Originally Posted by villagetinker

W waited several months before getting a golf cart, and the be truthful, we go just about everywhere by CAR. We live south of 466a, and many of the places we go to are well north of 466, and the drive is way too long in a golf cart. As mentioned previously, move in, get an idea of where everything is located, and HOW YOU WOULD GET THERE by golf cart, in some cases the golf cart route is significantly longer.

Love Love Love driving around in my golf cart. I live south of 466a and go everywhere in it.You're only talking 15 minutes more or even less to get to the furthest reaches in a golf cart.

[asianthree]

OP as you can see either you are a fan of your gas or your electric. We have gas an older model that we bought from carts and clubs. It gets us anywhere. They come to the house for service. They have preowned you can buy see if you love the cart life then you can always sell it and go for a new one.

[dotti105]

When we visited here and rented homes, we rented golf carts or used the ones provided by the home owner. Most were gas. Golf carts are just plain fun! We knew we wanted one, or maybe one each.

During one stay we rented electric. Bill just called a private ad in the paper. The cart was not fully charged when we got it and we weren't sure how long to charge it. It all seemed very complicated. And we weren't thrilled with the electric option at that time.

Fast forward and we have one car, (a Prius), and 2 electric carts. I fell in love with the Ca. Roadster and found a great deal on a used cart. It fits me to a "T" and I drive it when ever possible. Being used, the batteries are due to be replaced, but I can drive confidently to Lake Sumter and to Brownwood, to Colony and home. It was our first cart, just because I found what I really wanted.

Bill took his time and looked, and looked while just using mine for golf. We loved my electric so much that he found a used 2010 Star for less than 1/4 the price of a new cart. It is great! He gets much better range than I do with mine. We live south of 466A and he goes everywhere in it unless time is a issue. We have driven across 441 on the Golf cart overpass and explored the historic area. Never any range problems. The electrics also have good power and can easily go 25 mph, so we have to watch our speed.

For us the fact that we can carry on a conversation quietly, no smell, and clean and green make electric the best choice for us. Despite our early experiences. We have never broken down. (or run out of juice) It is no big deal to plug them in at night. Just like locking the doors. Part of our nightly routine.

Different strokes for different folks! I must say that we have 2 great carts for less than what one new cart costs. So do look at used. There are so many good ones out there.

I'm sure you will figure out what fits your needs best. But we do consider a golf cart ride to be a daily treat. Bill plays golf almost daily, but I just need my golf cart fix and happily use it to get groceries, shop, and run errands. It takes longer than in the car. But the world is much prettier from a golf cart. And we are retired. We just plan for the time it takes to get from point A to point B.

Also, I do know there are some recharging stations. "Outback" has one for their customers. I saw a list at one time.

***DISCLAIMER***We did have our grandkids (over 14, and legal) drive mine until it was out of juice ONE TIME. They pulled into SeaBreeze and plugged it in to an outside outlet using our onboard charger. They asked permission from the Rec desk first.

More charging options would be nice. But the newer batteries have 50+ mile ranges and make it really unnecessary. Who wants to cover that much territory in a golf cart in 1 day?

You will love exploring The Villages in your Golf Cart! Welcome Home. Gas or Electric, you will find the cart you need!

[philnpat]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Yes, we've only replaced the batteries once since we bought the Columbia Par Car in 2007.
I'm not really sure why we've had only one battery replacement in eight years.
We have our Par Car plugged in for six months during the summer heat when we are away from TV.
Our Homewatch Company occasionally takes the cart for a drive.
Perhaps we are not typical. I apologize if my posts were misleading in any way.

Oh, in your original post you said that you've only replaced one battery in 8 years. I think you meant you've replaced one set of batteries. That makes more sense.

[jojo]

It takes some time to figure out your transportation patterns. We live in Amelia and use the cart almost exclusively (except for very cold or rainy days) for runs to Colony Plaza, LSL, and tennis at Seabreeze - mostly under 3 miles. We like electric. Replaced batteries at 5 years. Longer trips we use the car. I enjoy going places by cart - as does our dog!

[tuccillo]

We went with gas also and it was pretty close between gas and electric. The main reason for gas was the overall convenience - just put gas in occasionally. The maintenance is minimal and I can do that myself but even if you pay someone the cost is minimal. As far as I can tell, gas carts are amazingly reliable and nearly indestructible. The operating costs for gas should be less than electric based on a battery life estimation from one of the electric cart dealers: 8000 miles for a set of batteries or about 12 cents per mile for batteries. If you figure electricity will run about 2 cents per mile the operating cost of an electric is about 14 cents per mile. My gas cart is about 5 cents per mile for gasoline plus about 2 cent per mile for gas cart specific maintenance for a total of about 7 cents per mile. While gas has lower operating costs, I don't think that is necessarily a major reason for choosing gas as the annual operating costs are a small percentage of the purchase price of a cart. I would be interested in hearing what sort of lifespan, in miles, owners of electrics are seeing. Most people talk in terms of how many years the batteries last but I am more curious about the number of miles.

In the future, if lithium-ion batteries (or another technology) come down in cost and become available as original equipment, I would be inclined to go that route. They are available as a retrofit but are still pricy. They have a number of significant advantages over lead-acid batteries: weight, charge time, lifespan, charge capacity, and no maintenance.

