Golf Carts

Electric or gas golf carts, and where you will charge one:

that question settles more than the brand does. An electric cart is quiet and cheap to run, which is why hotel and condo fleets are mostly electric, but it needs a socket every night, and many villas and rental houses on the coast will not let anyone charge a cart in the parking area. A gas cart fills up in town, lasts a long day of beach-hopping and climbs better with a full load, at the cost of noise, fumes and an engine to look after. Carts out of resort and course fleets are mostly Club Car, E-Z-GO or Yamaha; newer lifted ones from Evolution or YKGO are sold new.

Lifted carts, six-seaters and cargo beds:

each solve a different problem. A standard cart sits low on smooth turf tyres, fine on a paved condo loop or a course and out of its depth on the potholed gravel tracks around Nosara. A lifted cart clears ruts and standing water on all-terrain tyres, but it is less stable in a fast turn. Six-seaters suit a family or a hotel shuttle but drain the battery faster. A rear seat that flips down into a platform covers most beach errands; a fixed cargo bed is what a finca wants. A push or electric trolley for carrying a bag round the course should fold small enough for your car boot; the clubs are under golf, and a scooter, the usual alternative to a cart in a beach town, is under motorcycles for sale.

The battery pack in a used electric cart:

accounts for a large share of its price. New, a lifted electric four-seater from one of the newer brands sells for around ₡5,000,000 to ₡6,000,000, and a 48-volt lithium battery bought on its own costs close to ₡1,000,000. Two used carts of the same model can therefore be far apart: one with a recent lithium pack is ready for years of driving, while one on a tired set of lead-acid batteries comes with that bill attached. Ex-rental carts from the beach towns tend to be the cheapest, and they have earned it with sand, salt and a long line of drivers on holiday.

Rust under the floor, battery date codes and a worn lift kit:

are where a used cart gives itself away. Lift the seat first. Lead-acid batteries carry a date code stamped on the case or a terminal; white or green crust on the terminals means neglect, and acid stains on the tray mean they were overfilled. With a lithium pack, ask for the charger that came with it. Then get underneath. E-Z-GO and Yamaha frames are steel and rust first under the battery tray, worst on a cart kept near the sea, while Club Car frames are aluminium, so check their steel springs and brackets instead. On a lifted cart, grab each front wheel and rock it: any play means worn ball joints, tie rods or bearings. Drive it up a slope loaded: an electric cart that stutters or cuts out has a battery or controller problem, and a gas one that smokes blue or slips its belt needs a mechanic. Finally, check that the serial plate on the frame matches the papers.

A golf cart listing with the seat up and the papers ready:

gives a buyer what they need before making the trip. State the brand, the year and whether it is electric or gas; for electric, give the battery type and when it was fitted, for gas, when the engine was last serviced. Say whether it is lifted, how many seats it has and what goes with it, from lights and mirrors to the charger. Photograph the battery bay with the seat raised, the underside at the back and the tyres. If it was a rental, say so, because the paint will tell the buyer anyway. A buyer driving over from Nicoya or Liberia with a trailer will want it charged or fuelled on arrival, to take it up the steepest street near you with every seat taken, and the key, charger and papers waiting on the seat.