Gem cars
 

When previously visiting tv we noted there were certain "golf type" cars that were called gem cars which were not required to use the cart paths but could be operated on the streets. Can anyone comment on these gem vehicles; primary question is can they be used on the golf courses as golf carts as well as the streets? Any information would be appreciated.- bj

Yep, Gem cars can be used on the golf course.

Gem Cars
 

We have had two of them...

good things: avoid speed bumps, ride is more direct and smooth, can get to Sam's and Best Buy via cart, roomy, most have gel batteries (good for 7-8 years, some more), top speed 25 mph

Bad things: wider than most carts (getting over 441 bridge a little tight),
Street legal, must buy tags, insurance more extended, seat
belts and windshield wiper blades required and included with street legal,
Gel batteries cost approx $1500, some villagers suggest less
ventilation but we didn't think so, service requires pick up from Bill Bryan in Fruitland Park

We also owned a LC-3 which was my favorite BECAUSE I could store and lock two sets of golf clubs if we should decide to have a bite to eat after golf and not worry about clubs being stolen (which will happen from time to time)

Hope this helps!

Jebartle pretty much hit the nail on the head. There are two key/ignition settings, one for golf course and cart lanes (approx. 15 mph) and one for on streets with speed limits up to 35 mph (the GEM does approximately 25 mph and is only legal on streets where the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less).

With the gel batteries you should get approximately 30 miles (range can vary between 25-30 miles depending on load, weather, etc.) on a single charge. It should take 6-8 hours to fully recharge your batteries and it can be done from a standard 110 outlet.

If you are buying pre-owned and you want to make sure it is "golf course legal" make sure that the previous owner has not installed after market tires, as some available tires will tear up the golf course.

We just bought one and my wife loves it!

Gem cars
 

Just went to the web site yesterday. Think the cost of gel batteries is about $600 more. The cart is 55 in. wide so definitly wider than normal carts.


Think you also need to up grade the wheels as well for the golf course and and buy the golf club holder. Anyway I priced at just over $10K MSRP.

Was just going to post to get more info from those who own one.

The standard wheels are fine for the golf course, but if you want to use your GEM on the course, the optional golf club rack is well worth it. Also consider the hard doors--while pricey (about $4,000) it makes the vehicle weatherproof and is much easier to deal with than the vinyl snap on windows and doors.

Just received a notice that GEM has been acquired by Polaris. Look for Villages Golf Cars to start stocking in the near future, that is, if they already don't.

Thanks everyone for the information, very helpful; decisions, decisions, just one of many as we get closer to becoming Villagers! - BJ

I have a two bag golf attachment for the GEM car for sale in TV. Asking $275.00. Choice of two. I will keep the remaining one.

I think the first concern might be the cost of insurance, tags, etc for a street legal cart. We were told at AAA that street legal insurance is as much as a car. If you are brave enough to tackle the traffic on the streets and cost is no object, I'd say street legal is the way to go.

Went to the website and don't see the LC-3 model.
How long do you have your GEM's? Do you have gel batteries? Can't find anything on the WWW indicating 7-8 year life. They are mantenance free so no worries about adding water. 72 volt system is hugh and I like the look of the GEM. Also for me its going to be a sub for a car so paying car insurance is a non factor. The cost having a street legal...

My wife wanted a vehicle with actual doors so that is what originally attracted us to the GEM. We've only had ours for a month and have only been driving it for a little over a week, but so far we love it! We have been driving ours on both the street and the paths and it has been enjoyable. Ours sure seems to turn a lot of heads--not sure why because there are lots of them here.

I spoke to technical service about gel battery life and the tech said they should last 8-10 years. What I liked was that the tech was chock full of useful information that he was happy to provide over the phone on maintenace, most efficient charging strategies, diagnostics, etc. He seemed to take genuine pride in his product.

We got our insurance through an agent at AAA and I think we are paying about $600/year for full coverage.

While it has only been a week of driving ours, so far it has been a great decision to buy a GEm.

Hope you have many miles of enjoyable riding! Can't wait to check back with you when we make our move.

