Have to make a decision
 

When I bought my house a 2002 electric Club Car came with it. I was told by some neighbors that the previous owner had the cart pick up and completely gone through before he left.
I began having a bit of trouble with the lights. All kinds of strange things going on. So I brought it to The Villages Golf Cart man to look it over. I was told that the whole cart has to be rewired. The nose of the cart is custom and the lights were Mickey Moused to fit the nose. The lights are not even headlights, they are running lights. The lights have been wired in using speaker wire. I believe all of it because the bezels look obviously home made. I had the left headlight apart and even I can tell that it's not a professional job.
In addition, the suspension has felt very washy and the cart seems to move all over the road so I asked them to check the suspension. I was told that I needed new king pins and the wheel bearings needed to be either replaced or repacked. Again, I have no trouble believing them as there is obviously something wrong.
So now I am in a quandary. I'm either going to have to put some money in this old cart or trade it in for something new.
The wiring and front end work are going to cost somewhere between $600 and $800. The cart also needs tires so I'm looking a putting a grand into this cart which is probably worth somewhere around two grand.
I don't have a lot of money and don't know if I want to go for a new cart but one the other hand I think that I should bit the bullet and by a new one and not have any worries for several years.
On the other hand, I could put even more money into this cart and really fix it up the way I want it. I would be willing to put $2000 into it to make it really nice. A new cart is going to cost around $8,000 and hopefully I'd get $2000 for a trade in.
I'm not sure why I'm posting this except perhaps to vent a bit and maybe get some things to think about.

Rather than do the king pins just replace the front end with a A-arm lift kit, about $250 and 2 hours labor.

When that's apart you can get to a lot of the wires.

It as plenty of life in it,, alum frame.....

Don't forget remanufactured. That's what we have-remanufactured club cart and we have pounded it for 7 years.
Also look at pre-owned. Many great carts are for sale because people want fancier carts and live in villas where they only have room for one cart.

trade it in call carts and clubs to see what they can do for you

That's fine but just make sure they don't inflate the cost of a new one to cover the appearance of a higher trade in value.

You can but new carts online for about $5200 outside the bubble

Life is full of decisions.....

Dr. Winston: I would definitely get another opinion or two on fixing up this cart. Perhaps different bids will come in at a price you are more willing to pay. There are several "independent guys" listed in the Daily Sun who work on golf carts that I'm willing to bet will do you a good job and much cheaper.

Rewiring is not brain surgery, I redid one of mine for under $100.00 in wire, switches, fuses, OOgaa horn and some LED running lights.

I think it's worth your time to check with Carts and Clubs.

They will at least work with you to get your problem resolved. They also have large showroom for trades etc.
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The problem is that the cart has a custom nose and there are no standard headlights that will fit. They are going to have to find some kind of lights and then fabricate a bezel that will allow the lights to be mounted on the cart. The rewiring is not hard but custom lights are.

jimbo: Your posts tell me you are a guy with a wealth of good information. thank you for sharing

Since visiting there in April and now buying a lot, I'm seriously thinking about going into the solar golf cart biz.

In line with that thinking I've been learning about these toys, building or really rebuilding one here in NY from the ground up, chassis off.

I'm adding 4" A arms 12" wheels repainting in cool orange metallic color, already cut the steering column down 4", can't stand that thing so high in my chest.

New batteries with all #2 cables to carry and charge the load, a digital voltage meter.

The solar panel is being fitted waiting for the first proto-type charge controller to be completed.

Then there is an old airport near by to test the solar and hope it does 70+ miles and never needs a charge.

All just fun.

You need to rebuild the front end and need new tires. I would install the lift kit and new 10 inch tires, do the rewiring yourself then get someone to do the bezels. You get better range, ride, and speed with the lift and larger tires for about the same investment as the repairs. Club Cars run forever and almost everything can be repaired easily. So make the 2K investment, but do it with some upgrades, (lift and 10 inch tires) and it will last you a long time. I have one I have been using in a rental property for several years. I am at the point it needs a rebuild soon and I am going to make the investment in those same items.

Agree, also to increase mileage, buy narrow tires = less resistance.

Unless you need to use the cart on the golf course.

Is there someone that you would recommend to do the work? I'd also like to get one of those flip rear seat / truck bed things on the back I'm told that with some Club Cars, new springs are not necessary. Even if they are, I would imagine that if I'm doing a lift on the front, the back would need something as well.


Are the 12" wheels better than the 10". I've heard that when they get too big they have the reverse effect on range.