Golf cart - what's a good one? Where to find used?

coffeeman · Sep 3, 2007

Hi all

I just found out golf carts are fun to ride when camping or just around house. Where have I been the last bunch of years? I'm no golfer so golf carts are new to me.

What is a good brand of golf cart? Where could one get used ones, at reasonable price; of course. I have heard the batteries are expensive? My son-in-law has one that has 6 - 8 volt batteries in it and one of the batteries is bad. He says that you have to replace all new or find one used one. I wonder if his info is right? I also wondered if he could use 4 - 12s and he thought he couldn't. He says they are special batteries and 4 - 12s don't give as much driving time as 6-8s.

Cheers...Coffeeman

tallyho8 · Sep 3, 2007

Check with any golf course to see when they are selling theirs. Most courses keep them till about the second set of batteries starts getting bad and then replaces them with new. Some sell them outright instead of trading them in. Also check ebay and Craiglist and your local paper.

Most of them are 36 volts. Some of the larger ones are 48 volts. The 36 volt ones use six 6 volt batteries which you get at Sams Club or other discount stores. A 6 volt battery is the same physical size as a 12 volt battery but its plates are twice as large so six 6 volt batteries will drive the cart twice as long as three 12 volt batteries. I use my cart daily around the farm and my batteries usually last about 5 years. Its very handy and has more power than you might imagine. I pull some pretty large stumps to the fire pile when I don't want to get my tractor out.

PS. I've never played golf in my life!

txdon · Sep 3, 2007

My Club Car has an aluminum frame. I have no rust. it is a 48v. I bought it used 3 years ago. I use mine almost every day and I am on my second set of batteries. The first set lasted 2 years. I charge the cart up at night and can run about 8 hours on a charge, which is about 3-4 days for me. I can go up the steepest dam with no problem and pull my 5X10 trailer. I have a high rise kit on mine and large knobby tires so tall grass and mud do not slow me down. In Brenham Texas the New Holland dealer sells used golf carts. I have a plastic bed on the back of mine which I haul rocks and firewood. Mike has a rear seat that folds down to make a bed which is even better.

ronjhall · Sep 4, 2007

I will second the Club Car model as being good. We have had ous for over 3 years. Oringinal set of batteries. Learned to not over charge batteries. Just do them when indicator light on dash comes on. Alwys keep water in batteries full with distilled water.
Put a 2" reiciver hitch on back of cart and a aluminun box like txdon has. Both wife and I use it for chores around the house.
My neighbor needed batteries for theirs. They found a local place that has Trojan batteries. Each battery is $30. These batteries come from a set that had one bad battery. They are gauanteed. Theirs had lasted as long as my set have. Oura came with a new set when qw bought it.
Expect to pay a good price for one ours was about $2700. Was 4 years old. I blame txdon for us having to get one. Vote: FUN BUGGY II stay or go.

jinman · Sep 4, 2007

Electric golf cars are great because they are so quiet. The gas engine ones are pretty quiet too. I think Texbaylea (Vernon) really likes his gas powered cart. I think it's an EZ-Go, but I'm not sure.

Good used golf cars can be found around here for $2500 and up. There are several companies that build the lifted ones like txdon's. All of them are so darn easy to get in and out of that they make great vehicles for fun and utility.

When thinking of gas and electric, you might consider that if you are on the back side of your property and run out of gas, you can walk back to the house and get some gas. If you have an electric cart and the batteries run down, you have to get that cart where there is charging power. That means you may have to tow it, trailer it, or push it. We were at some friend's house last year when we saw three kids pushing their cart back to the house. To me, that pointed out the main difference between electric and gas.

dubba · Sep 4, 2007

I am a big fan of the old harley davidson / columbia gas powered 3 wheel golf carts. The 3 wheel design can be tippy but as soon as one rear wheel comes off the ground traction & speed are immediately lost usually resulting in it righting itself

The biggest feature of these 3 wheeled carts are the log jumping ability of the 3 wheel frame & nerf bar design. As long as enough speed is employed, "jumping" a 12" log laying on the ground is possible although not recommended for the faint of heart.

Also one tank of gas tends to last the entire season. including shuttle duty at one 10 day fair.

My favorite drunk person game... (P.S. i don't drink, but I enjoy messing with drunk people)

A few years ago I mounted a single 35 watt tractor spotlight to the top of the handle bar where the scorecard was previously kept. This area pivots with the steering as it is part of the handlebar. I take the inebriated person for a ride through the woods at full speed. You can show the person a tree or two by quickly whipping the handle bar to point at one, then back at the trail without changing the actual course of the machine. Usually a good yell of "TREE!!!" is all that is required to complete the illusion

Soundguy · Sep 4, 2007

Tallyho has a good idea.. look for decently maintained used units. Even from golf cart sales places. i live around lots of golf cart communities.. mny places take trades.. Occasionally yo can find one with enough cosmetic damage that makes it pretty cheap.. but yet runs fine.

Soundguy

jeffinsgf · Sep 4, 2007

Most golf courses lease, rather than buy. Lease returns are the largest source of used carts, and most that you find lifted and tricked out are lease returns that the converter has bought (or the leasor does the conversion).

E-Z-GO's are the easiest to find lift kits and motor tricks for. Club Car's have that great aluminum frame. You won't go wrong with either one.

I have a 2000 E-Z-GO that I bought on eBay. It has a 3 inch lift, big tires, and a steel utility box on the back. Knowing what I know now, if I were doing it over, I would buy a lease return and do the the conversion myself. It's all just simple wrenching, and the converter did a mediocre job putting the lift kit on mine. Over the last couple of years, I have had to re-do much of the work, so I might as well have done it the first time.

txdon · Sep 4, 2007

jinman said:
When thinking of gas and electric, you might consider that if you are on the back side of your property and run out of gas, you can walk back to the house and get some gas. If you have an electric cart and the batteries run down, you have to get that cart where there is charging power. That means you may have to tow it, trailer it, or push it. We were at some friend's house last year when we saw three kids pushing their cart back to the house. To me, that pointed out the main difference between electric and gas.

Been there done that. But only once, at the end cycle of the last set of batteries. After that I bought and installed a charge indicator.

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