Good luck!

cappyjon, Would you mind posting a photo/photos of your Gem cart? I googled Gem carts photos -- they look sharp.

I am not very photo savvy when it comes to TOTV (much easier on Facebook) but here goes:

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...jon431/GEM.jpg

This photo is not of ours, but it is the identical model and color--it is a limited special anniversary edition.


A good site for more GEM info and pictures is:

http://www.gemcar.com/models/

Just as a heads up.......BEFORE you get the the eventual 'ticket'...........You CAN NOT drive a GEM car on the designated cart paths.........NOT ALONG side the roads ....NOR on the dedicated Multimodal paths that are off road...... The MAXIMUM width allowed on PATHS is 48 inches.......Since a GEM car is 55 inches wide....it is NOT LEGAL to drive a GEM car on the PATHS anywhere.....(except ON the golf course paths while playing golf)........Maybe that could be one of the reasons it " Sure seems to turn a lot of heads". The DEALER should have pointed this out.

Sharp!!! Thanks for posting the photo.

Thanks for the head's up. I have a question though: If the paths are private property (as opposed to the streets which are public) , who is empowered to ticket vehicles on the paths? I am not disagreeing with you, I'm just new to the area and am hearing conflicting opinions. Also, we got lost today and a golf ambassador was kind enough to provide us with directions--and he suggested we take the multimodal path to our destination.

I have a GEM that I drive primarily on the paths. The GEM Car club has had representatives from the Sheriff's department speak at meetings and the topic of who can drive where has come up. From what I understood, the paths are private property and as such the deputies will not - usually - interfere with what goes on there. However, if you're on a motor bike going 50 MPH on the paths, they'll probably want to speak to you just because they'd perceive that as reckless or dangerous, not because you exceeded some speed limit. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen a speed limit posted on the paths. I suspect the expectation is that vehicles will not exceed the expected limitations of their "class" - 20 MPH for "golf carts" and 25 MPH for "low speed vehicles" (the classification of GEM cars).

I'm not aware of any restriction regarding the use of GEM cars on the multi-modal paths (but there may be some brochure I haven't seen...). It's true that there are some locations where the paths are not wide enough for a GEM car and another "golf cart" to easily pass each other in opposition. I simply avoid those locations. One is the Morse Blvd bridge across Lake Sumter. I do use the road for that crossing. I use the paths in general because I'd rather have an accident there than with a motor vehicle on the street.

The deputies will enforce the speed limits on public roads. Fortunately, unless you tinker with it, the GEM car will not likely exceed the speed limit. Plus, it has a speedometer. The speed limit for a GEM car is 25 MPH on any road with a posted speed limit of up to 35 MPH. It can't go on roads with posted speed limits in excess of 35 MPH, but it can cross such a road (i.e., CR 466 or even 27/441) at a light or other similar crossing. If the posted speed limit is 20 MPH, or 15 MPH, then that's the limit. If you do get caught exceeding the speed limit in a "golf cart" (not a low speed vehicle), the result may not be pleasant. You may have to appear before a judge, and the judge may order you to get the cart's speed permanently limited to the its highest permitted speed (most likely 20 MPH) by a certified mechanic. You'd have to bring evidence of that action back to the judge and then face a potentially very stiff fine - all according to the lieutenant who spoke at the meeting.

I chose a GEM car because I felt that "golf carts" were designed for use on a golf course. GEM cars are designed for use on streets - that's where I was more likely to use it. They have "real" four wheel hydraulic brakes and tires intended for street use. They have seat belts and windshield wipers. It's true that other brands may get more miles per charge, but the convenience of an on-board charger system diminishes the importance of that. I also felt that "you get what you pay for..." I've haven't been unhappy with my choice.

I'm not a golfer, but I have heard that certain types of tires may damage turf more than others, so it may be necessary to check to see if your GEM car's tires are acceptable for use on a golf course.

Just my 2 cents worth...

