Important Things To Look For When Buying A Cart On Craig's List

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Important Things To Look For When Buying A Cart, Especially  From Craigs List.

1) How old is the golf cart? You can tell by the cart's serial # If you do not know where it is then there are several good sites that will show you where the serial # is located on different manufacturers. Once a cart is older than 10 years old it will begin to require plenty of TLC and your money for repairs.

2) Where did the cart come from? Ask about the previous owners? You certainly would not want to buy a cart that came from one of the flooded areas of hurricanes gone by! AND you should never, NEVER purchase a cart that does not have a good, clean, visible serial number. Why would someone remove the serial number? Is the cart stolen? Or, as in most cases, the individual is misleading about what year model the golf cart is. Can't tell you how many times someone has brought their cart in for service to find out that they were lied to about the year model of their cart from the person that they purchased the cart from!! Be careful and be wise and do not be mislead!

3) How old are the batteries? One of the most expensive repairs made on an electric golf cart is having to change the battery pack. Depending on which model, there can be 4, 6, 8 or even 10 batteries to change. Look in to the batteries to see if there is adequate fluid level. If one or more cells are dry then chances are they have been neglected and have little life left in them. Also make sure the liquid is clean and clear. Hazy or dark colored acid is bad and chances are the battery is too! When purchasing a cart, we would advise trying to buy one with either new batteries or batteries that are less then 2 years old.

4) How do the battery cable connections appear? Are the cables good and clean or do they appear green and corrosive? Corroded cables creates resistance and will drastically affect the golf cart's performance. If the cables are corroded with "green stuff" they will need to be replaced.

5) Are the seats clean? Do they have stains or tears in them?  A good indicator of how a cart was taken care of is the outward appearance of the golf cart. Usually if the top, windshield and seats are clean, not ripped, nor scratched up or torn then the person probably took good care of it! If the seats need recovering you can estimate approx $200 per 2 cushions to do so.

6) Does the top have mold stains and extremely faded in color? This usually means the cart stayed outside and just as with cars, carts that are kept under cover are usually taken better care of than those that are not! Also check for cracks or holes, these will leak (on you) with rain water when it rains! Bear in mind that tops can be very expensive to replace: $150.00 - $500.00 depending on what you want, standard or extended.

7) Another way of telling a golf cart's wear and tear is to look at the floor mat, brake and gas pedals. Do they still have a lot of rubber wear or do they look very worn? The less the wear pattern appearance, usually means less usage! Good tip, huh!

8) Does the golf cart have a good windshield? Is the windshield missing? If so, ask your self why? Sometimes the cart has been in an accident and "rolled over" and this will bend the roof strut which holds the windshield, when once bent, the windshield will no longer fit. And other times a windshield is missing is due to neglect and the windshield looked horrible and the seller removed the eye sore prior to putting the golf cart up for sale. Can you see thru the windshield? Is it "milky or foggy" or have scratches that are very obvious. These will bug you to death after a while of seeing them!  And does it fold down and or up and stay fastened in its place? Look to see if the elastic fold down band in the middle is splitting. Ultra violet rays from the sun will eat it up and once it splits you will have to replace the windshield.  If the cart needs a windshield replacement, a new windshield will cost between $100-$150!

9) Is there a mirror that is usable? Everyone wants a rear view mirror. If not, then calculate adding a mirror for $30.00.

10) How about a horn? Not only is it GREAT for annoying people but it is a device for you or your family's safety. Electric horns run around $50.00 installed and a simple "honka" horn will cost about $10.00!

11) Are there head and tail lights on the golf cart? If you are going to drive the cart on the street in a golf cart community then be assured that most HOA's REQUIRE head and tail lights to be on the cart. Do they work? Bulbs are not too expensive to replace, but a power reducer would be? If the golf cart does not have lights then to add them would cost approx $250.00 to $500.00 depending on the year, make & model of the cart and your taste and preference of lights! There have been customers that have brought in "a cheaper cart then you have" to have the lights fixed because it was not "just a fuse" as they were mislead by the seller. If the lights are not working because of " just a fuse"  and it's that simple then why would'nt the seller want to fix them?

12) What kind of shape are the tires in? Do they have an even tread ware pattern on them? If there are uneven wear patterns, then something is wrong. Does the golf cart turn easier one way then it does the other? Usually this indicates either the wheel alignment is out of adjustment and or spindles and or bushings are bent or worn and will need to be repaired or replaced. Or it could be some one hit something hard and bent the axle and or tie rod or tie rod ends. Buyer Beware! These repairs can become expensive real fast. Especially beware of Club Car DS golf carts, they are the worst at needing the front end rebuilt after a while of usage!

