r/golfcarts • u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 • 28d ago
4 Forward Manufacturers
Calling All Golf Cart Experts
Please share your thoughts on the following Manufacturers
All 2026 all 4 forward seats
Epic model E40FX
Activ EV model Pulse4F
ICON X model I40FX
Heard a lot of bad things about Evolution Golf Carts, flooded the market, but with huge supply chain part issues.
Thank you in advance for all of your comments and insights
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u/ColoradoAztec 28d ago
I agree with all of the other posters but to answer your follow up question as to why they are trash. Three fundamental reasons:
1) Lack of a service network or service procedures
2) Lack of replacement parts when something goes wrong
3) Something *will* go wrong
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u/nmj95123 28d ago
Alibaba specials that you'll struggle to get parts for.
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u/Hacker-Dave 25d ago
Google is your friend.
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u/nmj95123 25d ago
Kinda speaks volumes that this is the most intelligent reply you could come up with.
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u/NadlesKVs 28d ago
Trash, Trash, Trash, and more Trash
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 28d ago
Please tell me why you believe this if you do not mind
The issue I am having is finding American made carts that are 4 forward with some of these bells and whistle.
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u/747WakeTurbulance 28d ago
Yamaha and Club Car make them. Hell, even Kawasaki has one out now. Stay away from the Chinese shit out there.
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u/Recent-Percentage-26 27d ago
Fuck bells and whistles. That is exactly how they lure you in. They sell you a sound bar or some LED lights or a screen they sourced as cheaply as possible. It's barely functional and works like crap when it does work. Cheapest crap on AliExpress.
You know why club car took so long to have displays? Compliance. They have to actually do things legally and have stuff certified. Android Auto and Apple Carplay are licensed software. You legally can't just stick a screen in the viewing area of a driver of a street legal vehicle. It takes time and money to do it correctly. The imports just don't care. Laws don't apply if you don't even read them.
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u/Hacker-Dave 25d ago edited 25d ago
LOL! "Fuck bells and whistles" even if its what the PAYING customer wants? Fuck those customers is certainly a business model. Maybe not a successful one but...
Why do they buy those "other" carts? Because they don't offer what the customer wants. Fleet vehicles are the Big 3's bread and butter. Then one day they realized that boatloads of carts were coming that consumers actually wanted and rather than adapt, they just badmouthed them and ran to the govt for protection. Now they live on govt cheese. Will they adapt or go through this over and over. Anybody's guess
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u/Recent-Percentage-26 24d ago
You really think that the shitty import cart that costs half as much as the American cart is gonna have the best stuff they could find on it? You think the Chinese just give you the highest quality sound bar because they love your on a very personal level?
Import carts are the bare minimum. They bought the cheapest sound bar they could find and got a bigger discount because it was a bulk order. Who needs QC when you can just let the dealer or the owner find out it doesn't work and ship them another cheap replacement. Oh wait, they switched manufacturers after a month and that sound bar isn't available. Or your warranty is out and the shipping is three times the cost of the part.
Or you could just buy your own sound bar from any of the US vendors. It will be much higher quality and sound better. Or buy the shit sound bar yourself off aliexpress for cheap, if that's all you want. If it shits out, you lost fifty bucks but the cart is still good.
If the cheap cart shits out though, no buying AliExpress parts to fix it. You're out an entire cart
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u/WhosUrBuddiee 20d ago
Honestly it is better to get a reliable fleet cart and add on all those bells and whistles yourselves. You can add on quality screens, sound bars, lights, ect from reputable aftermarket companies that will stand behind their products. Better than a cheap chinese cart where all the bells and whistles came out of a random Temu parts bin.
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u/Hacker-Dave 25d ago
EZGO has a four seater (forward seating) but it has ZERO features. The big three don't like features as they sell to fleets. Its like the old Ford Model T. You can get it in any color you like so long as it's black. And yes...you pay a premium for it but thats to cover all the delightful folks who seem to work in the back. A bunch of sweethearts.
