable in a reliable cart. I have new electric cart that is quiet, comfortable, almost maintenance-free, environmentally friendly, and has all the features in need, including a blue-tooth radio, seat belts, and a sunbrella. If you need air conditioning and an air bag to golf, you have bigger issues than the price of your cart vs. a new car. Really? Look at this debate......you're hysterical.

I paid $10,000 for a loaded 2023 Yamaha at the dealer. The price is negotiable.

It comes with a lot of conveniences that I don't mind paying a little extra for.

Trying to shame folks who buy from the dealer is a bitter look.

How about letting people decide how and where they want to spend their money?

I bet my Yamaha outlasts that Versa. lol.

Thanks, TV Golf Carts for the excellent buying experience, no regrets.

Have a nice day!

choice
 

captive audiences always pay more what does a hot dog cost at a MLB game

I paid $21,000 for my EZgo with lithium battery. Fancy. Almost silent. Great cart. But not much different than an old Model T Ford, really. Well, it did have self-cancelling turn signals, and a music system. No doors. No AC. No wipers. Slower than a Model T, but much faster acceleration.

Yes, there is a lot of "what the market will bear" going on, but your comparison does not account for where these vehicles are manufactured. The Nissan Versa is built in Mexico, where labor rates are significantly lower. Yamaha golf carts are manufactured in Newnan, Georgia. Carts are then shipped to the local upfitters, where U.S. employees complete the process. Higher labor costs, plus U.S. taxes being paid. Care to look at the price difference between a set of wrenches from Snap-on Tools versus something from Harbor Freight?

We bought our golf cart roughly ten years ago when we bought our home. At that time there were also inexpensive cars that new were in the same price range. Does it make sense? Did it make sense then?

I've wondered who has the oldest still working golf cart? Surely, somewhere there is a golf cart junk yard. Is it worth doing? Assemble one from junk?

If you buy a stock cart from somebody out of state and have it delivered....don't you need to install different gearing so it'll go 20mph vs. 12? Or it as simple as a zip tie on the gas models and some electronic fiddling for battery models? If it's involved...how much does it cost?

Joe

True, but a Versa will not give me nearly the same satisfaction and enjoyment of riding around TV in my golf cart!

Memory is always selective. In 1950 my dad a WWII combat vet. Supported a family of four on a job paying a hundred dollars a week. We got our first television about 1955 a Dumont 21 inch and it cost like $500-five weeks pay.

Old books. Interesting reality people have always found stuff to complain about.
I have a book published in the early 1900's predicting, of course they had graphs etc. That unless we convert to electric trucks in the big cities people would have manure up to their knees.

Another OLD BOOK predicted women ridding bikes would lead to all kinds of rampant SIN.

When salesmen ask where I live, I always tell them Leesburg. Never tell them you live in the Villages...

Saw a Toyota Camry on the MMP along El Camino Real a couple of weeks back.

Just sayin'.

You are absolutely right!!! I hate to say it but we bought a cart that cost over $20,000! How stupid are we? Pretty stupid!

If it has air conditioning it will in the summer months

Agree, have an EZGO battery 4 seater and sold our 2nd car. Best move since we moved here 2 years ago. 😎

Yeah true. The mower is more complicated and has more moving parts than a cart.

John Deere is probably the most expensive brand of lawn tractors. Well-built.

And it costs far less than a cart.

Looks like lots of folks here know enough to open a cart store and make a killing selling carts at a low price...

Sorry no comparison. Bottom line is content. Compare all the individual components of that Nissan car and a Yamaha cart. As for your labor compare. Simply imagine the amount of parts needing to be put together for that cart compared with a complex automobile. Look at the difference in tires alone. Then windows and doors and sensors and AC. Really like night and day. For virtually the same price.

Yikes.

high speed gears
 

You'll need high speed gears to get it over 20 MPH. Using a zip tie on standard gears will increase the speed up to 16 MPH but the engine will be screaming. The high speed gears are around $500+.

The easiest is buying on aliexpress out of China have it shipped .. Covid created a window and most American businesses took full advantage to rape you

We have purchased quite a few things direct from China. When you buy a golf cart how much is the customs fee? Also, when the cart is shipped, do you have to arrange for it to be delivered from the port? Not certain what carrier will bring
a large item like that directly to your door. If we can easily do it, I am extremely interested. The price is ridiculously cheap!

Look at Atomic carts in comparison. Doors, power windows, power door locks, Air Conditioning, Disc Brakes, windshield & Wiper, Lithium batteries, radio, back up camera, and more for about $17k. Compare to lithium battery golf cart which should then be about $10K.

I'm a believer that if it were really true that a good, reliable, well built golf car (or PTV to be more accurate) could be built and delivered for significantly less than what they are currently charging, then some company would step in and do it. PTV demand is exploding. I'm in NY State, on a lake, in summer, and just this summer on my tiny little lake road I see a dozen PTVs, whereas 5 years ago there was exactly ONE.
TV is not unique in regard to being a golf cart community. More and more are being built, and in older communities (Beaufort SC to name just one) many are transitioning to PTVs for running short errands, or going out to dinner.
In the late 60s, and throughout the '70s, Japanese automakers saw that the US auto industry was producing a lot of crap, at high prices and saw an opportunity to provide higher quality and lower prices, and moved right in with great success.

If such an opening exists right now in the PTV industry, you'll see more new companies move in, as may already be happening with companies like Evolution. My friend bought one. He loves it. I don't, as I find my Yamaha, and his old Club Car fit me better. But Evo is just one company. If there is a hole there, there will be more.