My range is 70-75 miles. I live as far north in The Villages as you can get - just off hwy 42 near the VA in Phillips Villas. I've taken it down to play Southern Oaks. After driving there, playing 18, and driving back, I still had 25% battery left.

Botero Carts is located in Ocala. They deliver the cart to you, and have mobile cart service. They are located in 5 states now, have 5 star ratings from all of those locations, and only deal in Evolution for new cart sales.

I understand there will be an Evolution new cart dealer near Brownwood by the end of March so service should be a little easier.

Thanks for the info. It looks like they are about 50 miles away, so delivery is important.

Botero
 

I just got an electric cart from Botero Ocala and I'm loving it. Had a minor issue and they sent DJ to fix it at my house. He was great and I was more than happy with his work. He went above and beyond the reason for his call and I give him five stars. The downside for Botero is it seems really busy right now and it took a month+ to get delivery of my cart, but it's half the price you quoted.

My D5 has bluetooth, a special lighting package, backup camera, turn signal lights that turn off automatically and I got a battery upgrade to 160 ah which can take me anywhere I want to go (it goes about 2 miles per 3% of battery usage implying 60 mile or so range).

The people at Botero Ocala are really good and with electric I don't have to worry about gasoline fill ups, noise or a smelly garage from exhaust fumes. BTW, it seems to charge at about 13% per hour using standard 120V outlet.

Lowered by .003% for month.

fancy European and muscle cars

The only toy I seen that I’d consider was that 55 pink white crown Victoria. Pink not great but any color on 55 CV good.

What is the max speed
 

And serial number

The best is to just buy from China plenty of good buying sites online. Most have free shipping.. seems most of these dealers buy them and sell for three times the cost.

In MHO this is not a sign of inflation, its a sign of a monoploy. There is a reason they have shut out any other provider of carts in the Villages....its so they can charge $27,800 for a cart that in a competitive environment would be 40% less.

Exactly. It's run by the Villages, so the prices are inflated over what you'd normally pay. the Villages is very good at eking out extra from the residents. The Villages has their fingers in the financial pie so to speak in any number of local businesses, to cash in. If people do their homework, they will always find cheaper prices elsewhere.

Insurance
 

Wait till you get an insurance quote on a new golf cart.

Star golf cart
 

I love my overpriced star. It is a pleasure to get over the bridge without accelerating. My kids bought it for me. (It’s less money they get when I go)
😏

Stupid ain't it...Considering you can purchase a BYD Dolphin for $15K...Oh, wait!

Wow……so funny how some see things. Lower inflation, where do you shop, maybe if we were able to finish the pipelines we wouldn’t be over paying today and low employment really…….people are so under employed.
Time to remove the rose color glasses
Yes prices started raising on cars, golf karts, and major appliances in the early part of 2021 because of supply chain.
So YES everything is over priced since 2020 when you know who started.

Cart prices are crazy in the Villages… rip-off. You can get the same one in AL for under $10k and have it delivered for $500 and no sales tax.

This is not a criticism, but this is exactly how these village monopoly’s thrive. They prey on senior’s caviler attitude toward money, and our desire to make a purchase easy and simple.

Something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it

Anything is worth what someone is willing to pay for it

Inflation over the last three years is truly a game changer. We were extremely lucky to have retired before this all happened and purchase all the big ticket items we will hopefully need for the rest of our lives (with the exception of automobiles). I feel sorry for the recently retired that need to live on a fixed income.

" And last, but not least, I think we can safely say that many, if not most corporations took full advantage of the pandemic to raise prices, and profits and stock prices are currently at all time highs. Housing appreciation was also huge."
Corporation singly or as a group can not control inflation, the money supply or interest rates or inflation, if their prices go up so will the prices they charge for their products, competition limits raising prices, its that fine line between being competitive and losing market share, for the most part they respond to economic changes

Exactly!
Nobody is forcing people to buy them locally. But people are willing to pay more for the convenience. If I was buying new I would shop around, but many buyers don't want to do that.

They all have "strategies" & processes to shop everywhere within 500 miles to buy a Toyota Camry for $30,000 ... but they'll step up and pay a bunch of crooks, $25,000 for a glorified lawn mower.

There is no question from reviewing objective economic data that these past 3 years have been very good to a lot of Americans, especially Baby Boomers. Let's start with Social Security payments. The cost of living increase in Social Security has been 17.8% over the last three years. Arguably, Social Security has kept up with the rate of inflation. Next, there is now significant income on cash savings. For much of the past decade, CD interests rates hovered around 1%, and in some of those years, you could get almost no interest at all. Now, savings provides a significant income. Next we have the large increase in home values. This has added to the net worth of many Americans. Finally, for those invested in the stock market, the markets are at an all-time high. Even those who don't invest directly have seen their 401(k) values soar.

The average and median Boomer net worth and income has increased significantly. Does that mean 100% of people are doing better? No, but many are.

I could not look someone straight in the eye and complain about inflation because of these facts above. My Social Security increases were pretty much on par with inflation. We finally earn interest on our savings. It's a new revenue stream, really, which I haven't had for more than a decade. My home value went up by at least 40%. And both our normal investments and mine and my wife's retirement accounts are benefiting by a market at an all-time high.

Not everyone has benefited, however. If you are a first time homebuyer, 7% mortgage rates and prices where they are have closed the housing market to many and driven rent prices sky high, which also increases inflation. It was just announced today that the interest rate on student loans is higher than it has been in many years. I do think that the median 40 year old's net worth, adjusted for inflation, has not increased and may have decreased.

