Worth the investment?

[passthru]

Looking at buying a project cart. This one, on the outside, looks in decent shape. Already lifted. Has a rear seat, which I wouldn't need and the front seat is chewed off by a dog. Batteries will need replacing but it comes with charger and it the cart runs. Not far, but it runs. He thinks it's a 96 model. I believe it is a series cart. He is asking $1200 but I'm wondering is it is worth a grand. I want one to upgrade to 48v and make it a lease monster. If rust is not an issue with the frame, body looks solid, is it worth that?

[DaveTM]

It would be good to know what kind of cart your looking at. Look at this chart and perhaps you can tell us what type of cart your looking at:



Also:

1--What will you be using the cart for?
2--What type of terrain will you be driving it on?
3--How many people will you be generally carrying on it?
4--Do you need more torque than speed or vice-versa?
5--Does the cart have the stock controller in it?
6--Is the cart a 36-Volt or a 48-Volt?

Also....it may come with a charger, but the reason the batteries may be bad is because the charger may be bad. And....for the most part, cart fiberglass bodies usually look good unless they have been smashed into a tree\wall\or other hard object.

[passthru]

It's a series. And he has let it sit and not taken care of the batteries. It's a 36volt. I will be upgrading it to 48v if I buy it. It needs new batteries anyhow. So the charger and controller will have to be replaced as well.

[yurtle]

Costs are very location specific. You can sell the charger and maybe the controller to help offset your investment. If there's no rush, look at Craig's List to see what comparable carts are selling for in your area.

[DaveTM]

I have a seires. (TXT). They are solid machines. The price seems a bit high as all your really buying is a frame with wheels, motor and body. That's assuming your doing a rebuild. Around here $800 would be fair. But as the previous poster stated....craigslist is a good place to look for price comparisons.

[DIRTPIT HC]

If it is worth it to you. That is the question. I did the same thing with a cart. About the same price. C74 pkg - D&D high torque motor - 2g welding cables - SHD solenoid - digital voltage meter - HD F&R- all from Scotty at carts unlimited. New tires and wheels, new 8v batteries, voltage reducer, LED lights, atv rack on rear, rear receiver hitch, various steel to fab up front brush guard, rear rack, and receiver hitch, receiver hitch cargo rack, rattle can paint-home made stencils. I'm in at around 5K. Only worth that much to me. I can out run and probably out pull my buddy on a newer stealth buggy. Gets under his skin when I run past him in the woods. And he is in at about 8K more than me. He shot a nice buck and I shot a nice doe and it carried me- 270, him-190, my 19 yr okd son-180, his buck-220, my doe-160, thats 1020 lbs plus guns out of the woods with no prob. I wouldn't do that all the time but kept us from running atvs back into our hunting spot. Pic of the cart is with old tires I use around the neighborhood. Second is the doe. So, yes it was worth it to me. Good luck. Keep us posted. BTW this is my first cart and I did all the work with the help of Scotty and BGW.

[yurtle]

I paid about that much for my current cart, and I live in the Atlanta area, but the batteries were still good. I probably could have done better, but I don't have a truck or trailer hitch, so driving it home from a neighbor was a plus. I eventually replaced nearly everything once the batteries finally died, as seen in my sig.

[passthru]

That cart sold. He got his asking price. I appreciate the advice. It I were buying it to keep and use maybe it would have been worth it but it would be hard to get my money out of it at that price after mods and upgrades.