I’m browsing Craig’s List for golf carts. I’m armed with a cup of coffee and an open mind.
I see a listing for a dope-looking white golf cart with impressive chrome wheels. I click. The headline reads as follows…
ALL NEW!! Pearl White , LIFTED GOLF CART , FREE DELIVERY !! – $4500 (Seven Points, TX)
I then read the description…
Very Awesome Cart !!, All NEW! 14″ wheels , led lights , flip back seat , custom seats , windsheild and charger , FREE DELIVERY !!,
This is an actual, current listing on Craig’s List. There are hundreds just like them. And, you’ll find multitudes of similar listings on Facebook Marketplace.
Let me ask you a question. Would you entertain buying the above referenced golf cart?
Well why not you ask?
Not only is it awesome… it’s very awesome. It’s got 14-inch wheels, LED lights, a flip-back seat and custom seats, a windshield (albeit a misspelled one), a charger… AND… wait for it… FREE DELIVERY!
Sounds legit right?
What’s remarkable about this listing is not what it describes but what it doesn’t. For instance, umm, let’s see here… Who makes it? What year is it? You know… just the two most important details.
Tens of thousands of hard-working, tax-paying, God-fearing, patriotic Americans go online to FB Marketplace or Craig’s List and buy a busted golf cart that they end up having to dump a bunch of money into. Don’t be this guy (or gal).
In this article I’m going to share with you five reasons why buying a golf cart from Craig’s List and/or Facebook Marketplace could be a lousy idea.
You’re welcome.
You may be asking yourself why I’m qualified to share such valuable wisdom. Good question.
Reason 1: I know a lot of stuff about golf carts.
Reason 2: I’m the owner of Texas Premier Golf Carts, a factory-authorized golf cart dealership and service center.
Reason 3: We have a full-fledged golf cart service department with multiple mechanics who spend most of their time working on golf carts that people bought from Craig’s List and/or Facebook Marketplace.
So there you go. Now listen up.
Here are the five alarming reasons why you should avoid buying a golf cart from Craig’s List, Facebook, eBay and other online marketplace sites.
Reason One: Do You Really Want to Buy A Cart That Someone Built in Their Garage?
Unfortunately most of the golf carts you see on Facebook marketplace and Craigslist are for sale by guys who mass produce them for profit in their garage or backyard with the sole intent of making the most profit. This unfortunately makes them buy older carts, cheaper parts and they provide no warranty or responsibility if anything goes wrong.
You will from time to time see a family or old lady selling her golf cart and you can sometimes find a great deal there but unfortunately these places are inundated with 100’s of older carts built up to “look” nice.
So you buy a cart from a guy on Craig’s List or Facebook who delivers it to your house. You drive it for a week and realize it needs work. Now what?
Did the seller provide a warranty? Does he have a service center? Do you even know where the hell he lives?
Of course not. That’s why people call us to solve their busted cart problems everyday. We go pick it up for them and fix it up for them. But they should of bought a cart from us in the first place. 60% of our service business is from people who bought a shiny “all new” cart online.
Reason Two: Golf Carts Being Sold As “ALL NEW” Are Often Older Than Dirt
I keep seeing these golf cart listings that say “ALL NEW”. Don’t you fall for it.
When you come across a listing for a golf cart that doesn’t show the year the very first question you should ask yourself is why?. The reason why any information is deliberately omitted is because it is information that will not help sell the cart.
Most carts being sold for profit online are carts older than 2010, some we have seen are as old at 2002. They are acquired for less than $1,500, given a quick cosmetic fix (new body, wheels, tires, seats) and resold for $3,000 – $6,000.
The electrical system, brakes, steering, motor, wiring, controller, switches and frame are untouched and are 90% of the time the parts that need repair. As I’m penning this masterpiece, there are many of these above-referenced golf carts sitting in our service department RIGHT NOW, one needing a new controller ($400), one needing new steering assembly ($300), one needing new brakes ($300), one needing new wiring ($450)… And that’s just today.
They look pretty though.
Buying golf carts that are older than 7-8 years is an unnecessary gamble. And listing these lemons as “All New” is disingenuous.
Reason Three: Most Refurbished Golf Carts Being Sold Use Inferior Parts
Underneath the shiny veneer of a golf cart, hiding behind the sparkling chrome wheels, are parts. Like anything there’s cheap parts and quality parts.
People that are trying to make some quick cash by flipping golf carts are not using high-end parts. Sometimes we see new(ish) parts but they are almost always inferior quality; the type of parts that will often let you down when you really need them and leave you cursing in front of your children.
Reason Four: Most Carts Being Sold Online Are Cheaper Brands
Like the model year, golf cart listings often don’t tell you who made the darn thing.
At Texas Premier Golf Carts we build custom carts from Club Car that are never older than 2013 because they are the best, most reliable.
Most refurbished golf carts being sold online are EZGO, and it’s our opinion that Club Car makes a superior and more reliable product. Club Car uses all aluminum frames which is especially important in the rust-promoting environment of the Low Country.
Used EZGO carts are cheaper to obtain than Club Car carts and therefore are a popular choice for those cashing in on selling used carts.
Reason Five: Using Cheap Batteries is a Huge Mistake
The heart of every golf cart are the batteries.
Many of the golf cart listings I have seen brag about having “brand new batteries”. What you should know is there is a broad range of quality in golf cart batteries. The Craig List carts we service mostly have low-quality, cheap batteries.
Texas Premier Golf Carts only use Trojan batteries or U.S. Battery which we feel are the highest-quality, longest-lasting and most dependable batteries on the market.
You can learn more about Trojan here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1mohhM59Y
And U.S. Battery here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR1mohhM59Y
By now you know not to buy a used cart online from CL or FB witout seriously asking a lot of questions and have a golf cart technician check it out. So now it’s time for the shameless promotion of Texas Premier Golf Carts.
Here’s a quick list of reasons why you should buy a custom cart from us, and why Texas Premier Golf Carts is exploding in growth in the Seven Points area.
- Reason 1: Texas Premier Golf Carts builds Club Car carts that are 2013 or newer.
- Reason 2: Texas Premier Golf Carts only uses the highest-quality, most trusted and tested parts brands.
- Reason 3: All of our carts come with brand new batteries from Trojan or U.S. Battery.
- Reason 4: Every cart we build comes with a full warranty and the batteries come with an 18-month warranty.
- Reason 5: If you buy a cart from us and something breaks, we come pick it up, fix it and bring it back to you.
- Reason 6: We can even offer an extended warranty on your cart from Electric Warranty Group which is the only nationwide golf cart extended warranty group.
So there you have it. Do you really want to buy a Frankenstein-Cart that you see on the internet and roll the dice? Or wouldn’t you rather buy a fully customized golf cart that is warranty-protected by a trustworthy authorized dealer with a full service department?
