CC '15 new batteries or '17 - which to buy

[greenreign]

I'm buying a used cart and I have basically the same price for two options.

Club Car Precedent '15 Electric with new batteries
Club Car Precedent '17 Electric

Aside from the year these carts look (to me) to be very similar. The '15 with two years more wear of course. Both came off Michigan golf courses in the last month.

I'm wondering if there is anything different between these carts that would help my decision. Like hey they drastically improved X or Y in '16/'17.

Or what would you do?

Any feedback appreciated.

[greenreign]

whoops, this probably belongs in general but I don't see a way to delete it.

[Hunter450]

I think I would go for the 17 model. Less wear as you stated and it being a course cart, I would safely assume the batteries have been taken care of and they still have some years of life left in them.

My $0.02

[TahoeDawgZ71]

While the new batteries may be tempting, I'd have to decide based on the brand of batteries and the condition of the cars. If the 15 is in better shape and the 17 has an off-brand battery in it, get the 15. There are no differences between these two year models. The cars are the same.

[NoleFan4Ever]

Also be sure to look under them, inspect the ride, suspension, under-body, axle, etc. They will both be ERIC carts with Excel controllers so how much "You" like them will mean a lot.

[DaveTM]

I would also check the date that is stamped on the batteries. This will provide you with the "real" age of the batteries. Anything over 3-Y\O I would be cautious of their remaining life.

[Fairtax4me]

Originally Posted by Hunter450

I think I would go for the 17 model. Less wear as you stated and it being a course cart, I would safely assume the batteries have been taken care of and they still have some years of life left in them.

My $0.02

I would never assume this for a golf course cart.
Maybe it depends on the course, but most of them don't really give 2 sticks about the batteries. They trade the entire fleet every 2-3 years so they don't have to replace the batteries, which are usually dead within the next year.

The cart with new batteries I would make sure they are actually new. Find the date stamp as mentioned above. Are they a quality brand? Are they the correct AH capacity?

Is there a price difference in the two? Which one is in better overall condition? Suspension, tires (unless you plan on doing custom wheels very soon), body clean or scratches and knicks everywhere?

The 17 will need batteries in a year. Figure that as an $900 expense. IMO, that lowers the resale value of the cart, despite it being newer.

[greenreign]

Thanks for all the feedback. The price is exactly the same. I am assuming the batteries will need to be replaced in a year on the '17. They may last longer but it's tough to know for sure. I'm going to check the batteries and bones on both and decide this afternoon.

[brett92]

Originally Posted by Hunter450

I would safely assume the batteries have been taken care of and they still have some years of life left in them.

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

I would never assume this for a golf course cart.
Maybe it depends on the course, but most of them don't really give 2 sticks about the batteries. They trade the entire fleet every 2-3 years so they don't have to replace the batteries, which are usually dead within the next year.

I worked at 2 Augusta area golf courses as a "cart boy" when I was in high school. We took horrible care of the carts. Sad to say we used water straight out of the hose to fill the batteries and that was only a couple of times a year max. We also didn't wear gloves and routinely overfilled them. We paid more attention to the sand bottles than the batteries. With that said, I don't ever recall any carts having premature battery issues or any issues really, but I bet they were shot soon after the lease ended. Both of those courses used old school EZGO TXTs. Back in those days you could throw the cart from reverse right into forward and it would spin the tires - seems like the newer carts don't do this. I know my precedent doesn't do this.