Originally Posted by Fraugoofy

Gas is the only way for me. Gets me as far as I need to go on less than a tank of gas. No plug ins, no worries!

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by philnpat

Oh, in your original post you said that you've only replaced one battery in 8 years. I think you meant you've replaced one set of batteries.

Yes, one SET of batteries, sorry I mispoke. That one set of batteries lasted us about six years.
Our cart isn't used much during the summer, but it is plugged into a batttery charger in a hot garage.
My biggest negative about gas carts is the smell that surrounds them, and it's a bit noisy for talking.
Fireboy is keen on gas carts. I think most men are. Whoops, I realize that's a sweeping generalization.
If they could fix the odour problem with gas carts, I could probably be talked into buying one. Until then -- electric.

[tuccillo]

Our gas cart doesn't have a smell to it. If is a fuel-injected cart - perhaps the older carbureted carts have more of an odor?? It can be a bit noisy during acceleration but when cruising around at a steady 20 mph it quiets down but is not as quiet as electrics. My wife was actually the one who wanted the gas cart - I was actually leaning more to electric but we went with gas since she does the vast majority of the driving.

I wish Honda made gas carts because they are fundamentally an engine manufacturer and I am sure a gas cart from Honda would be quiet and vibration free.

As I posted above, when Lithium-ion batteries become mainstream I believe we will go electric. I suspect that might not be for sometime. Until then, gas and electrics have good and bad points. With lithium-ion batteries I think electrics will be preferred

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Yes, one SET of batteries, sorry I mispoke. That one set of batteries lasted us about six years.
Our cart isn't used much during the summer, but it is plugged into a batttery charger in a hot garage.
My biggest negative about gas carts is the smell that surrounds them, and it's a bit noisy for talking.
Fireboy is keen on gas carts. I think most men are. Whoops, I realize that's a sweeping generalization.
If they could fix the odour problem with gas carts, I could probably be talked into buying one. Until then -- electric.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

Our gas cart doesn't have a smell to it. If is a fuel-injected cart - perhaps the older carbureted carts have more of an odor??

I recently visited The Villages Golf Carts in Lake Sumter Landing to look at brand- new golf carts.
I specifically asked the salesman "Are there any new gas carts that don't smell?"
The salesman answered "No there aren't. But don't worry, it's only the people behind you that it affects".

[tuccillo]

Well, there is no gasoline odor. There is exhaust.

Originally Posted by Barefoot

I recently visited The Villages Golf Carts in Lake Sumter Landing to look at brand- new golf carts.
I specifically asked the salesman "Are there any new gas carts that don't smell?"
The salesman answered "No there aren't. But don't worry, it's only the people behind you that it affects".

[mtdjed]

If you plan it right, cost of gas or electricity can be a non topic at basically zero cost. Simply park your cart off the roadway. And within a minute one of us do gooder Villagers will stop to ask if you have a problem and offer to tow you. I once did an executive 9 hole course being towed and then got towed to Cody's. My tow driver didn't drink, but I brought him some free peanuts to eat while he towed me home.

What a day! I saved money, rode the cart totally green, free golf, free peanuts, free water at Cody's.

This is pure fiction but it is an interesting challenge to see how far you could go.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

If you plan it right, cost of gas or electricity can be a non topic at basically zero cost. Simply park your cart off the roadway. And within a minute one of us do gooder Villagers will stop to ask if you have a problem and offer to tow you.

I once did an executive 9 hole course being towed and then got towed to Cody's. My tow driver didn't drink, but I brought him some free peanuts to eat while he towed me home.

What a day! I saved money, rode the cart totally green, free golf, free peanuts, free water at Cody's. .

Forget the part about pure fiction --- this is a funny story!

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

........I wish Honda made gas carts because they are fundamentally an engine manufacturer and I am sure a gas cart from Honda would be quiet and vibration free. .......

Oh, the vibration! My sister got a brand new Yamaha gas cart recently and she loves it. She took me for ride in her new gas cart from Caroline to Brownwood and my teeth were chattering by the time we arrived. The vibration was very uncomfortable for me. Not my idea of a joyful ride.

[Bob McKeever]

No matter what cart you choose, think about upgrading the seats. We went with the standard seats, and we really regret that we didn't go for better seats. The standard seats on our Yamaha are quite hard and we drive the cart a lot.
My wife reminds me of that bad choice regularly. Also be sure to actually sit in the seats for a bit. We looked at some of the bucket type seats and they were good for me, but they were a bad fit for my wife's legs. We are going to upgrade to a better bench seat now, but it will cost a lot more than if we had done it when we bought the cart.

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by Bob McKeever

No matter what cart you choose, think about upgrading the seats. We went with the standard seats, and we really regret that we didn't go for better seats. The standard seats on our Yamaha are quite hard and we drive the cart a lot.
My wife reminds me of that bad choice regularly. Also be sure to actually sit in the seats for a bit. We looked at some of the bucket type seats and they were good for me, but they were a bad fit for my wife's legs. We are going to upgrade to a better bench seat now, but it will cost a lot more than if we had done it when we bought the cart.

You might want to look at the Ultimate seats.....that adjust so each of you can feel comfortable.....especially if you use the cart a lot and plan on keeping it for 5- 10 years. The initial cost looks high but if you spread it over the life of the cart the monthly is very cheap and the comfort is great.