10 Things NOT To Do When Purchasing a Used Golf Cart

Getting a made use of golf cart as well as feeling a bit overwhelmed? Below`s the best novice`s guide with useful suggestions from our own first-hand experience.

Getting a used golf cart can feel frustrating, befuddling, or simply downright scary. Most of us have actually undergone the procedure of purchasing an auto, pickup, or SUV. But when it concerns purchasing a golf cart, it`s difficult to recognize where to begin or what to look for.

If you`ve never ever owned a golf cart, there are a number of considerations details to this type of car that you`ll wish to familiarize on your own with before even thinking of seeking the right cart for you.

A number of inquiries are bound to surface in the process: Gas vs. electric? One or two seats? ClubCar, EZGO, Yamaha, or one more brand?

To be able to address these concerns, you`ll require to give some good idea about your lifestyle, budget, as well as what your main intended use will be. These things will certainly help decide which kind of golf cart you eventually end up with, as well as, more notably, whether you`ll be happy with your acquisition.

Numerous new buyers are stunned by the cost of golf carts relative to extra mainstream automobiles. Golf carts are not cheap! Even more reason to do your due persistance to assist increase the possibilities that the cart you get will wind up being a great investment for your money and also way of life.

In this overview, we highlight the most important considerations to aid guide as well as educate your decision making, empower you as a customer, as well as eventually aid you find the appropriate lorry for you and also your private scenario.

This guide is based upon our very own experience acquiring and having a golf cart, in addition to various hours of research study and discussions with professionals as well as professionals.

While the emphasis of this overview is what NOT to do when acquiring an utilized golf cart, you`ll locate a lot of suggestions for points you should be doing at each action in the procedure.

Allow`s get started!

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10 Points NOT To Do When Purchasing a Used Golf Cart

1. Failing to remember to Examine the Licensing Demands in Your Area

Prior to thinking about purchasing a used golf cart (or any type of golf cart, for that issue), see to it you acquaint on your own with the golf cart licensing demands in your state, along with neighborhood legislations and area ordnances relating to the use of golf carts on public or private roads.

In many places, your golf cart will certainly require to be modified to be allowed to drive on public roadways. Some places require the addition of a street legal package, while other areas only permit gas-powered carts to make use of public roads.

If you plan on making use of the golf cart at a golf links, check the course`s regulations and also guidelines first. Not all golf courses allow golf carts.

Make sure you understand the policies throughout before even considering searching for a golf cart. There`s absolutely nothing worse than throwing down a number of thousand bucks on a vehicle only to learn that you can not drive it where you had intended.

2. Falling Short to Obtain Enough Details on the Golf Cart

Like buying an utilized automobile, when buying an utilized golf cart you are going to need to know some fundamental info regarding your lorry that the seller may be less than eager to show you.

It may not feel like a big deal at the time of purchase, however falling short to get this necessary details may return to bite you in the rear seat later.

In a suitable globe, it would be excellent to recognize the upkeep and mishap background of the golf cart, and also its origin (nation, state, etc). If you can rack up a logbook and receipts, terrific! You lead the video game.

Often, however, this just isn`t a realistic assumption to have.

At the very least, you will certainly need to understand the following:

Make (e.g. EZGO, ClubCar, and so on).
Version (e.g. TXT, Criterion, and so on).
Serial # (typically located on a plate inside the handwear cover area or alongside the billing port).
Year (e.g. 2013).
Rounds (i.e. # cycles, generally 2005+ records these on the controller).

If you`re buying a made use of golf cart from a private event, there`s a chance the vendor will not recognize several of this information, specifically if they`re not the initial owner.

If you`re buying from a supplier and also they fall short to offer every one of this information, leave. If they`re withholding the fundamentals, it doesn`t bode well for the rest of the car.

At the very least, if you are able to get your hands on the serial number (and/or supplier`s number in many cases), that will certainly assist you figure out make, model, as well as year. This website has an exceptional guide for figuring all that out.

Ultimately, if the golf cart is being sold as “”refurbished”” or “”re-manufactured,”” make certain that it was done by a certified dealership or shop, ask what specifically was done, and also demand any type of offered sustaining documents (billing, and so on), specifically if the asking rate appears a lot greater than a similar made use of cart.

3. Neglecting the Batteries.

If you are purchasing a used golf cart that`s electric powered, you will certainly additionally require to know some fundamental information regarding the batteries. If possible, you`ll likewise want to examination and also examine the batteries also.

Golf cart batteries do not last permanently, and can quickly cost in between $1,000-$ 2,000 for a new set. Faulty or old batteries can additionally damage various other key parts of the cart, such as the electric motor, or the onboard charger (this happened to us).

Bear in mind that these pointers specify to lead-acid batteries, which are the most usual types of batteries you`re likely to come across. In the off possibility you stumble upon a golf cart with more recent lithium ion batteries or a few other type, you`ll require to study tips specific to those batteries.

At the very least, you`re mosting likely to want to know:.

Battery Brand– Preferably, you`re going to intend to see Trojan or various other top U.S. brands (In Mexico, LTH batteries are additionally pretty good); you would certainly likewise such as to see a collection of the very same brand (e.g. 6 x Trojan 8v batteries for a 48v cart).
Manufacture Day (e.g. 4/2017) (this must be significant someplace on the battery).
Manufacturer Guarantee (newer batteries might still be under service warranty).
Billing Behaviors (frequency/duration)– when it comes to conventional lead acid batteries, you are hoping to hear “”every evening”” or “”any time the golf cart is parked.””.

Ideally, you would certainly likewise want to do 3 tests when the batteries are totally charged and also cooled down:.

