Tell me about your own personal golf cart

[sippican]

We are in the beginning stages of shopping for a golf cart and trailer. We'd be towing behind a Winnebago Aspect. The cart would be used primarily for campground use, so at this point we do not see any advantage to going with a street legal model (in fact, that may even be a disadvantage in some campgrounds). We would also consider towing it back to NH in the summer - not sure. We are open to new, factory reconditioned or used.
Am I correct that many unload the carts and leave their trailers in the parking lot - it seems I've noticed quite a few there?
Please offer any advice you may have regarding a cart or trailer. The search function is disabled so I am unable to go back to older threads.
Thanks!

 

[Hisgirl]

I live in a golf-cart community...meaning...amongst the 30K plus residents, there are 10K+ registered golfcarts. We have miles and miles of paths and everyone uses their golf carts to get around.

There are a couple of things to look for and yes, please do consider a used cart. New carts can run around 6K and that's just ridiculous. We can get a nice used cart, with new batteries for around $1800-$2000. The batteries can run about $500 for a whole new set (most use around 6 ) so finding a cart with batteries 2 years new or less is great.

Also, keep in mind those batteries are full of water. You need to make sure you refill the batteries with distilled water. Also, if you will eventually keep your cart inside a garage, don't leave it plugged in overnight. We've had more than a few houses catch on fire due to an arc from the golf cart charging.

Most folks have an EZ car or a Club Car. Those are the most common brands. It's also great to find one with a cushioned back seat, a boot for storing groceries and a rain cover is really handy in bad weather. Enjoy!

 

[retired and happy]

We bought our 2003 EZGO around 2008. It was in good condition and has been an almost problem free means of campground and home yard transportation. Our has a flip rear seat/deck. It is not street legal, but it gets us around the campgrounds, and I occasionally take the kids around the neighborhood just to get out of the house for a while. We replaced the batteries at Batteries+ about 4-5 years ago and have had no further problems. We have a Club Car dealer near us and we drive by just to drool at the fancy ones.

We tow ours in an enclosed trailer, which we also use for products needed by our special needs son and daughter. Mostly we go to Disney World and Dollywood at least once a year for each. Ft Wilderness is so large, the GC really comes in handy for running around the Fort.

I don't know what DW paid for the GC, but we found it would not fit in the trailer we owned, and we had to upgrade the trailer. Now we want a 6-seater, but that would require an even larger trailer. We did add a cover a couple years ago. It comes in handy, especially in winter when the wind and rain hit.

Assuming the parking lot you refer to is at Ft Wilderness, yes, many people do move their trailers to the Overflow Lot after off-loading their carts. I think you need a parking permit to leave it there showing you are a Fort resident. We keep ours at the campsite because of the special-needs equipment we carry and need frequent access to.

Enjoy your new toys.

 

[jbrostek]

I have had and have several. If you search around you can usually find ones that just came off the golf course leases for around 1800-2000. They will not have lights but you can get a light kit for around 70-100 bucks depending on the kit and model golf cart. The carts are usually a couple of years old, have a charger and at least 2 years on the battery.

You could also buy a completely rebuilt and refurbished golf cart that will have the light kits, new batteries and flip down extra seat/cargo area. With or without custome paint and pay between 2500 and 5000 but then you dont have to do any of the work and modifications.

 

[sippican]

Thanks for the suggestions. Please keep them coming.Good to hear about the EZGO, they seem to be a bit more reasonable than Club Carts. At present, we have been unable to locate much of anything in the 2K range that is in good condition with working batteries (perhaps when the snowbirds leave the inventory will increase).

 

[rml0win]

We got ours specifically for Disney. Ours is an '05 Club Car Precident. We already had an enclosed trailer for our motorcycle and the Precident roof cleared the door height opening where others would not. WE pull it with our motorhome (2000 Winnebago Adventurer) and if it weren't for the rear view camera would not know it is there. At the rates Disney charges I consider it to have paid for itself. I agree with the previous poster to buy used. Look at craig's list in your area. Our trailer was also used. If you keep the bearings lubed, the brakes and lights in good shape there is not much else that can go wrong. As for the cart it is mainly the batteries and sometimes a solenoid.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Same spot for us too.

 

[sippican]

An update-
We have spent almost two entire days doing our research. We are fortunate to have a dealer nearby with a huge outside area that has allowed us to test drive all three major brands, probably 10 - 12 carts in all: Club Car, EZGO and Yamaha (used only). The EZGO is coming out as our top choice for a number of reasons. My DH is clearly smitten with the peppiness of high speed capability so that really limits us to a "newer model". (And yes, I am fully aware of the speed limits in the park. )
We've decided to rent a cart the Fort next week to get a better handle on our personal usage, parking, etc.
Does anyone store their cart over a period of three months or more? Advice please.

 

[jbrostek]

The carts sit idle most of the winter other then disney fo me and my friends. For the most part you should not have a problem storing and charging them back up at the start of the season. But if the battery voltage gets too low the main charger will not start at first. If that does happen, you need to charge each battery for a little while to get the voltage up high enough at the main charger will take over. We normally don't have to do that often, but sometimes a key gets left on and forces the issue.

If you are really worried, there are 36v and 48v trickle charges that will keep a float charge on the batteries, something the primary bulk charger cannot do.

 

[walker614]

After we rented a golf cart at FW last December and plan on making it a yearly trip and the silent running of an electric cart( great for hunting) we decided to buy one for ourselves. I found a guy in Atlanta, Tx. that buys used carts and fixes them up so my wife and I bite the bullet and bought one. It's a 2010 club car precedent. I chose the club car for the fact they have a boxed in tube frame made out of aluminum. No rust issue. It has a 6in. lift and custom wheels and tires. It's all black and has a cargo rack on top, flip style rear seat and a smaller basket rack on front. So we can carry all kinds of supplies and the kids stroller on top and still have room for four adults. Can't wait to take it to FW this year and participate in the Christmas cart parade.

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[walker614]

Haven't got a pic yet of the roof rack installed yet