Whats it Worth?

[mertzrl]

Found a golf cart and the lady says its a 1980 G1A but doesnt run, use to but now it doesnt what would it be worth if looking at purchasing it. Have not seen it other than pictures which look pretty decent. Worst case scenario price wise to fix it.

[1970buick]

G1 is a fun little cart. I rebuilt one for about 300 and that included new jug, piston, rings, seals, clutch spring, and a few other parts. Not much resale value on G1 carts though. They are very dated looking.

[mertzrl]

Thanks for the response.

What would be a comfortable cost to get one that is not running if it cost roughly 300 to rebuild one would 600 bucks all in be a decent number? From the pictures the body looks pretty clean. The main thing that we would do is use it for a pasture type vehicle to run around in with the kids.

[smokindawg]

If you could get the cart and have it running for $600 I'd think that would be fine. But keep in mind how old these are getting and think about other things you may need to replace or work on, such as the brakes and steering parts.

I have a G1 and while it's getting old I don't know that it looks any more dated than any other cart. You can change the looks pretty easily with DIY/Aftermarket bumpers and racks so I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Keep in mind also that if you ever decide to change from a 2 stroke engine to a 4 stroke engine that you'll then also have to change the rear end or loose your reverse.

The 2 stroke is a good engine and has plenty of speed when running right though.

[meangreenmachine72]

I have a few G1 carts and they are a neat little carts. There are a lot of things you can do to make them look really nice or just keep them stock. As mentioned it is getting hard to find parts but I have become obsessed with finding parts and find it fun. I just purchased two brand new original old stock bumper stays tonight , and a couple of weeks ago picked up a steering colume, muffler, controls etc. Back to original what's it worth, I find it depends on area, condition, etc. around here you can find one anywhere from $200 to $1000 depending on condition.

[sho305]

Here you are looking at say 600 for a average condition and running. Less if it needs repair or its really beat up, maybe more if its super clean and everything is working nicely/repaired/etc, and the right buyer is wanting to buy a cart. I've seen nice ones go for 1K but they are so old I think value is finally starting to fall off. They are bulletproof carts that is why they are still around, and tons of them were sold. They are loud, stinky 2 stroke but not bad for our uses. They can go pretty fast, power is similar to other carts. Watch out for worn out suspension and steering on them. They never did ride quite as good as other or newer carts, but they can take a beating. I'd like to have one but never found a good buy around here.

[slonomo]

Non running, beat up, missing parts =$50
Non running, complete, beat up = $150
Non running, complete, decent cond = $250-$300
Running, complete, decent = $600
Running, complete, good cond = $1000-$1200
Fully restored = $1500-$1800 (if you can get it)

G1's are classics, but not cool enough to be expensive classics. They are among the toughest and most durable golf carts. Easy to work on. Unique. I've bought and sold a few, not worth the effort to try to make money on. Good cart to tinker on and use around the house/camp. Not really good for big engine swaps, no reverse gear in trans. Suspension sucks for off road, and no good kits for good handling, custom suspension is a must for good stable off roading.

[smokindawg]

Yep a lot involved if you want to change the engine and especially if you want to put in a big block and have reverse. Much better carts out there for that set up with a lot less changing.

That's what keeps the prices so low if they aren't running good and in good condition.

[sho305]

That and they have not been made in 25years lol. I had one with a modded engine and clutch, stock otherwise and it hauled the mail. Lots of fun. Did ride hard but I jumped another G1 and lots of other stuff and never hurt it. I am sure it exceeded 30mph.

[BigEd358]

It's a very durable good running cart. Slonomo is right on the money regarding his comments and prices. He helped me a lot during the restoration/modification of my 79 G1! Like he said, you'll have to tweak just about everything on this cart to make it work, (i.e. lift kit, rear seat, aftermarket shocks, a-arm mounting modifications to get the front end aligned correctly, etc). At least that's what I did to my G1. While I picked this up as a barn find for $150.00 the motor was solid. I took a chance and got lucky.

Here are a few "Before and After" photos of my buggy. "If you can dream it, you can build it". Man, that sounds corny.

If you do buy it, post some photos.