Sounds like you are describing an Atomic golf cart

Who cares? They serve the same function…

I have an Atomic for two years comfortable, reliable and safe

I agree the prices for carts seem high, but sales, rentals and maintenance are at a premium. Competition will help only if TV allow it. In the new areas what is the first thing built? Answer= The Villages Carts. Business is never the friendliest part of any hometown.

Ordered a 2023 Yamaha on Oct. 22 and was given a free loaner for 5 months, that's over a $2000 savings on rental and 5 months of no wear and tear on my new 2023.

Also, if you pay cash they take 5% off.

Their prices have gone up since I purchased on Oct 22 and I only had to leave a $100 deposit so the cash stayed in investments during the 5 months. It was supposed to be 6 months but came in a month early.

I could’ve sold the cart for a profit on the day I received it so the depreciation argument doesn't hold water.

Can you find carts cheaper around the country and the world, sure, but is it worth the headache and inconvenience if something goes wrong? That's for each individual to decide on his own.

I don't mind paying for VIP service sometimes and my salesmen and I have become friends and play golf sometimes.

I like the whole personable experience unlike ordering something off the internet.

It was like the old days of walking into your local hardware store or bar where everyone knew your name and you just weren't another order number.

I know a few of their employees and most of them live in and around TV and are really upfront honest people.

I just don't understand how the OP is in charge of what she/he perceives as a RIPOFF.

I can list a lot of things in TV that I think is a ripoff, but I let folks spend their money as they wish and not get sucked into this conformity-type thinking.

Its all relative, but I usually stay in the lane òf comparing apples to apples and oranges to cantelopes.

What could possibly go wrong if you go outside the bubble about 1.5 hours away to a store that sells carts thousands cheaper? If you do not trust them to deliver it to your door safely, get a Uhaul and do it yourself. Not a big deal considering how much $$$ you save. In our case, it was $7000 cheaper than what was quoted here in the Villages.

“These Capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people.” Abraham Lincoln

Capitalism? Is anybody forcing you to buy a golf cart? If you think the golf cart is too expensive, you have options: walk the golf courses, take your car to the market or friends house.

I guess you can compare the $20k Nissan to a $4M Bugatti? 4 tires and a steering wheel, you even get more seats in the Nissan, but that’s where the comparisons ends. You can’t make generalizations about 2 different widgets and say 1 is overpriced.

If you look up this posters prior posts you would see numerous posts about how great The Villages Cars are and that the service is worth paying thousands more for. As far as negotiating the price they would not deal the last time I was there shopping for a cart.

To each their own! The man who sold our golf cart was friendly and easy to work with as well. I guess a megawatt smile from the Vilages Carts salesmen is worth paying thousands more. Me? Not impressed. I like to know I got the best deal possible even if I had to drive out of the bubble to do it.

Btw: had a wonderful experience on our outing to purchase the cart. Found a place with farm fresh produce at a terrific price, had a meal at a restaurant with rave reviews , bought our cart, then watched a beautiful sunset over the gulf. Wow! Did we suffer by purchasing out of the bubble! Next time, we better pay thousands more for a cart here in the villages. Wouldn't want to go through that hardship again!

dealer name and location??

Affordable Golf Carts in Hudson. This was years ago and the market may have changed. But, if you search out of the bubble, you will find a better deal.

Right now, we are trying to find the information for shipping an atomic car direct from China. Cost is an average $4000, a bit higher or lower depending on the manufacturer. We do not know how much the customs fee will be once entering the port and if there is an added expense to pay for a carrier to bring it to your door.

We are not at all worried that the cart will not be shipped. We buy many things direct from China with no problems. We just do not know the added expense of having that large of item brought to our door. All of the packages we have ordered from China were able to be delivered by UPS.

Oh, not Yamaha......jus off-brands &/or noisy. :D

We bought a Yamaha there. Maybe they do not carry anymore? Give them a call. Perhaps, they can get one for you.

Has anyone tried buying from Yamaha direct? If so, I would love to know the details. Probably very easy. Details, anyone?

Out of curiosity, I searched for yamaha direct. The company I found is in Georgia. The price for a new yahama golf cart is under $10,000 with freight included. Has anyone bought from here?

The Villages Golf Cart has a link on their website to:
Yamaha Golf-Car Company
1270 Chastain Road NW
Kennesaw, Georgia 30144
866-747-4027

This is the Yamaha corporation.
Pricing starts at $9500.
You can add options on the site.............and related costs.
When finished, they will find a dealer for you...........including TV.

Thanks! I Guess there is no negotiating with them. Just a dealership. I am going to dig deeper . Right now, I am more interested in an atomic car. Hubby likes Yamaha!

Georgia
 

Or just buy in Georgia for about half the price and rent a U Haul to take it to your house. We bought our new 2022 Yamaha Drive 2 in Daytona for 11,000. The Villages was selling the same cart for 18k and there was a 5 month wait!

