depreciate
 

How much does a new golf cart depreciate when it is sold? Is there a rule of thumb for subsequent years?
I am beginning to looking at used carts and trying to determine approximate values. I am sure brand does matter so how about a Yamaha?

Depends on who you buy from. I wouldn't touch a used cart unless there was a warranty attached to cover the big potential costs. When you buy privately you get it as is and you own all the expense. There are a number of operations here that rebuld and warranty what they sell. Sta-Rite Carts and Accessories is one. Carts are used heavily here, many as the primary mode of transportation and will accumulate thousands of miles a year. Buy smart, not cheap.

My hubby bought a used as is 2010 electric Star cart for $2,500 and it has been used every day for over 2 yrs. it's a great cart! But he looked at many before buying.

You need to know what you are looking at, and looking for. Go look at lots of carts, new and used, before you seriously start shopping!

In fact we bought mine used too. It's a CA Roadster that I LOVE to drive. It's been a jewel and I paid about 30% of the price of a new Ca Roadster!!

We have had great performance from our used carts!!

On carts, I can only give an opinion. I looked and looked and my wife looked also. I found that some cart shops are really not very helpful and it shows what will happen after the sale. We bought an EzGo electric from Advantage Golf Carts, AGC they are in a center where the Bonefish Grill is located. They have been great, they have a great service plan, for the first year, they come to your house for service, hard to beat that. The cart it great, we love it. We are not real big on driving and driving, so during the week we go to play pool or to swimming pools and about once a week, we charge it for about 4 hours, the Utility company verifies, it takes about 15 to 19 cents and hour to charge. NO GAS, NO FUMES, NO RATTLING ENGINE, NO WHATEVER, PURE SILENCE, WE LOVE IT. :)

I wonder how long it will take before this thread becomes a gas -vs- electric

Oh oh. Now you've done it. I know both have pros and cons, but I prefer gas carts. You just can't beat a once a month fill up.


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I was told $1000 the first year and $500 every year after depending on mileage and upkeep. Who knows, you know when you trade it in they will try and steal it from you to make a pile of dough!

I believe you are accurately stating what typically occurs.

My experience.
 

To avoid the electric vs. gas debate, let me offer a response to the original question.

When I went to The Villages Golf Cars at 910 Bichara Blvd, Lady Lake, near Spanish Springs Town Square, I found a rebuilt gas model that I wanted. I had not come in my current electric cart, but when I told the salesman the brand, type, approximate year and general condition, he consulted a list that contained such data and made an offer for a price for my trade in that I thought was quite generous.

SO.... I conclude that there are figures on the value of used carts based upon these factors. To what extent a salesman will share this information with you I do not know, but surely one will give you an indication of the relative depreciation rate of electric vs. gas, and different brands.

Here's a hint. If the batteries on a trade in are getting old (and their date when put into service does appear on the batteries) then the value of the cart will be diminished, regardless of brand.

Note that I traded in an electric (which came with the purchase of the house) to buy a gas cart and would never own another electric.

Depreciation "let me count the ways" and let us first begin with who is the buyer? Market value is the price that a willing seller and willing buyer agree upon. If there is a red/blue/black book dealers keep it well concealed.

One thing we can be sure about is that a dealer selling a used cart is listing it substantially above what s/he paid for it.

Private owners price, what they believe they need in order to buy a replacement

Some carts are used as second cars. Some like me use them only to play golf which is about 3 times a week resulting in low mileage.

Since you did not say whether you were looking for a gas or electric cart, my two cents worth is that Yamaha GAS carts are very good but NOT their electric.

If you want a very good deal on a great cart try Grandma & Grandpa's Golf carts, 352-552-8454. They have re-manufactured carts that they actually build for your specifications. They have Yamaha and Club Car.

Club car electric carts are very good, especially if you get Trojan Ranger batteries. That is what I have and the batteries are GREAT. They are "rated" to go 60 miles on a charge. I have played a round of championship golf at Lopez [up near the North edge of The Villages], came home and took my dog for a 45 minute ride then drove all the way South to Soaring Eagle softball diamonds and back and the gauge never moved from fully charged and never lost any power. My cart is over 2 years old.

I tell you this because so many people say that electric carts won't be able to travel the distance of The Villages on a charge. I happen to disagree.

The other place to check out for a cart is Village Discount Golf Carts on 446, 352-633-8480.

Good luck.

I should have stated that I am leaning toward gas. I like the convenience of gassing up and then not thinking about it for a long time.

Depending on how much you drive you may be gassing up every week. Gas golf cart don't get great gas mileage. Typically they get about 23-26 mpg. Not that that's bad, it's just that most people think they get a lot more. A typical gas cart has a tank that holds about 6-7 gallons.

Personally, I like the convenience of simply plugging my cart in every time I finish using it and filling the batteries once a month. Running to the gas station all the time and changing the oil is not what I consider convenient.

Sorry, I didn't meant o turn this into a gas vs electric debate, but I did want to give my opinion and perhaps correct a misconception that guitarguy has.

http://http://www.golfcarcatalog.com...ed-golf-carts/

Well guitar guy.....confused yet?

