[TempletonJDguy]

Hey guys, lots of you know about my recent accident. I’ve been looking real hard at golf carts. I absolutely decided I want gas. Looking at carts the prices on used are 4 k plus for a decent one. Going new is somewhere over 10k$. I’ve always wanted a gator and some say there an overpriced golf cart! Well that’s exactly what I want. I’ve looked at hundreds of used ones and let me tell you how absolutely used they are!! Terrible! So at 13k for an entry level doesn’t seems so bad for something that will last 20 years (the rest of my life). I want to stay small, 4’ wide so I can park it in my trailer next to my bike and bring it camping. So who’s got what and what’s the likes and dislikes! Thanks!

 

[pw1986]

I would honestly reconsider the golf cart if you do not plan on using it for much other than transportation. I have a 6x6 ranger that does the heavy stuff around the place but then I have 2 electric carts, one at work and one at home. I am not at all big into electric cars etc. but after switching from gas to electric carts to me its the only way to go. They are easy to maintain and quiet. My wife and I use our home cart mostly for gravel traveling after work and it is really nice only hearing the gravel on the tires. Plus if you are going to travel with it they are much smaller and easier to travel with. Just my 2 cents.

 

[chuckv]

Temp,

We have owned both a Club Car golf cart and an Electric Gator and both were extremely handy and made satisfactory work vehicles on our sloped acreage in Oregon when we owned it. The cart has a work bed fitted that also provides a fold up rear seat when needed, and the gator has the standard turf machine dump bed -- but I added a second bed on a trailer for better firewood chore efficiency. Have had no issues with the electric drive-train on either unit, and we still have the cart.

I bought the cart new as a gift for Sharon, and we added the special rear bed and the side curtains (Oregon is quite wet/misty as you may know...) but the Gator was bought used for just $1200 including cab, to which at the time I added about 4600 for new batteries. Here are some pictures...

...We have used it for several yard parties to allow guests to tour the paths in the back of the acreage -- nice ride quality, and no champagne was spilled...

If you have MILES to cover, maybe the gas units are a better choice, but on 10 acres or so the electric machines are quite handy and free of fumes and most maintenance...

Chuck

 

[LukeL]

I’ve been working on golf carts for a long time. I prefer electric with a lithium conversion over gas personally. But gas is nice too. I’ve also been considering getting a Gator for around the yard. I keep checking GovDeals for a project. There’s a lot on there and quite a few are in this area. Might be worth looking into.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

I can’t do any projects during the next year or so, anything I buy has to be turn key. Call me old fashioned but there will be absolutely no electric anything in my future. Totally dependent on fuel here in Templeton.

 

[drew]

I have 2, a 2007 HPX 4x4. Pretty heavy duty, power dump. I bought a CS, don't remember the year for my wife. I bought it used with low hours for about $1500. The CS is more of a golf cart style with a manual dump box. That sounds more like what you are looking for. It really sips gas and rides nice.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

Used with low hours for 1500 sounds like a dream come true!

 

[army]

I wished more than once the EZGO was electric when I was teaching my wife to drive it but I really like small engines. The main thing showing my better half about the cart was how to choke it on start ups. Has to be choked for every start no mater if it's warmed up or not and she kept flooding it or not choking it enough. She's pretty good at it now though, which is why I'm making the choke mechanism on the Club Car exactly the same as the EZGO. Also the engine start/stop controls.

Assuming it's in good mechanical shape, this seems like it would be a good cart for your type of use Temp. $3,100 (CDN) and maybe less if he'll negotiate isn't too bad, relative to the crazy prices I see now anyway. Too bad you're so far away. It's in the Toronto area so you could slip across the border at Fort Erie and buy it for about $2,000 in US dollars. Not a vehicle that can be registered for the road and no ownership so it shouldn't be a hassle like importing a car or truck. I imagine they'd treat it like they do garden tractors. They don't know what the values for vintage tractors are though so they like it if you have a receipt and/or contact info for whoever you bought it from. Same with carts I imagine. A guy my dad knew lied on the price of an antique stationary engine he was bringing back to Ontario. He went way too low on the value though. As luck would have it, the border guard's dad was into the old hit-n-miss type engines and he was familiar enough with prices he knew what the guy claimed he paid was baloney. Long story short, the engine guy got nailed for smuggling/fraud (don't recall the actual charge). Big fine.