But it’s a Kia.

Then there lot of non LSV in villages cause about 99.999999999999999999999999% goes faster than 25MPH.

Many have no clue what they’re buying anyway. Besides 25K for golf cart chicken feed for some.

Interesting. I own two carts that do not go faster than 25mph. If mine were the only two then for even 99.9999% to go faster than 25mph there would need to be 2,000,000 carts in the Villages. There simply aren't that many. So are you sure your number is anything more than an exaggeration based on no facts at all?

In four years I have seen many carts (though certainly not 2M) but NONE that were going faster than 25mph.

If you have cash savings, you have real interest income for the first time in over a decade. If that fixed income is Social Security, it’s gone up 17.8% in the last 3 years. If you own a home, the value is up significantly. If you have stock investments, the market is at an all time high. If your IRA or 401k is invested in the market, that all time high has likely boosted the value a lot, which increases the annual distribution you can take. I think it’s fair to say that the last few years have been financially good for many seniors.

Not exactly.

Social Security doesn't keep up with inflation. It may have increased but those relying on it lost ground.

Home value is irrelevant unless you own a second home that you are willing to sell. Any increase in your primary home is a wash since selling for a profit would require purchasing a home that has also increased in value.

The market has been good for the last 12 months or so but that has only been sufficient to recover from the losses in the 18 months before that. By leaving my investments and 401K alone, it has finally climbed back to where it was at the end of 2021. If any seniors had found it necessary to make withdrawals during those 18 months when the market was down then their accounts have not regained the lost value.

SS has lost ground, increases in home prices are a wash, and investments that have taken withdrawals have not recovered. The last 12 months have been better than the previous 18 but the last few years have not been good to seniors at all.

There is plenty of economic data that shows how much the average and median net worth of Boomers has gone up, and it's a lot. You left out commentary on interest on savings. Many folks were not entirely invested in the market or other at-risk securities. There is a significant income stream now available to may who like to keep at least some assets in cash deposits, insured by the FDIC. The stock market is at an all-time high. I also disagree about the value of homes. It's not a complete wash, it's far better to have an increase in home equity rather than a decrease...when the value of my home goes down 20%, I don't say it's a wash. It's real equity that is part of your net worth. Some or all of those appreciated funds can be accessed by downsizing, or selling. And I know some prices have gone up more than the rate of inflation (e.g. homeowner's and car insurance), but 17.8% increase in Social Security is roughly equal to the stated inflation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for this period. There are so many more millionaires in America now than before the pandemic, and lots of data to back up what I am stating here.

I am specifically referring to Boomers, though....it's a different story for folks half our age.

Ah, the master of spin:

1. "18 months before the last 12 months" of a stock market that is at ALL TIME HIGHS.
2. SSA ensures that benefits keep up with inflation through COLA adjustments but "those relying on SS lost ground"
3. "Home value is irrelevent" unless you want to simply downsize and reap the profits or do what thousands of villagers do and buy new, sell in two years for a significant profit and then rinse and repeat.

And I have another 2 that might get to 21 downhill. Now we're up to 4 million. OP: hyperbole much??????

Thank you for these points and I agree. I am not putting up my points to be an irritant, but there is plenty of objective economic data to back up the fact that most Boomers have fared extremely well since the pandemic. Net worth is meaningful, it's not a wash. The average 401(k) balance increased substantially and that includes and withdrawals during that period. And I'm surprised more folks are not acknowledging the interest they now make, it's the first time in over a decade that it's been meaningful.

To anyone thinking the U.S. inflation rate has been lowered, it technically has gone from horrible to not so horrible. It is still very bad. By the years:

2017, 2.1
2018, 1.9
2019, 2.3
2020, 1.4
(7.7.in 4 years)

2021, 7.0
2022, 6.5
2023, 3.4
2024 (12 month based prediction) 3.4
(20.3 in 4 years, or 16.9 in 3)

Anyone trying to put a good face on this economy is a propagandist and wants it to fail.

You forgot to add cost of everything including taxes, food, utilities, and every other needed items. So, probably in negative.

So you own two don’t mean all that way and beside we was taking about LSV’s, you know they type you licenses to gain 5 MPH and NOT to exceed 25MPH.

You quoted the number, I just did the math for you, then GE proved your number even more wrong.

If you are talking about LSVs on the street, I can't tell an LSV from a Smart car; if either one is traveling 30mph it looks the same to me.

If you are talking about LSVs on the MMPs, my statement stands - I have seen none that I would say are traveling greater than 25mph.

No spin at all.

1. The stock market hit an all time high a few days ago then dropped a bit. I'm not sure if it has fully recovered yet. Still, the value of my investments today is very close to the value they had in December 2021 and since I did not remove or add anything during that time, this shows me the market has recovered to what it once was, it has not done really well the last few years.

2. SSA does not ensure benefits keep up with inflation. SSA calculates a COLA that helps but does not necessarily keep up. Just look at the calculation to see how this plays out.

3. If I want to "downsize" then I am accepting that the value in my home has NOT increased relative to the same home. Sure, I can always take money out of my home, buy something smaller, then declare I have made money but in the end, I own something smaller. As others have pointed out, your primary home is not an investment.

Nah you can buy as many as you like from the villages. I’ll stick to getting mine from China.. at a 1/4 of the price and it’s shipped complete.. look it up on YouTube. Otherwise don’t moan just pay 🤣🤣🤣