We thought cash for clunkers was the ultimate waste of taxpayer money, but as usual we were too optimistic. Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart.
The federal credit provides from $4,200 to $5,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, and when it is combined with similar incentive plans in many states the tax credits can pay for nearly the entire cost of a golf cart. Even in states that don't have their own tax rebate plans, the federal credit is generous enough to pay for half or even two-thirds of the average sticker price of a cart, which is typically in the range of $8,000 to $10,000. "The purchase of some models could be absolutely free," Roger Gaddis of Ada Electric Cars in Oklahoma said earlier this year. "Is that about the coolest thing you've ever heard?"
The golf-cart boom has followed an IRS ruling that golf carts qualify for the electric-car credit as long as they are also road worthy. These qualifying golf carts are essentially the same as normal golf carts save for adding some safety features, such as side and rearview mirrors and three-point seat belts. They typically can go 15 to 25 miles per hour.
In South Carolina, sales of these carts have been soaring as dealerships alert customers to Uncle Sam's giveaway. "The Golf Cart Man" in the Villages of Lady Lake, Florida is running a banner online ad that declares: "GET A FREE GOLF CART. Or make $2,000 doing absolutely nothing!"
LINK HERE
I guess you CAN get something for nothing. Perhaps someone up at the top has finally come to the realization that there won't be all that much oil available down the road so why not supply people with free golf carts - at least they would be well-equipped on the course. But in any case, this is just another close-out sale before the whole sham goes out of business, so it is interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone thinks this is new, look back to Amsterdam when the stock market was created. Short selling of tulips (acting as futures contracts) was banned in 1610 and again in 1621, 1630, and 1636. In 1637 it collapsed and trade was grounded to a halt.
Enjoy your tulips in your golf cart while you still can.
Thats a pretty sharp looking golf cart. A few mods and it could be a nice "around town" grocery getter. They need to license them for street use, or build some streets just for them. Around here, one could do most of their business on one. At the park where we keep our RV, they are very popular with the full time RV's folks. I wonder how bad a head-on collision would be in one. They probably could be set up with a little trailer for going to Home Depot for McMansion fixing supplies, and Best Buy to lug home the latest big screen. One could hit the back roads and view the beautiful fall colors. It "would" however take you a spell to motor from Chicago to LA, 2200 miles all the way, take my advice, take the highway that's best, get your kicks on Route 66. (A capable DIY'er could make him some fins to go on his Golf Cart). I can see it now. You pull on the lot and out comes the salesman. "Let me put you in one today" he says. "Have a seat and a cup of coffee, and let me talk to my manager". Oh well, the dream bubble busted on that, huh?
ReplyDeleteIt aint all that easy, actually. Electricity is the no. 1 polluter. If everyone started driving golf carts around I wonder how much worse it would be and how hard the toll on the infrastructure would be. I know that wind and solar would not be able to cover it all, actually not even close.
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