[pauld315]

Originally Posted by maistocars

True, but a Versa will not give me nearly the same satisfaction and enjoyment of riding around TV in my golf cart!

If it has air conditioning it will in the summer months

[sowilts]

Agree, have an EZGO battery 4 seater and sold our 2nd car. Best move since we moved here 2 years ago. 😎

[Geodyssey]

Originally Posted by Vermilion Villager

Ahh........"It has 4 wheels and a steering wheel, just like a golf cart".
Other than that there is nothing they share......

Yeah true. The mower is more complicated and has more moving parts than a cart.

John Deere is probably the most expensive brand of lawn tractors. Well-built.

And it costs far less than a cart.

[Altavia]

Looks like lots of folks here know enough to open a cart store and make a killing selling carts at a low price...

[Tvflguy]

Originally Posted by NoMo50

Yes, there is a lot of "what the market will bear" going on, but your comparison does not account for where these vehicles are manufactured. The Nissan Versa is built in Mexico, where labor rates are significantly lower. Yamaha golf carts are manufactured in Newnan, Georgia. Carts are then shipped to the local upfitters, where U.S. employees complete the process. Higher labor costs, plus U.S. taxes being paid. Care to look at the price difference between a set of wrenches from Snap-on Tools versus something from Harbor Freight?

Sorry no comparison. Bottom line is content. Compare all the individual components of that Nissan car and a Yamaha cart. As for your labor compare. Simply imagine the amount of parts needing to be put together for that cart compared with a complex automobile. Look at the difference in tires alone. Then windows and doors and sensors and AC. Really like night and day. For virtually the same price.

Yikes.

[philnpat]

Originally Posted by Fastskiguy

If you buy a stock cart from somebody out of state and have it delivered....don't you need to install different gearing so it'll go 20mph vs. 12? Or it as simple as a zip tie on the gas models and some electronic fiddling for battery models? If it's involved...how much does it cost?

Joe

You'll need high speed gears to get it over 20 MPH. Using a zip tie on standard gears will increase the speed up to 16 MPH but the engine will be screaming. The high speed gears are around $500+.

[Robnlaura]

The easiest is buying on aliexpress out of China have it shipped .. Covid created a window and most American businesses took full advantage to rape you

[margaretmattson]

Originally Posted by Robnlaura

The easiest is buying on aliexpress out of China have it shipped .. Covid created a window and most American businesses took full advantage to rape you

We have purchased quite a few things direct from China. When you buy a golf cart how much is the customs fee? Also, when the cart is shipped, do you have to arrange for it to be delivered from the port? Not certain what carrier will bring
a large item like that directly to your door. If we can easily do it, I am extremely interested. The price is ridiculously cheap!

[PersonOfInterest]

Look at Atomic carts in comparison. Doors, power windows, power door locks, Air Conditioning, Disc Brakes, windshield & Wiper, Lithium batteries, radio, back up camera, and more for about $17k. Compare to lithium battery golf cart which should then be about $10K.

[Laker14]

I'm a believer that if it were really true that a good, reliable, well built golf car (or PTV to be more accurate) could be built and delivered for significantly less than what they are currently charging, then some company would step in and do it. PTV demand is exploding. I'm in NY State, on a lake, in summer, and just this summer on my tiny little lake road I see a dozen PTVs, whereas 5 years ago there was exactly ONE.
TV is not unique in regard to being a golf cart community. More and more are being built, and in older communities (Beaufort SC to name just one) many are transitioning to PTVs for running short errands, or going out to dinner.
In the late 60s, and throughout the '70s, Japanese automakers saw that the US auto industry was producing a lot of crap, at high prices and saw an opportunity to provide higher quality and lower prices, and moved right in with great success.

If such an opening exists right now in the PTV industry, you'll see more new companies move in, as may already be happening with companies like Evolution. My friend bought one. He loves it. I don't, as I find my Yamaha, and his old Club Car fit me better. But Evo is just one company. If there is a hole there, there will be more.

[Travelhunter123]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

Have you left the bubble lately and notice the golf cart dealers especially between here and around Ocala next to highway 441.
The profit on those carts got to be great.

I started a post not long ago about buying just a Hybrid vehicle that would serve the purpose of a golf cart and a long-distance vehicle.

You would pay a little more up front but would have A/C, more storage space, with X number miles of battery usage, same as a cart.

Sounds like you are describing an Atomic golf cart

[defrey12]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Low volume mostly hand built vs high volume automated Assembly.

Who cares? They serve the same function…

[Travelhunter123]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

Look at Atomic carts in comparison. Doors, power windows, power door locks, Air Conditioning, Disc Brakes, windshield & Wiper, Lithium batteries, radio, back up camera, and more for about $17k. Compare to lithium battery golf cart whicheliable should then be about $10K.

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

[Craig Vernon]

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.

[JGibson]

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.