I wanted an electric cart as it would be emission-free, quiet and more environmentally friendly. However, as I researched them, I realized that I'm just moving emissions elsewhere (the electricity I'd charge it with mostly comes from coal-fired plants here in Florida) and that the mining for the heavy minerals used in batteries is an environmental nightmare (and if you keep an electric cart for several years, you'll go through multiple sets of batteries). So it was pretty much just getting one to have it be quiet.

Then I really looked around during my final visits to The Villages before moving here. It seemed like every time I went to any of the town squares, 80 to 90% of the carts I saw parked there were Yamaha gas carts. Checking this site, I found people selling 10-year-old and older Yamaha carts for fairly good money. People here seem to love their Yamahas and the carts seem to really keep their value. So I shopped for Yamahas. The 2017s had just come out with "Quiet-Tech" which doesn't make them silent, but gets their noise level down well below the earlier models. So that's what I ended up buying. I've driven from our house in Dunedin clear up to the Paradise recreation center and down to Brownwood and never had to even think about range as a tank full of gas on one of these will take you a few hundred miles easily. I'm looking forward to exploring the new southern region of The Villages in my cart once the bridge over 44 is in place. I don't know that I'd consider that with an electric cart, even though battery technology has improved dramatically over the years.

Your needs may be different than mine so you may go a different direction. I've seen people in those little Atomic carts with the air conditioning and all zipping around and they seem pretty happy with them. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Yeah that $60 for a drive belt is nothing compared to new batteries. And before someone chirps about the labor, I’ve replaced 2 belts myself; not hard to do.

We have owned electric carts at campgrounds in the past. They are quiet but need to be plugged in often. Each year you get less on a charge and every 5 or so years you need to replace the battles at at least $600.

We have a Yamaha gas cart which we had decided on a couple years before buying the house and we love it.

But have yet to find someone that drives it 200 miles in a day

Another note, there is range fear here, people worry if they drive electric. My wife and I both have electric carts, with new batteries we get 60 miles on a charge, after 3 years it is down to about 35 miles. If you know how far the souther reaches are from where you live you can do the math. We are in the middle so getting to Fenny or Spanish Springs is not a problem, but for those that have range fear gas is probably the choice.

You will NOT see drops on the floor from the new Quiet-Tech carts! There is sound proofing under the engine! The sound proofing was soaked! NO drops on the floor! Piece of junk!

Great list!

I've never look under the hood

What tools do you need to do this?

Does the cart need to be jacked up for anything other than tire rotation.

Nevermind, found some YouTube videos, thanks again for the list!

We have 2013 Yamaha brought new from TV with over 23k miles on it. Change the oil once a year, transaxle gear oil once every two years. Repairs include new tires, new battery, repair windshield (new hinge,) replace brushes in starter/generator, replace one headlight, replace tie rod ends (to tighten up steering) and air filter changes. I have seen to many electric carts broken down and batteries replaced. Gas is much less expensive and way more convenient. The newer Yamaha are quieter and ride better. Maybe when I get to 40k miles, I will buy a new one!

You do know that The Villages Golf Carts has a contract as do many owners with AAA, Kart Aid, and a third company to pick up carts that break down. Since the majority of the carts here are gas, wonder why?

I recently played golf at Hacienda Hills as a single. I got paired up with a threesome and was told by the group that they were driving the carts and I had to ride with one of them. So I loaded my clubs into one of their carts, an electric cart. I was having the round of my life and after 13 holes the cart we were in ran out of juice on the middle of the course. We had to push the electric cart to a safe place, use the other cart to go get my gas cart, and then come back and continue our round. My great round more or less got ruined because it was now a high stress round as we were holding up other golfers and had to hurry (not the other golfers fault). When the round was over, I had to tow the electric cart back to the owners house (fortunately I carry a tow strap in my cart). Moral of the story, I will never get into another electric golf cart, especially for a round of golf.

No, I don't wonder. I have a contract with Kart Aid because I may get a flat tire and I don't carry a spare, and I have in fact used them for a flat when I picked up a nail.

I am new to The Villages also, and after countless hours of research, I decided that gas was better for me. One big deciding factor, for me, was the durability and maintenance. With an electric cart you have to change anywhere from 4-8 batteries every few years. I chose a gas cart because just like cars, if you keep up with the regular maintenance they will run forever. On top of that, they have a much further range and they sip fuel. The cost of gasoline is very minimal, in my opinion.