You can easily get a 5-6 year old Yamaha gas cart with important add-ons like Sunbrella within that budget. No need to start running around trying to get something better than that.

Golf cart
 

Try custom drive on 441

2017 Yamaha Quiet Tech.
 

I have 2-2017 Yamaha Quiet Tech's for sale as we are moving. Both carts have been well maintained. Either one for $8,000.

Liberal or Conservative?

I'm about to have an Estate Sale for my parents, and an electric golf cart is included in the sale. That might be one route for you to check out. The sale will be @ the 12-14th of September. They'll start cataloging everything thing next week, so it's not posted yet. Now that I see what estate sales are all about, I wonder why I buy anything new! Graham’s Appraisals & Estate Sales, Inc. – Serving Central Florida since 1981

Check out Custom Drive on 441.

They have a good mix of new and used, including Yamahas. My friend just got a two seater lithium electric C2 is the model I think, with a big 210a battery. Right now is listed at under $9K I believe. You can see their service fleet going around in The Villages. Very easy going process, no pressure kind of place.

As a reference my friend pickup the cart from the showroom on 441 and drove straight to his new house in Shady Brook (Eastport area). Only used about 25% battery in what I consider one of the longest drive in The Villages.

Evolution carts apparently are not well built. You must go over them with a fine tooth comb looking for loose fasteners and wiring hanging about. As there have been many reports of those issues. Then you need to worry about service, getting parts on them. With some owners waiting months for simple parts. For now, I’ll stick to tried and true Yamaha.

I looked online on a customdrive C2 and it's definitely a contender. The larger battery and list of standard options is hard to beat.

There is a reason you see more Yamaha carts than other brands here in TV. They are built to last, dependable, and (when needed) service parts are readily available. Back during the Covid crunch, carts were in short supply and high demand. Pre owned carts were being snapped up immediately, and new carts were taking 6 months to come in. Not any more. Even the classified section here on TOTV has several pre owned carts listed every day. I suggest you take your time, and look for a 2017 or newer Yamaha with low miles/hours, that has been well maintained, and has at least the major features you require. At the top of that feature list should be upgraded, comfortable seats. You will spend a lot of time in your cart, and good, comfy seats are a must. Good luck with your search.

DO NOT BUY FROM THE VILLAGES!! Save thousands by going outside the bubble and get a “traveling company” come to your home for maintenance check up every year and save there also!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

My thoughts...

I pretty much see golf carts the way I see automobiles. In each case you're buying unused miles so the focus for us is how pretty a package do you want those miles wrapped in, and the prettier the package, the more those miles are going to cost. New cart warranties vary but odds are you will own the cart for some time after the warranty expires, and the more frills and doodads on your cart, the higher and more frequent will be the post-warranty repair bills.

We bought a 2013 Yamaha for $5,800 (if memory serves) when we moved here four years ago. Pretty basic but it gets us reliably from Point A to Point B, burns very little gas, and costs next to nothing in repairs. Other than scheduled service, we've replaced the drive belt once. Yamaha carts are known for being bulletproof and our experience certainly bears that out. Also on the plus side we bought it used for a pretty good price and odds are it wouldn't sell for much less than what we paid if we ever do sell it.

Go to Club Car on US 441. They have excellent carts for the best price. Also, very low financing rates are available. Just bother to check them out. And I believe there is a sale going on right now too

Who do you recommend for a traveling cart maintenance company please? We aren’t impressed with The Villages Golf Car stores service departments. TIA!

Evolution Golf Carts Homosassa, FL | San Antonio, FL

Hours Villages | Hidden Creek Golf Carts | Brooksville Florida

Golf cart
 

I will say we decided to purchase outside the villages. Botero carts Ocala. It’s been a real nightmare we purchased new and it took forever getting the cart that was paid for and when we finally received it they ordered the climate enclosure to large and it hung terrible it looked horrendous. And then they put holes in the wrong places for the correct size cover and damaged the cart we are very disappointed. And it’s been months since we purchased it and it’s still not taken care of.