Aesthetic Assessment Inside (e.g. electrolyte degrees) & Out (e.g. bulging, cracks/leaks, too much rust, etc).
Voltage Test (each battery and also total amount).
Hydrometer Examination (Specific Gravity).

Constantly use protective gear when performing any type of kind of inspection with batteries. If you do not have the devices as well as knowhow, make sure to take the cart to a professional that does.

If batteries are looked after appropriately, they can carry out well for several years. It`s also possible to find batteries that are only a year or two old that choke up as a result of overlook.

Having a suggestion of both the age and health and wellness of the batteries might conserve you a lots of cash as well as migraines in the future, so it`s important to take a few minutes to cover the assessment factors above.
4. Buying an Off-Brand Golf Cart.

It may look like a lot you`re getting on that cart brand name that nobody`s come across, until you find yourself in need of your very first repair or upgrade.

Usually, you can not go wrong with one of the major brands like EZGO, ClubCar, or Yamaha. Components are easy to find by and also golf cart mechanics have great deals of experience with the ins and outs of these cars, old as well as new.

Plus, there are millions of customers available that can vouch for the advantages and disadvantages details to every design within the line up of these significant brand names. Finding similar info for lower known brands can be incredibly tough, especially if you are interested in DIY maintenance.

5. Not Taking It for a Real-World Test-Drive.

When getting an utilized golf cart, some potential purchasers take a golf cart for a brief spin around a car park and call it excellent. Even worse, they purchase a golf cart without riding it in all, or view hidden.

The only way to make sure that a certain golf cart will certainly be a great investment for you is to take it for a drive that imitates how you mean to use the cart.

If you intend to drive it in a community with high hillsides, ensure you check it out on a hillside or two to see how it responds.

Also, if you prepare to utilize your cart for off-road driving, make certain you invest some time off the sidewalk, ideally on a range of terrain that mirrors your intended use.
6. Missing an Expert Examination.

An essential part of the process of purchasing a used golf cart that is frequently overlooked (as a result of time restrictions, cost, or simply pure idleness) is taking a prospective lorry to a trusted store or supplier to have it professionally evaluated.

While a specialist assessment could be excessive for an older cart with a number of known flaws (and also properly valued as such), if you are a very first time purchaser considering a car with an asking cost of several thousand bucks, it`s well in your passion to have the cart examined by a 3rd party preferably.

Why? Unlike conventional gas automobiles, there are a couple of elements in a golf cart that can appear perfectly great to you in a test-drive, but that can promptly wind up costing you hundreds, otherwise thousands of bucks in a very short time duration.

As touched on formerly, analyzing the wellness of the batteries need to be a top priority. If you do not have the tools, abilities, and also experience to appropriately check golf cart batteries, vital shortages can easily be missed.

One more expensive part that can be testing to evaluate is the battery charger, which can additionally establish you back an excellent quantity of money. That`s of course in addition to assessing the condition of tires, suspension, electrical, and so on.

When it comes to electrical carts, the bright side is that the motors often tend to be quite durable and robust, as well as are less most likely to stop working for no factor, especially if the cart executes well in a real-world test drive. Additionally, there`s no transmission to take care of, which can be an expensive repair service or substitute on gas-powered carts.

7. Choosing the Incorrect Golf Cart.

When acquiring a used golf cart, selections can be restricted relying on where you live. It`s very easy to get impatient and jump at the initial golf cart you find for a suitable price. Yet doing so may quite possibly return to haunt you.

Think about the use– If you`re buying a golf cart to obtain you from A to B on a reasonably flat golf links or retirement community, you`re likely to worth comfort as well as simple upkeep over toughness, clearance, and battery array.

Consider the climate you live in– EZGO golf carts are really rugged as well as trustworthy vehicles, yet are improved a steel framework (versus ClubCar`s aluminum chassis). While steel is more powerful and also superior to light weight aluminum for difficult driving and rough conditions (i.e. all-terrain use, ranching, etc) it is more probable to corrosion in damp and also coastal environments.
8. But … Do Not Obtain Also Hung Up On Characteristics.

While obtaining the options as well as accessories you desire is essential, attempt not to focus on things like a rear seat, street legal package, or perhaps a lift kit, as these can all be included later on at relatively affordable.

Instead, focus on seeing to it that the car you are wanting to get is solid and reliable, the batteries remain in good shape, its comfy to drive, which the make/model fits your way of living.

For instance, if you`re actually wanting to obtain an electrical cart with a back seat, as well as you are faced with the choice between a gas cart with a back seat and also an electric cart without any back seat, you`ll be much happier getting the electric cart and including the specific seat you want.

9. Not Discussing the Cost.

Keep in mind that even if the rate is “”Company”” there`s constantly space for settlements.

Be particularly on the look out for any concerns that surface during your very own evaluation (or specialist assessment, which we very suggest doing) that weren`t originally revealed by the buyer.

On the flip side, be fatigued of purchasers who appear too eager to market as well as are willing to bend over backwards to unload their remarkable golf cart (unless the cost is remarkably reduced as well as you understand exactly what you`re getting).
10. Not Asking Sufficient Questions.

Now, this ought to be quite obvious. Don`t be afraid to ask questions about anything, even if you know nothing concerning golf carts (though hopefully this guide has actually assisted to alter that).

Much like purchasing a vehicle, if the vendor gets defensive or makes you really feel uncomfortable, there`s possibly something questionable happening with the cart.

An honest as well as in advance vendor must enjoy to answer any kind of and all questions you might have, as it must remain in their best interest as well as they ought to have absolutely nothing to conceal.