13) How did the brakes work? Do you here noises when applying the brakes? Did you feel that the brakes stopped the cart in an appropriate manner? Does the cart pull to the left or right when applying the brakes? This indicates that one side is either not working at all or at best not working as well as the other side. Also, check to see if the parking brake works. This is a must if you have any slopes, hills, or children that the golf cart is going to be around.

14) How does the golf cart ride? Nice and smooth or jittery and sporadic? Does it have plenty of get up and go or is it slow and sluggish? If the cart is jittery or jumpy on take off it may need a new power solenoid, electrical power pedal sensor, or worst yet, a new power controller. If the cart does not have adequate get up and go, then it may need new batteries, cables, motor, controller or the charger is not charging properly. Again, caveat emptor: buyer beware!

15) Raise the seat and take a quick look at the batteries and battery cable connections. Are they clean or green with corrosion? Corroded battery cables will require replacing. How old are the batteries? Are they all the same brand and do they all look the same? If some of the batteries look different then the others this usually means that some of the batteries were bad and instead of replacing them all, the owner just replaced a few, instead of all of them as recommended by every battery manufacturer. Buyer Beware! Golf cart batteries are very expensive! Between $79.00 to $150.00 each depending on type, warranty, and brand! Batteries that are old will not give the golf cart the performance and longevity of ride in between charges. ALSO, it will be harder on the battery charger to charge old insufficient batteries than newer good ones. Try to buy a golf cart with batteries that are not older than 2 years of usage, or better yet, NEW!

16) Does the golf cart come with a battery charger? And does the battery charger work? Some people will buy a golf cart thinking that they got a good deal being told they can pick up a charger for about $100.00 The majority of battery chargers for golf carts are going to cost you about $250 for a good used one and $300.00 to $450.00 for a new one. Hence, make sure that the golf cart you are going to buy has a charger and that the battery charger works!

17) Another thing to check out that is very, very, very important: the frame and or battery holding structure. You will need a good flash light and get down on the ground and inspect underneath the golf cart, ESPECIALLY where the batteries are! Does the frame look healthy? Or do you see a mass amount of rust and or corrosion? A lot of carts that are older than 5-7 years of age will need to have the battery hold down frames and or trays replaced. One nice thing about EZGO is that the battery tray is a separate frame device then the cart's main frame. When the battery tray is corroded and needs to be replaced, unbolt bad tray, change and install new tray and bolts and you are good for another length of use! Club Car fans brag about the aluminum frame, Sorry to say that even the aluminum frames get "ate up" from battery corrosive acid. We have rebuilt many a frames that hold the batteries in the Club Car. So be sure to inspect under the golf cart and BUYER BEWARE!

18) When you drive the golf cart does it have a low screeching or light squealing type noise coming from behind you toward the rear wheels? This noise could be coming from the electrical power motor or worst yet inside, from the rear axle. There have many of individuals who have brought their cart to us to see what  "just a little noise" is just to find out the rear axle assembly or electric motor needed costly repairs. Buyer beware of noise come from the rear axle area, especially on Club Car DS model year 1998 to 2002. These year models seem to have the worst axle systems that require repair more than others. BUYER BEWARE!

19) Ask the owner questions about the golf cart. Questions about ownership and how long they have had with it? Where did they get the cart from? Ask about different service work that has been done to the golf cart. Ask them to share some of their experiences owning the cart. Reason being there are some schemers that make money selling golf carts from their home because some people would never trust a golf cart dealer. They would be afraid of being taken advantage of by a golf cart dealership, BUT they trust an individual selling it from their house. It's your job to investigate and see which one of the two you are buying from. If you sense the person is hesitant and uncomfortable answering you then walk away from them. If they are deceiving their identity to you, then how much deceiving are they going to commit when it comes to the facts about the golf cart. Once I had any doubts I would run, not walk away from the whole ordeal! Again, BUYER BEWARE!

20) As you can see there are a lot of things to look for and questions to be asked when purchasing a good quality golf cart. As you are shopping others remember this: Every and we mean EVERY single item that we have mentioned in this article has been dealt with here at Best Buy Golf Carts. We go thru EVERY thing on every golf cart we sell (consignments being the exception). This thoroughness is just one of the reasons we can give you a warranty with every golf cart we sell. When you buy from us, not only are you going to get a quality guaranteed golf cart that you will be proud and satisfied to own, but you will also get our knowledgeable tech support as well! Try that from the guy you bought a "Craig's List" buy from??? Most of them have caller ID on their cell phones and just don't answer when you try to ask something about the golf cart you bought from them!! Next day after the sale, next week, next month, next year, we will be here with answers to your questions , solutions to your problems and assistance for all your golf cart needs!!!!

On a final note: we welcome your business and referrals whether you purchase one of our carts or someone else's. Don't hesitate seeking assistance for any service work, parts, accessories and or upgrades that your cart needs and or you wish for. We are a golf cart dealership, golf carts are what we do. Glad to help!