Thanks for your well thought our response. It reiterated what I had heard from other sources. I will continue to use the paths until instructed to do otherwise by a law enforcement official (except where it might be too narrow for two vehicles to pass side-by-side)

As an aside, yesterday my wife and I were traveling on Enrique Drive, on the street, where the posted speed limit was 25 mph. We were going 25 mph (the posted speed limit), when a car came up behind us and laid on the horn. We were going the speed limit! It just about gave my wife a heart attack. It certainly could have caused an accident if another driver might have panicked. Probably another good reason to stick to the paths.

i hope you gave him the appropriate middle finger salute!!

Not true. GEM cars ARE allowed on multi-modal paths and alongside the roads. Some people seem to want us not to be on them. I put that in the category of being their problem. I'm not sure why they seem to want to perpetuate this rumor.:shrug:

My work place purchased 5 GEM carts for use in and around our compound. We have had problems with every one of them. Gel batteries have failed after 3 years on 3 of the carts and all have had charging problems. Now I know that the employees do not take care of the carts like they would if they had paid for them but we expected better durability and performance given the price paid. I recommend you talk to owners who have had their GEM carts in constant use for several years and see what they say before you buy.

Carts and LSVs
 

The GEM is authorized to travel on all roads in The Villages, FL, there is no width restriction that I know of and I drive my GEM on all the roads as needed, The GEM is also authorized to be used on the golf courses here as long as they have the correct wheels on them. We do need something that tells us all what is legal and not legal when it comes to golf carts, low speed vehicles and so on, a neat map of all the trails would also be nice.

What burns me up is that I pay for insurance and tags for my LSV and obey the rules and then you see a cart come screaming by passing me, I can do 25 MPH, the cart should be doing no more than 20 MPH if that, the carts that pass me are doing at least 30+ and I am sure they have no insurance since they do not have tags.

Just a few thoughts.

I suspect that many people who use golf carts don't realize how fast they're going. They probably don't have a speedometer and they just go as fast as the cart will go. I have certainly seen my share of golf carts I can't keep up with in my GEM car.

When I'm in my real car and it's safe to do so, I sometimes "clock" golf carts I suspect may be going rather fast and I often find that they're doing over 25. I haven't seen any over 30 yet, but I bet they're out there.

I'm sure there are GEM cars that will exceed the speed limit if the driver so desires. Compliance with the speed limit is really up to the driver. Some people care about it and others may not. Putting a speedometer on your golf cart seems like a reasonable thing to consider (GEM's, of course, already have one), or using a suitable GPS application on your smart phone could help you to understand the velocity parameters of your vehicle, but not everyone is willing to do those kinds of things.

I'm of the opinion that the faster you go, the more it's going to hurt if things don't go as planned.

Do you still have golf club holder for gem?

I just heard recently that Gem was sold, and I also heard that someone else is coming out with a new style.

GEM was sold from chrysler to Polaris, but they will continue to manufacture these models. Polaris has been around for a long time (manufacturing snow mobiles and other recreational vehicles) and they are known for excellent customer service and support.

The Gem
 

Capt,

I understand your Love for the Gem. Have seem many of these vehicles in UpState NY. They have a place for many in The Villages!

When Chrysler owned them they needed EPA energy credits BAD. My friend was in charge of" Giving" away thousands of these vehicles. FREE and I turned one down! Kicking myself for that now.

I'm still going to consider for the wife a Convertible "Smart for Two" She loves driving them around local streets and in town.

Just can't use them on a Golf Course. But hey she does not play Golf! Yet :mademyday:

Herv

Excellent explanation. I think many people do not realize that a Low Speed Vehicle is restricted to a top speed of 25 MPH. I have a street legal Par Car because we use it for golf much of the time. The way I try to explain it to friends is the GEM car is great for the street and can be used for golf. The rest of the "street legal" carts are designed for golf but can be used on the street. If everyone would just slow down it would eliminate most of the problems!

Want Gem bag carrier
 

I am interested in your golf cart carrier. terossiii@gmail.com

Gem golf bag carrier
 

I will buy one. Call me at 352-610-6899.

Tom Ross

The original post was from Sept. 2011. I'd suspect he's sold it.

Bill :)