Easy to put a pair of seats on this cart. Only drawback is the long wheelbase makes the turning radius about the same as a JD 400. The cart is actually a lot lighter than it looks. Has an aluminum frame same as my Club Car DS. It's just longer. The box on the Carry All carts is really light too. Never heard anything bad about the original gas engines in these.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

Thanks! That’s a great write up and good link for cart. I am a small engine freak so gas is the only way for me. Plus once I learn this new animal I can fix other people’s! I got a feeling there’s money to be made here. So, I msgd JD dealer here 3 times yesterday about gators and,…. nothing. My moneys not green enough. Got a lead on a greenskeeper that has a side business of carts 20 mins from here. Will follow up with call soon. I have seen aluminum frames, do they crack? On the metal frames, does the rust get out of control? I’m thinking for my first purchase to buy something real nice that’s appealing to the eyes and runs perfect. I can buy beaters in the future and fix them up. But for now I need turn key. I have plenty of tractor money stashed away to buy something, not going to be able to buy any tractors this spring as I can’t drive or do anything on my feet.

 

[DEERE317]

Hey guys, lots of you know about my recent accident. I’ve been looking real hard at golf carts. I absolutely decided I want gas. Looking at carts the prices on used are 4 k plus for a decent one. Going new is somewhere over 10k$. I’ve always wanted a gator and some say there an overpriced golf cart! Well that’s exactly what I want. I’ve looked at hundreds of used ones and let me tell you how absolutely used they are!! Terrible! So at 13k for an entry level doesn’t seems so bad for something that will last 20 years (the rest of my life). I want to stay small, 4’ wide so I can park it in my trailer next to my bike and bring it camping. So who’s got what and what’s the likes and dislikes! Thanks!

We have a 2016 XUV590i (basically the same as the 590E or M) that we bought new in 2017. Has somewhere over 1k on it and I don’t remember what the hours are. It replaced a POS old gas cart (do not buy a used reversing engine cart unless it’s in great shape, they’re designed to not stay running when stopped or changing directions which causes problems when it’s old and worn out) that we had for a couple years.
It’s been a great machine other than the park break linkage has some fragile springs (I’m not sure if Deere has strengthened any of these parts on the new ones or added park to the transmission) and the cable for it had an end break off and some shock related issues that I’m not 100% positive about (@MTB1998 may have more details, I believe it was a recall problem). Otherwise it starts and runs good, is handy as a smartphone, and does everything we need it to on the farm.
I do prefer the plastic beds on the newer machines as they don’t rust, dent, or have paint/color removed with dings/scratches. I would advise for EFI for ease of starting and a bit better performance if an option on what you’re looking at

Have surprisingly little in terms of pictures so here’s the one I found.

@MTB1998 Im pretty sure has some more pictures and thoughts he may share.

 

[DEERE317]

Hey Temp, I edited some stuff if there while you were reading it, just an FYI in case you missed anything.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

I looked online and then called up Deere , they wouldn’t budge a nickel. Might go to nh just to beat the sales tax.

 

[jd195350]

Temp, I have an EZ-GO gas cart that I bought in October 2001. It is a 1999 year model. It has a Robin twin cylinder engine in it. It is very smooth, quiet, and has plenty of power. The only problem I have had with it is IT JUST WILL NOT RUN WITHOUT GAS IN IT. It uses so little, that I have forgotten to gas it up several times. Haven't done anything except oil changes and spark plugs since I bought it,.

I have rented an EZ-Go several times at Portland, IN that had a single cylinder englne and there is absolutely no comparison. I would not trade mine for 50 like the ones I have rented.

If you buy a cart and you can compare ones with one and ones with twin cylinder engines. There is a lot of difference.

Also, golf carts you just step on the gas and instantly go. Gas gaters have to crank the engine, get into gear and then go.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

Great advice! Thanks 👍🏻

 

[JDF/ SwampFox]

After one of my neighbor guys bought a used golf cart, I mean really used, I decided a golf cart wasn't going to suit me. His golf cart won't go 65mph straight off the showroom floor, His golf cart doesn't have 4x4, and his golf cart can't haul 1000lbs in the bed,,, but I will admit, I paid 10xs more for mine than he did for his golf cart..lol
Honda Pioneer 1000

 

[JDF/ SwampFox]

And my trailer....

 

[TempletonJDguy]

Wow Jerry that’s crazy! Very nice 👍🏻

 

[army]

That's a nice side by side Jerry! Definitely more capable than my old EZGO Gator wannabe. I only have about $1,500 (hah!) in it though. Does everything I want it to. Old Shiny gets all the heavy hard work now. What would a new Honda like your's be listed at before the negotiations commenced?

This cart is almost the definition of a mongrel.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

I like them army, you’ve put a lot of tweaks and improvements on them.

 

[TempletonJDguy]

Looked at this guy the other day. It’s really growing on me!