[Hank N Judy]

jomaar I couldn't have said it better myself. The only thing I would add is to make sure the cart you buy has 8 batteries. Love my Par Car.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by JoMar

We have two electric carts, one ParCar and one Star. Before we moved here we rented for the last 4 years and the carts that came with the houses were gas so we had some experience with gas before we bought the electrics. I live south of 466A and have driven 61 miles in the ParCar and 55 in Star with one charge in one day including using the headlights . The electric myth of short range was true a couple years ago so if you are looking to buy used, depending on the age you buy there might be some truth to that. The current crop of electric technology carts do not have that restriction IF you plug them into the wall each night and make sure the batteries are topped off. They have auto fill systems so that is easy, we do it once a month. Speed is not an issue, both our carts easily maintain 20MPH. They are quiet, don't require monthly trips to the gas station, don't smell and don't have engine "parts" to deal with. There was a time that the only thing you could buy from The Villages Golf Carts was gas, now they sell electrics, You very seldom saw electrics on the MMP's, now they are pretty common. A previous poster gave you good advice, get here and rent both, talk to a bunch of users and go visit the dealers. Then make a choice and get what works for you. When talking to the users, remember that nobody wants to admit they should have bought something else, so the gas folks and electric folks will have their bias's and neither will accept any responsibility or accountability if you take their advice.....including me

I also much prefer electric carts. I had a Columbia Par Car for seven years and never ran out of battery. Never had a "tune up" which gas carts seem to need. Par Cars have on board chargers.

I love electric carts because they aren't noisy or smelly. When I bought my Yesteryear golfcart, I bought electric. It also has great range.

[Jody Fisher]

Based on my personal experience of buying a brand-new electric Club Car last December, I would NOT recommend that brand, because it does not go the maximum speed of 20 MPH. 20 MPH is the LEGAL speed limit for a non-street legal golf cart, but the Club Car comes from the factory at 19.2 MPH. I purchased my cart from Golf Cart World & I neglected to ask them how fast it went. Very, very disappointed.

[bpayne]

Originally Posted by Bernaldio

Moving in this Spring...what kind of a cart should I buy and where. Thanks for your suggestions.

I did my analysis and concluded the Star cart offered the most cart for the money. It had problems a number of years ago but seems to be quite good and reliable the last several years. Every owner I have spoken with has been very pleased. The dealer is on 466 just east of Rolling Acres road.

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by Jody Fisher

Based on my personal experience of buying a brand-new electric Club Car last December, I would NOT recommend that brand, because it does not go the maximum speed of 20 MPH. 20 MPH is the LEGAL speed limit for a non-street legal golf cart, but the Club Car comes from the factory at 19.2 MPH. I purchased my cart from Golf Cart World & I neglected to ask them how fast it went. Very, very disappointed.

Be grateful that you're limited to 96% of the legal speed limit. That additional 4% is a safe margin for error and safety. Besides, what's the rush ?

[burky]

Having tried both gas and electric, we have found the electric to be vastly better for the following reasons...
1. It is wonderfully quiet.
2. It leaves no smell/stink behind as every gas cart I have driven does.
3. Much smoother in its operation. Even though the cas engines do a reasonably good job of starting, they still have a "kick in" moment that adds a little jerk to the motion.
4. You never have to make an inconvenient trip to a gas station, or store gasoline in your garage.
5. You never have to horse around with oil changes, or carburetor issues.

As to range, Lithium-ion batteries can produce stunning results but at a pretty steep initial price. A reasonable alternative is an AC Electric, which has a 50-60 mile range. We have a Yahama, and love it. Driving from the Spanish Springs town square area to the Lake Sumpter town square and back uses 30-40% of battery capacity. Plenty of reserve to also run around on.

The AC electric also has a substantially more powerful motor than most carts, resulting in smooth hill climbing with no loss in speed. For instance going over the 441/27 golf car bridge (which is pretty steep) results in a smooth and consistent speed with no noticeable variation.

All said, I like the suggestion above posted to rent different golf cars for a week each and see what feels right for you. [:-)}

[Pmount]

I just purchased a gas Yamaha FI from Brownwood. We drove them all and my wife did not like the more upright floor board on the Club Car vs Yamaha. She said the Yamaha was more comfortable for her and her foot position. The Subaru engine seemed nice but the Club Car seemed to rattle more than the Yamaha. Was worried about the range of electric but many seem very happy with them. Love my new cart all things considered.

[jtdraig]

Originally Posted by Bernaldio

Moving in this Spring...what kind of a cart should I buy and where. Thanks for your suggestions.

The type of cart you buy will depend on what you do. For example, if you use your cart only to play golf and only an occasional trip, you can buy a used yamaha (recommend gas) cart. If you are going to make more frequent use of your cart, buy a new fuel-injected yamaha. Obviously, I prefer gas carts to electric and you will find people who are as passionate about electric. I just think that you get more utilization and less expense with a gas cart providing you maintain it. If you go electric, look at PAR cars. In any event,

[jchase]

I've had both Club Car Electric and Yamaha Gas. Yamaha Gas is the way to go.��

[OhioBuckeye]

Yamaha gas, but there's Pro's & Con's to both. I bought a new gas Yamaha when I moved here permanently in 2012. Yamaha is the most popular cart but they're also the most expensive. Mine isn't nothing fancy but I paid well over $10,000. for mine & it's not fancy. Shop around a little but definitely buy a gas cart. Electric Cart batteries will cost you close to $1,000. every 5 yr's or so!

[Sable99]

Good information. I haven't bought my cart yet but I've always leaned toward the Yamaha Gas. I didn't want to mess with all the batteries on an electric cart. Okay I admit it, the only thing I know about my Flex is where the gas goes!

[twiceis]

We recommend a Star electric cart. Quiet, no smell of gas, self filling batteries and it goes for miles (we live in Gilchrist & go to the far north sections, Walmart etc with plenty of battery left. The Villages promote gas but electric is far more pleasant to drive.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

Electric Cart batteries will cost you close to $1,000. every 5 yr's or so!

I thought they needed to be replaced every 3 years. If you own electric tell the OP how long your batteries lasted.


At 5 years between the money you save on gas and the $1,000 for batteries it sounds like total cost of ownership is the same.

[genobambino]

EzGo electric. The only electric with the a/c motor..We live close to 466A and go from Seabreeze to Spanish Springs to Brownwood and back with no problem. Just look under the front at the suspension and compare to the other carts, the EzGo is a lot better made...They should outlaw the gas carts they pollute the air, just smell the fumes the next time your in one of the tunnels..

[LarryB]

If you plan on going from one side of TV to the other and playing 18 holes of golf, don't get an electric cart. It might get you there and back the first year or so but after that your batteries become weaker and won't do what they did when the cart was new. If you're not a golfer and don't plan on going large distances without charging, an electric cart is great because there is very little maintenance ( plug it in, fill the batteries once a week and a yearly checkup).
Gas carts are great for golfers, or anyone, planning to travel larger distances, clime hills much better than electric and are very reliable. However, there is more maintenance e.g. oil changes trips to the gas station, etc.
All carts are not created equal however. Some are more noisy, some have better pickup, some are more comfortable.
I'd suggest you go to several dealers and also to some of the re-builders and try driving a variety of them.
My best suggestion however would be to get COMFORTABLE seats in whatever cart you buy. You will never be sorry you spent a little more on a cart for a comfortable seat (some are adjustable).
I wish I had had someone give me this info before I bought mine when I moved here.
Hope that helps.