Golf Cart Shopping

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by Rusco, Oct 21, 2015.

  1. Rusco

    Rusco New Member

    My wife and I are discussing the convenience of the various communities and this issue has arisen; is it possible to do ALL shopping in Sun City without use of an automobile?

    Can you go to grocery stores, doctors, hardware stores etc in a golf cart?

    Sun City West has grocery stores in its bounds but it appears there are none in Sun City. Does this mean that a car is necessary?

    Seems as though in all our research this would have been easy to clarify but we're getting conflicting information so I come to the best source I know for this kind of information. Thanks folks for helping us with this!
     
  2. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member



    My wife and I are discussing the convenience of the various communities and this issue has arisen; is it possible to do ALL shopping in Sun City without use of an automobile?

    Can you go to grocery stores, doctors, hardware stores etc in a golf cart?


    In short the answer is yes. But there's always a "but".....

    Sun City has two major grocery stores and then there are many smaller convenience/drug stores that carry many household items. There are at least 2 hardware stores, 2 county libraries, lots of beauty salons and many, many medical offices including the excellent Banner Boswell Hospital. The green Discount Cabs can deliver you to shopping or appointments for as little as $4 if you are 65 or older. So, as long as you don't try to do buy a new door at the hardware store or do a month's worth of shopping at one time you can do your shopping in a golf cart.

    The driving restrictions on the streets are to keep you safe. Golf carts should not be driven on 99th Avenue, 111th Avenue south of Grand, Bell Road, Grand Avenue and Thunderbird where the speed limit changes in Peoria at 94th. These streets can be crossed at intersections. There are many ways to get around in Sun City and avoid these higher speed limit streets.

    Hope this helps.;)
     
  3. fixj

    fixj Active Member

    Not sure about the S/C at 99th and Thunderbird. The S/C at 99th and Bell would require parking at the Bell Rec Center and walking a short distance. Can't think of any other places where golf cart access would not be possible. You will see some very creative golf cart driving, like driving on the sidewalk from the alley behind Starbucks. Best to stay safe and legal.
     
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    You can easily access both Fry's on Grand Ave and Safeway on Bell Road without ever driving either on Bell Road or Grand Ave. Street widths in Sun City are better than virtually any other age restricted community. Land was readily available and if anything, sometimes the streets are too wide with folks in a hurry passing on the inside non-lanes.
     
  5. J_and_V

    J_and_V Member

    Rusco - This was important to us, for many reasons. What we found was - ALL shopping, no. Essential shopping, yes.

    When we were there last month, we took the car and found various routes to and from grocery, restaurants, doctors, rec centers, sun bowl, hardware stores, barber/hair stylist, veterinarian, movie theaters, etc. using only roads posted 35 mph or less. We sought out crossings of the major intersections that didn't have turn lanes - I wanted to make sure I can stay in the right hand lane. We couldn't get to these places as quickly in the golf cart as I could in the car, but we could get everywhere we needed to get to

    I'm sure there is someplace we couldn't get to using a golf cart (which is why I said no to all shopping), but I'm satisfied with the variety of places we will be able to get to.
     
  6. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Okay, I'll admit it; one of the reasons I loved Sun City was the golf cars. My first trip here was an eye opener. The idea one could get in their own golf car and tool around the community made me drool (now as I get older I drool without any inspiration, but that's another story).

    It's a throwback to those days as a kid we had our first "chug." Building it was a hoot, but getting in and flying down a hill or being pushed around by buddies was totally awesome. Then when we attached a small gas engine, off the charts. Hard to believe regressing to our childhood could be such a rush.

    There's no question, there is a safety factor when driving a golf car. My first electric did 35 miles an hour, way too fast. Now days the gas car is set at 28 miles per and that's just about right for me. There are those that set them faster, but I've learned the hard way it's just better to slow down and live in Sun City.
     
  7. J_and_V

    J_and_V Member

    BP - you have a gas golf car?
     
  8. Rusco

    Rusco New Member


    Car or Cart? I think of a Golf CAR as those built by VW and a CART as those built by EZ-GO, Club or Yamaha.:friendly_wink:
     
  9. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Our first car(t) was a 1984 gas Yamaha my folks sold us and we included it in the rental of house. It smelled of gas when you drove it and when it was sitting in the garage. Once we moved here (2003) we bought an electric for my wife and still drives it to this day. I plodded along in the old gas car for a couple of years but found a new electric that went 35 miles per hour (illegal btw).

    That car(t) was a huge mistake. In the 5 years in owned it, I went through four sets of batteries, three sets of tires, the front-end fell off, the back-end fell off and was towed in to the shop more times than I can count. It was a Columbia Eagle and I sent letters to both the seller (now out of business) and the corporation (who ignored me) and never got any satisfaction. Sadly I know many others that have had similar issues.

    Around 2011 I started looking for another car(t). While at the museum I got to know Steve Pohle who owns the Pohle NV Center. He had donated a three wheeler to the museum (we now have two there) and he has always been very community minded.

    We went back and forth about gas versus electric. I drive my car(t) a lot and the costs are about the same. The challenge was with the miles I put on it, batteries get eaten between the heat and use. Gas car(t)'s have become far less smelly and so I opted for a gas EZ-Go set to cruise at 28 miles per hour. Had it custom made with a box on the back and side curtains all around. No problems what-so-ever.

