Checklist for purchase?

[theskyiscrying]

Hi Gang,
Newbie here and I've been poking around for a day and I'm impressed by the knowledge of the members here and looking forward to being a member of the community.

I'm looking at a EZ-GO Electric today. Supposedly it's a 1998-2001 model? Since I've been a member less than 7 days, I can link to a pic of the cart. PM me and I can send pic if needed (assuming I can do that?)

What do I look for when checking this dude out? I don't want to waste my money, but want to pay a fair price for the condition it's in.

So, what do I look for to evaluate how many $ I'll have to sink into it after the purchase?

It will be used for pleasure and yardwork.

Thanks

[eflyguy]

Do you like projects or do you want it to be ready to go and not have to mess with it?

We over-paid for ours, and later found it had been dunked in a lake. Still, I love projects, and have invested quite a bit of money - and a LOT of time - into ours.

You can go two ways - get a pristine, already-sorted cart of your liking, look to pay ~$2-4k, or look for one that needs work, and pay $1 or less.

If you want a project cart and plan to put in better controller, batteries, and farkles, then find the cheapest cart in sound mechanical condition.
..a

[theskyiscrying]

eflyguy, thanks for the quick reply. Looks like we're not that far apart. I'll have to tap your knowledge of local vendors, etc. if I get the cart.
I like a project and would want to add a rear deck, lights, etc for sure.
I believe I can get this specific cart for just under $1K.
For that price, what should I look for?

Thanks again,

[Sir Nuke]

theskyiscrying, take a number of things into consideration, who will you use it? do you need or want to carry additional passengers (does it have or need a rear seat), o0bviously take it for a test drive, is it fast enough? if its not, and the seller says its because its not charged up enough....walk away as they are most likely just blowing smoke up you butt. look at the condition very closely, crawl UNDER it, look for rust/rot, ESPECIALLY in the batterybox/tray area.

Check out this thread (http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/elect...en-system.html) so you know the difference of the drive systems and what the cart you are looking at, and its limitations, and the options you may want down the road as far as being able to upgrade it.



oh and btw......Welcome to our happy little corner of the net, and to BGW. There is a BIG fridge on the back porch with anything you can think of in it...help yourself...of course only take what you can LEGALLY have. Make yourself at home on one of the big fluffy couches, kick your shoes off, put your feet up on one of the tables, yes we are allowed to do that, mom's, dad's, wives', husband's, girlfriend's and boyfriend's here don't care....and take it easy.



oh...btw....every once in a while a food fight breaks out...so you may not want to wear nice clothes here.

Welcome!!

[theskyiscrying]

Thanks Sir Nuke!
Good info.

[yurtle]

Batteries are a HUGE investment, so carry a DMM and check the voltage of each battery and the pack. Look at the cells to see if they're "properly" topped off with water. Look for corrosion on the battery terminals and cable ends, and on the battery "box" both top and bottom. Ask how he charges them. A lot of people don't charge them every night after use. Look at the date code to see the age.

Maybe carry a copy of Trojan's care and maintenance page(s), as I have heard WAY too many people insist that you have to run them down several days (even weeks) before charging. This will give you an authoritative argument that the batteries are questionable, and will likely need to be replaced soon, if they didn't maintain them correctly.

In general, see if it looks clean and well maintained. Though very few will pass this test, see if the zerks look like they have ever been used.

At this age, steering may start to get "sloppy" so check to see how much play is in the steering wheel, before the wheels start to turn. See if it feels sloppy while test driving as fast as you can, downhill if possible.

Again, at this age, try and listen for bearing noise, both fast and slow. See if it makes noises while going straight, and while turning hard in both directions.

After test driving, tough each and every cable connection, to see if any of them are too hot to touch.

Most of the above are not so much deal-killers, but bargaining chips for price.

As to fair price, they vary a lot by region, so check with the classified ads and CraigsList to see what's going for how much. That's not a slam dunk, as some may be over-priced and never sell, and some may be under-priced. Still a good benchmark.

[theskyiscrying]

yurtle, awesome!
Thanks so much.
This place is great......

[yurtle]

One other thing to check is if you can lock up the brakes going as fast as you can. Again, not a deal-killer, but something to point out.

My 1998 TXT series can lock up the tires with two extra batteries, a rear seat, and four people at over 35 MPH. This is with stock tires though. Once you look at bigger tires, you may not be able to lock 'em up, but they should still stop really fast, if a kid or dog runs out in front of you.

Everything about these buggies is easy to adjust, repair, or replace, if you've ever worked on a car, boat, or motorcycle.

[theskyiscrying]

Originally Posted by yurtle

One other thing to check is if you can lock up the brakes going as fast as you can. Again, not a deal-killer, but something to point out.

My 1998 TXT series can lock up the tires with two extra batteries, a rear seat, and four people at over 35 MPH. This is with stock tires though. Once you look at bigger tires, you may not be able to lock 'em up, but they should still stop really fast, if a kid or dog runs out in front of you.

Everything about these buggies is easy to adjust, repair, or replace, if you've ever worked on a car, boat, or motorcycle.

I'll try to lock 'em up!
Thanks

[RobCons]

Sir Nuke has it right. It all depends on what the end results is intended to be. We did not want a lifted cart. Ours, a 2000 PDS EZGO, cost $500 needing batteries. Upon getting it we put in a new set of batteries, used rattle cans of paint, had some left over fabric and foam for the seat, replaced most of the steering along with the spindles, for a grand total of $1450 - $1500. Suits our needs perfectly.