Spot on

Nice, buy from China, not Newnan, Georgia.

Gonna guess you can’t buy direct, would cheapen their dealer network.

Country Village Power, in Webster FL, maybe 40 minutes from Brownwood, obviously closer to the southern areas of TV would likely save a couple grand over The Villages.
They share a website with I-4 Power in Plant City.

They are a Yamaha dealer, so they can get you a brand new Yammy. I bought mine there in 2019, and indeed they did save me a couple thou, plus. They deliver to the door, and do most service at my home. There is a scheduled maintenance at around 400 hours ( I think that's the number, I might be wrong about that) that involved them picking it up and taking it to their shop.
I have been quite happy with them, and the money I saved was nice.

403 Forbidden

Correct!

Better Price and Quality
 

Only 25 minutes or less from Sawgrass area.

I got to thinking that my perception of how far it actually is was skewed because every time I have gone there I have first picked up a friend of mine who lives in Rio Ponderosa, which is north of 466.

I have been very happy with those folks, and were I in the market I would definitely give them a chance.
Carts are still overpriced compared to automobiles I suppose, but at least I don't have to drop an extra couple of grand to buy one inside The Bubble.

This post is funny, we went from $3000, $4000 to $7000 more. lol. Do I hear $10,000?

Everyone trying to defend the road (no pun) they took to buy a cart is getting comical.

There is no wrong or right way to buy a cart, just buy the way you want and let folks buy the way they want without snotty, self-serving opinions.

Until I read your post I hadn't encountered any posts I would have described as "snotty".

OK, so where did you buy it?

RCJ

I believe that was asked and answered. If I understand the posts, the place is called "Affordable Golf Carts" and is in Hudson, FL. I checked the site and the only brand new carts they carry are Evolutions which I believe are Korean. My buddy has one, that he bought from someplace on 441 near TV. He likes it. I don't love it.

The "Affordable..." website shows some older years of Yamahas, but says they are "new" so I can only guess what that is about. And they want you to "call for price" which I find annoying.

Bingo.................used Yamaha...........hope the poster does not think he/she purchased new.

Poster did disclaim that the cart was purchased years ago, and was new at the time, and that things may have changed at the dealership since then.
We don't know if it was new or not.
I, personally, am skeptical that comparing apples to apples, $7,000 was saved over purchasing a similar NEW Yamaha from The Villages Golf Cars.

Not Skeptical
 

We bought our cart from ACE of Carts and it was legitimately thousands cheaper than the Villages Cart Store. Straight up, you save big time.

If you need repairs or anything else there are plenty of mobile shops etc. We use Five Star

U R being kind...............There is no way people are saving $7k. No Way.

"You" can go to the Yamaha website, build a cart, pick a dealer and buy it at the posted price. Yes, a dealer might shave a grand off...........maybe if you have a sexy dress on, $2k......but saving $5k or $7k??? Fake News.

:ho:

The yamaha was used but less than one year old and in pristine condition. Like I said, this was years ago. By that, I mean 10 or 12 yrs ago. I always look around for the best deals, different stores have varying inventory. Sometimes, a store is willing to take a low ball offer because they need to move carts off their lot or a cart is a one of. Their supply is larger than demand. You have to look around.

I have not been to the golf cart store in the Villages since we purchased the yamaha. Their demand is much larger than their supply. Not a situation in which I would ever buy anything.

Right now, I am trying to figure out how to purchase an atomic car direct from China. If anyone has done this, please share the details. From what I have seen on the sites, we can save $12 to $14k. I know, it sounds like I am a cheap person but I have been in sales all my life and understand markup. It's kind of a game with me. Who is the better salesperson me or you? Love bargaining! Makes me happy and tingly inside when I get a great deal.

I would love to hear how that works out for you. It would make a very interesting TOTV discussion.
I would be leery (scared ) to do that, but my fear is based totally in ignorance.

We have purchased many things directly from China with no problems. This would be a large package and not certain what will happen once it arrived in the States. Customs and carrier fees are a concern.

I believe I have seen several carts direct from China parked at stores, recs, and squares. I wait for awhile hoping the owner shows up, but so far, no luck. From the outside, these carts look very nice. I'm quite certain that they are direct from China. But, who knows? Maybe another store here in the states I am not familiar with.

YouTube has plenty of videos of people bringing in small vehicles from China. Some seem to do very well, others seem to get a lot of unexpected charges and surprises. Some get vehicles with defects and/or damages in shipping. Worth looking into, but it does have risks.

Villages prices are higher by 15-20% than other areas of other areas of the country and do agree that they should not be anywhere near the price of a new car.

Supply and demand do make prices higher and people in TV pay 2-3K higher
based mostly upon location. Stripped version of the quiet Yamaha has MSRP of 10K +/-. Writer is comparing new cheap car prices with golf cart pricing.