Zzzz… Huh? What? Oh, sorry, I dozed off there. You voted for the Camry. That’s nice. All right. So last week, my Friday special involved motor scooters, and there was some dissent in the ranks about two-wheeled vehicles being featured here. “Just for that,” I said to my colleagues here, “next Friday I’m gonna do golf carts.” I am a man of my word. You want four wheels? Here you go.
Yamaha Sun Cruiser – $3,700
Engine/drivetrain: Electric motor, single-speed gear reduction, RWD Location: Woodburn, OR Odometer reading: Ha! Runs/drives? Seems to If I’m not mistaken, this is the same model of golf cart that our co-founder Jason Torchinsky was so taken with in the pits at Pebble Beach. These appear to have been available as either electric- or gas-powered, and I imagine the one Torch saw was gas. This one’s electric.
Those headlights up high are its best styling feature, that’s for sure. And that little grille between them sort of makes that whole upper panel look like a half-scale first-generation Chevy Cavalier front clip. And that’s not a knock – I’m a J-car fan.
Controls are minimal: just a steering wheel, two pedals, and a lever to select forward or reverse. Because this cart has full lights and turn signals, there is a chance it might be street-legal in some areas. But maybe not; no mention is made of its top speed, and a minimum speed is required in most places in order to drive a cart on the street.
If it is street-legal, you can drive it to the supermarket, and carry your groceries home in the frunk. How cute is that?
Western Country Golf Cart – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: Electric motor, single-speed gear reduction, RWD Location: Rancho Mirage, CA Odometer reading: Ain’t got one Runs/drives? Yep Want something a little more upscale? Head to the Palm Springs area, where golf carts are common modes of transportation. There you’ll find this sweet Western golf cart, which features everything needed to make it street-legal, plus a stereo system and an air conditioner on the roof.
Even better, this cart has been modified to reach a blistering 21 miles an hour. Yes, that’s right – you can just barely break the speed limit in a school zone in this baby.
It’s got snazzy alloy wheels too, and a frunk of its own, the ad says. And personally, I like the color; were I to live in a place where I could use a golf cart to get around, I wouldn’t want a boring old white one.
Bonus points for it looking kinda like a post-facelift Geo Storm from the front, too. Everyone keeps saying we need small affordable EVs, but they’re here already. Here are two of them. You just have to live in a place where they make sense as transportation. And I suppose it helps to be retired, so you’re not in a hurry. Which one would you choose?
(Image credits – Craigslist sellers) That being said, I guess I’ll take the red one. I could like… buy a car for that. A whole car, with doors and everything. Also: Air conditioner, but not enough enclosure to contain it. This is a lifestyle I do not understand. (Yes, I AM from the Midwest.) 1.) I drink, I need music 2.) AC when I am passed out on the 10th green after my 12th Bacardi and Coke. Plus that frunk on the Yamaha looks like it could ice down a case of beer. Just enough to get through the front nine! No pics of the Western’s supposed frunk. Also note the arm rest/bar separating the two seats on the Yamaha. I like the idea of keeping my drunken golf buddy on his side of the cart. Yamaha wins for me.
