[CrosbyStills]

I know some may disregard this essay entirely simply because of what news site published it, or who wrote (signed) it, but the U.S. Congressman that represents Augusta, GA has unique insight into the state of Club Car and EZ-GO which are both made in his district. I thought it might be of interest to those of us here who for whom so much of the lifestyle revolves around golf carts / golf cars. With any luck (here's hoping!) this topic stays germane and provides interesting insight and thought provoking discussion and doesn't dissolve into the normal state of affairs.

Trump-Xi trade talks put American golf cart makers in the spotlight | Fox News

[LeRoySmith]

I suspect the reason the Chinese carts do so well is price.

2026 E-Z-GO Liberty
4 forward-facing
$23,253 at the villages golf cars. (The nicest Star cart they have is 30k)

2026 Chevy Trax LS at AutoNation Chevrolet West Colonial $24,989.

I love my country and have faced death for it so please don't say I'm anti American.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I wouldn't care if it was made on Mars by illegal slave-labor Saturnians. I like my Club Car.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

I suspect the reason the Chinese carts do so well is price.

2026 E-Z-GO Liberty
4 forward-facing
$23,253 at the villages golf cars. (The nicest Star cart they have is 30k)

2026 Chevy Trax LS at AutoNation Chevrolet West Colonial $24,989.

I love my country and have faced death for it so please don't say I'm anti American.

I'm a bit confused, your example shows the Chinese Star cart as more expensive than the American E-Z Go.
Hmm, is Star American since it is built in South Carolina or is it Chinese since that is where the parts come from?

Villages Golf Cars may not be the best price to compare. E-Z Go gives a starting MSRP of $12,999 for the Liberty 4-seater. Villages Golf Cars absolutely adds options which make the cart more valuable, but $11,000 worth of options??

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by LeRoySmith

I suspect the reason the Chinese carts do so well is price.

2026 E-Z-GO Liberty
4 forward-facing
$23,253 at the villages golf cars. (The nicest Star cart they have is 30k)

2026 Chevy Trax LS at AutoNation Chevrolet West Colonial $24,989.

I love my country and have faced death for it so please don't say I'm anti American.

Doesn't seem right, does it?

[TheVillageGlossator]

Some people compare Golf Cars as though the only thing they are buying is the vehicle itself.

For most of us in The Villages, a Golf Car is an important part of everyday transportation. If it breaks down, we need someone who can diagnose it, get the parts, repair it and get us back on the road. That is worth something.

Yamaha, E-Z-GO, Club Car and STAR have established products, warranties and service arrangements. Their prices reflect more than the cost of assembling a Golf Car. A lower purchase price may be a bargain, but only time will tell what the vehicle costs to own and maintain.

The same applies to dealers. The Villages Golf Cars and established local Club Car dealers have facilities, trained technicians, parts inventories and employees to pay. TVGC also offers benefits such as loaners, roadside assistance and priority service for its customers. Those services cost money to provide, whether we use them every month or never need them at all.

I am not suggesting that the highest price is always justified or that an inexpensive Golf Car cannot be a good purchase. I am saying that the lowest sticker price and the best long-term value are not necessarily the same thing.

When I bought my Golf Car, I was also buying the ability to keep using it five or ten years from now. I was willing to pay more for a manufacturer and a local dealer that gave me good reason to believe they will be there when I need them.

That said, go with Club Car for the win.

[[email protected]]

Or go with Streetrods.

[CrosbyStills]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Or go with Streetrods.

Which are built on an EZ-Go or Club Car chassis. No, the point of the original thread was to point out how the golf cart market showcasing how subsidized foreign carts under cut American carts and undermine American industry as a microcosm to what's being played out across all sectors and industries from A.I. and tech to telecom, electric grid components; Temu, Shein and Amazon products, etc.

[Djean1981]

Components are often sourced globally (including from China, Mexico, Taiwan, Vietnam, and elsewhere), and some assembly or component work may occur in other countries (such as Mexico or China) to support international markets..

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Or go with Streetrods.

Originally Posted by CrosbyStills

Which are built on an EZ-Go or Club Car chassis. No, the point of the original thread was to point out how the golf cart market showcasing how subsidized foreign carts under cut American carts and undermine American industry as a microcosm to what's being played out across all sectors and industries from A.I. and tech to telecom, electric grid components; Temu, Shein and Amazon products, etc.

Streetrods are essentially out of business. Who's interested in buying a semi-replica, of the car your grandfather drove ... if he had a car.

The company that took over the location is supposedly an "authorized distributor", but the only Streetrod they're offering for sale, is about 10 years old.

As you point out, they're simply renovated old ClubCars or EZ-Go's, with a body stuck on them.

[Grill Meister]

Educate me, please. What brand golf carts are manufactured and you see being driven around TV. My research developed on these:

Top Chinese golf cart brands include Evolution EV, Icon EV, HDK, Lvtong, and Borcart, which offer feature-rich electric low-speed vehicles at competitive price points.

I have never seen nor heard of these brands.

[Grill Meister]

Educate me, please. What are brands of golf carts manufactured in China. My research located only these:

Top Chinese golf cart brands include Evolution EV, Icon EV, HDK, Lvtong, and Borcart, which offer feature-rich electric low-speed vehicles at competitive price points.

And....I have never seen nor heard of these carts.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by LenoxHillLil

That will never happen, can not be allowed to happen. Freedom does not mean you are free to buy just anything from anyone. Besides most CCP cars aren't even real, just cardboard props for propaganda. Same as most of their buildings. Very few chinese are even allowed to have cars, mostly CCP high ranking members. What American would buy a communist car anyway?

Tell that to General Motors, which sells the Buick Envision - manufactured exclusively in China.
And Ford, which sells the Lincoln Nautilus, manufactured and assembled in China.
And Volvo, whose S90 is manufactured in China.

As for what American would buy a communist car - the Volkswagen Beetle's originated with Adolf Hitler, who said Germany should produce a "people's car."

[PhilR]

Originally Posted by LenoxHillLil

That will never happen, can not be allowed to happen. Freedom does not mean you are free to buy just anything from anyone. Besides most CCP cars aren't even real, just cardboard props for propaganda. Same as most of their buildings. Very few chinese are even allowed to have cars, mostly CCP high ranking members. What American would buy a communist car anyway?

I’ve been to Peru and there were more Chinese cars there than from anywhere else. My coworker lives in Chile, same story, and he says they are decently reliable and less expensive than those from Japan, Korea, Europe or god forbid the US.

[LenoxHillLil]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Tell that to General Motors, which sells the Buick Envision - manufactured exclusively in China.
And Ford, which sells the Lincoln Nautilus, manufactured and assembled in China.
And Volvo, whose S90 is manufactured in China.

As for what American would buy a communist car - the Volkswagen Beetle's originated with Adolf Hitler, who said Germany should produce a "people's car."

Those aren't Chinese cars. Those are American and wherever Volvo is from cars made IN China. How could Chinese make their own cars when they barely have any paved roads?