    I like Steve but will tell you the big three (Yamaha, Club Car and EZ-GO) are all on balance good solid vehicles. Some of the younger folks are bringing in some of the more soup'd up carts that are for off-roading, but they tend to be very noisy. New car(t)'s aren't cheap, but insurance costs, batteries and or gas for them is a fraction of what a car will run you and they are just plain more fun to drive (unless you are going to buy that little red convertible you promised yourself when you retire).

    Not to be ignored R, as you can tell by my responses, car or cart is one of those age-old discussions. I see it both ways so it's become Sun City's version of "you say tomato and I say tomoto." Here's Wikipedia's opening paragraph on that very topic: A golf cart (called golf car in ANSI standard Z130.1, since "carts" are not self-propelled)[1] is a small vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course or on desert trails with less effort than walking.

    I'm fine with either, because the end game is when I leave this morning for my lawn bowling match, I'll drive there in my golf car(t).
     
  10. aggie

    aggie Well-Known Member

    We have an old gasoline 1988 Yamaha that is lucky to go 18 mph. So reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Great for the golf course but we have to pack a lunch to get there!
     
  11. fixj

    fixj Active Member

    BP, interested in your comments re the Columbia Eagle that you once owned. We have been talking to our neighbor who is selling his 2005 street version Columbia Eagle. The timing of your comments may be prophetic as we are planning to look at the car(t) this morning. What caused the problems with the tires and batteries?
     
  12. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I used to put lots of miles on the car and couple that with speeds of 35 miles per it was too much. Mine was a 05 as well and I'd hate to tell you how many times I either was towed into the garage or limped in at 3 miles an hour. I argued the car was a lemon, but the owner said it wasn't. The car over the years cost me a fortune, to say nothing of the aggravation.
     
  13. J_and_V

    J_and_V Member

    '79 Jeep CJ-7 maybe

    Thanks for the info on the gas vs. electric. There was an EZ-Go rebuilt at Pohle that I had my eye on, but it must have sold (no longer on the website). I'll probably go with one of the fleet cars and have them rebuild it the way I want it.
     
  14. LinW

    LinW Member

    After I bought my condo in SC I put some thought into golf car(t) versus automobile and ended up going with automobile, bought a 2013 Chevy Spark. My reasons for opting for the Spark were pretty basic. For one, it's tiny, not much larger than a golf cart, easy to park, fits in my carport, gets great gas mileage. If I want to shop at more than one store per trip, I can secure my purchases inside a locked car. It has A/C, no small consideration. I can’t even conceive of going to a 2 p.m. doctor appointment in July in an open cart. If I want to venture outside SC, say to the Whole Foods Market in Scottsdale, I can. And, it has many safety features, including 10 airbags. Clearly not as much fun as a golf cart but more practical for my use.
     
  15. fixj

    fixj Active Member

    I recently rented a Chevy Spark on a trip in MN and WI. After seeing how small it was I was going to upgrade....I put my golf clubs in their travel bag, a large duffle bag, a back pack and my 6'2" body inside.
    I had ample head room. The gas tank took 7 or 8 gallons to fill from empty.
    It might be small but it did the job and was very comfortable.
     
  16. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Hey LW, have you moved in now?

    It is interesting to note we are seeing more and more of the smaller cars around town for people who appear to be opting for a that rather than the golf car. It's just too bad they can't perfect the battery so they run these little beauties. The thing I notice about them is they have some really cool colors available, which makes them standout even more.
     
  17. LinW

    LinW Member

    Aloha, BP. No, I haven't moved in yet, still stuck in "paradise." My goal arrival date was 11/10, but a rather serious surprise illness and hospitalization moved that back to one side or the other of the Christmas holidays, probably after. Actually the Spark comes in an all-electric model but that "option" puts it way out of my price range.

    Hey, fixj. Good to know you found the Spark comfortable. I've never been in one but, as is my wont, after some research, I bought it sight unseen on the 'net. I've bought my last three houses that way and all worked out so why not a car? I have a friend in Peoria who is driving the Spark round the block once a week to keep the battery up and she has nothing but good things to say about it. Hope to be there experiencing condo and car for myself early in the new year, latest.
     
  18. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    That's a bummer LW. The good news is we'll be part way through our freezing cold winters (that one's for you BW).

    Get better and get here; we're all waiting eh?
     
  19. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    I wish they had a Whole Foods closer to SC. I went to a Sprouts on my last visit with high hopes since its less than 2 miles for my home. Very disappointed in that store. The fruit/veggie section was ok but zero in the deli that was not meat. I could barely buy a salad. Whole Foods has such great prepared vegan choices. With a name like Sprouts I expected SOME vegan foods. I hardly found anything. Honestly I found more I could eat at Fry's. I guess I'll be driving to Traders Joe's regularly, though its a bit far. Sad it moved out of Youngtown. Its different than Whole Foods but very reasonable prices and has frozen/refrigerated items I like. BTW, South Park had a funny bit on Whole Foods this season. Yeah, its the store everyone wants to hate but they have great selections and some are not way overpriced. I always buy coffee there because its triple-certified bird safe.
     
  20. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Need to be very careful buying a used electric anyway. Sometimes the battery is close to needing a change and that is expensive. People try to sell off electric cars that way.

    Hope you recover soon.
     

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