YES I am thoroughly confused but it is sure is fun. I did not know that gas vs electric could wind its way into the discussion. I do welcome it. I was just kinda wondering how much cart from one to three years old would be worth.

Since it's gone down the gas vs electric path, I gotta jump in...

Sorry Doc, but not even close. My gas cart is I'm pretty certain fairly typical of TV, and it gets 40 mpg regardless of how I drive it. I head to the gas station every 3-4 weeks (is that "all the time"?) when my odometer reaches 125 miles. I still have about a quarter tank left and it typically takes 2.8-3.1 gallons to fill it up.

And adhering closely to my maintenance schedule, I've changed the oil once in the past three years.

"...plugging my cart in every time I finish using it"...now THAT sounds more like "all the time".

Our 2014 Yamaha EFI gas cart (fuel injected) gets 50-52 MPG. The tank holds 5.2 gallons but a typical fill up is about 4 gallons. We are typically refueling about every 3 weeks based on putting about 3500 miles per year on the cart. We have a gas station quite convenient to our home so fill ups don't require going out of our way. I do my own oil changes and it take about 10 minutes and one quart of oil. The oil changes are pretty trivial. I would guess that you spend as much time watering the batteries as I spend changing oil in a year. The maintenance requirements are different between gas and electric but I doubt one is more troublesome than the other.

The subject matter is about depreciation which in my mind is a very relevant topic. There is a very viable second market here and so I am surprised as to why there isn't a more reliable pricing mechanism.
Forget dealers if your selling a car. And i don't believe that dealers spend a lot to refurbish a cart, at least not relative to what they sell them for It appears a better alternative is in private sells by owners with the option of a general inspection by a cart repair shop before purchasing the cart

Now for the sake of constructive dialogue somebody please critique my comments so that we are all better informed as to our future purchases

A three year old gas Yamaha from a private owner will be in the neighborhood of 6,000 to 7,000

I did the same thing. Tried figuring it from the new cost and when it came so close to new cart with a Beautiful Warranty the decision was easy. The moment you sign they give you a loaner, they offered to pay for the gas while we had the loaner and it took 5 weeks for our cart to be built. Top drawer operation, worth a few dollars more. Even got roadside and towing for a year included. The Villages Golf Carts. A Winner. Good Luck.

Is there some basis for considering mileage?


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Fredman thank you this is a good start for this important topic.

So are we talking about a 2013 or a 2014 since the 2017 are out.
As dubsonne asked is there a consideration for low mileage and what about all the extras that an owner adds

what is a 2015 Yamaha with less than 1500 miles worth that has upgraded seats, seat belts and an air blower added?

Someone told me that electric carts on the second market were worthless because people sought gas carts. Is that necessarily true? I don't think so but look for other opinions or people's experiences

These are relevant questions and important to residents because we are at a disadvantage with dealers who seem to quote values out of the air

Perhaps there is a resident on this forum that has the background to build a book indicating realistic actual cash value (book value) for carts....provided one doesn't exist already

My guess on a 2015 gas with custom seats would sell in the range of 8500

Reconditioned.
 

THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT GAS VS. ELECTRIC, BUT RATHER ABOUT THE CHOICE OF GETTING A "RECONDITIONED" CART.

I bought a long wheel based 4 passenger cart that was factory designed for four passengers facing forward. The salesman said that since it was so much bigger and heavier than the standard two passenger cart that I should only expect around 25 mpg rather than the more commonplace 35 to 40 mpg.

I like to "joy ride" in the cart and use it a lot when I'm in TV. After a week or so of extensive travel I get concerned about the gas level and head to the gas station, and then am usually surprised to find that I've used only about 1 1/2 gallons. Oil change once a year.

The salesman also said that driving wide open all the time doesn't hurt the engine because it isn't really wide open due to the governor used to limit the speed. Accordingly, it can be expected to be dependable for decades.

I bought a "reconditioned" cart from The Villages Golf Cars at Spanish Springs. Reconditioning included a new windshield, new seats, new running gears in the transmission, inspection of the engine, removing the body from the frame, rustproofing the frame, repainting the body, and new side curtains. It came with a three year warranty. It has been trouble free for over three years.

The closer you get to season, the more costly a used cart will be. It is advisable to get a GAS cart, and a Yamaha is a good make. I know that you should expect to pay between 2,800 to 3,500 for a decent cart and expect it to be about 10+ years old at that price. I would stay away from anything electric because The Villages is too big to expect to use it for an entire day without a charge... batteries are incredibly expensive ($600) and need replacing 3-4.5 years. Check Craigslist often for new listings, look for Estate Sales where everything goes... Wouldn't recommend going to The Villages Golf Carts for a used cart, they are way overpriced. Good Luck, hope that helps...

Folks, if I may use that quaint expression if you review all of the comments on this thread you will realize that none of us have a clue. We seem to be better horse traders when buying a car or house because there are guidelines, book values, etc as a way to measure. Why isn't that the same for golf carts? If the transaction is between two residents then the value of that cart is what they agree upon. Again the seller and buyer have had an opportunity to check out book values cars being sold on lots, internet reviews, etc. However it seems murkier when negotiating with a dealer; albeit there are some clues? Anyone?