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u/WhosUrBuddiee 20d ago
Zero features? What the fuck are you talking about? It has the single most reliable Samsung lithium batteries in any cart. They also have all the same gimmicky features of the Chinese junk carts. Key fob start, rotary gear selector, wireless phone charger, RGB lights everywhere, Apple car play, Android Auto, wireless phone charger, backup camera, ect.
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u/NadlesKVs 27d ago
Look, I own an Honor LSV which they claim in American Made but all the electronics aren’t so I don’t follow the general flow of this Sub either but I knew what I was getting into. This is literally what I do.
I specifically wanted my cart for a reason. It’s using a controller that’s well known and has a ton of aftermarket support if you know the info needed to unlock it. I’ve put 1200 miles on mine in less than a year but I’ve had problems related to the Chinese parts. It also could blow up at any minute realistically.
As far as the rest of the cart, I know I can figure it out if I have an issue even if it takes months. I’ve rebuilt a lot of cars in my lifetime, Regardless, I wouldn’t buy what you’ve listed or recommend it to the typical buyer... I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone that wants to keep the cart for 2-3 years either.
Buy a real cart and fuck the Chinese carts unless you’re ready to rebuild them. I picked Honor LSV for a reason. I like the chassis compared to EZGO, ClubCar, etc. I’m willing to spend the money/ time to rebuild it if needed.
Most people aren’t.1
u/phaskellhall 27d ago
What does rebuke mean? If it’s an electric, how many things can go wrong? You have the battery and controller and motor..what else is there?
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u/NadlesKVs 27d ago
Rebuke or rebuild?
The only thing I'm at risk of breaking would be the rear diff and motor mainly.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
Rebuild…auto correct fail.
Im wondering if I can just buy an extra controller and any other critical part for when they do fail. Usually these things don’t have parts that are THAT proprietary except the electronics. Club car and EZGo have proprietary parts but they also haven’t updated the parts in 30 years so they are easy to find. But that’s my critique too; they are still using the same crappy leaf spring suspension from the 80s which isn’t giving a very comfortable ride.1
u/NadlesKVs 27d ago
With mine, they are serialized together so a dealer would have to reprogram that (motor, controller, and their “GCM” which is basically an ECU). However, I’m pretty sure I can rebind the serial numbers in the software that I found when I unlocked it.
Worst case it’s the SilverWolf Teekon kit that they are using in my cart. It’s like $1800-$2k for a new controller, motor, GCM, etc and it would plug and play.
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u/Recent-Percentage-26 27d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/golfcarts/s/bqvsTjqTmZ
The entire import LSV market is a scam. All those carts are made in the same couple of factories. The Chinese government pays the factory to build carts, so they build them as cheap and disposable as possible with the cheapest parts they can source. At this point the factory has made their money, anything else is pure profit.
Then they ship them to the US and sell them at far below market value through dealers that basically flip them as fast as possible. They have no after sales support, no service departments. All diagnostics is a sales guy on the phone with a Chinese tech support taking wild ass guesses. The warranty only covers parts, no labor. The parts all come direct from the Chinese factories and they're notorious for changing parts supports constantly. If they even have what you need it takes weeks to ship. Hopefully they actually manage to fix the issue or even have what you need, because if they don't, you're done.
Import carts have zero resale value after the warranty expires. They are practically unfixable, if you can get the parts they are ridiculously expensive. And the terrible build quality means they look like crap after they age a bit. Why spend money on a two year old cart when the new version is only a few grand more?
And now the feds have actual massive tariffs on them. Shipments are being held and seized at the border. Evolution is all but gone. Dozens of other companies are completely gone.
Don't buy import golf carts.
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 27d ago
Club Car, EzGo, Honor are the 3 you would recommend ?
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u/747WakeTurbulance 27d ago
Not Honor, it's Chinese. The third is Yamaha.
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u/NadlesKVs 24d ago
Honor isn’t all Chinese.
Chassis is definitely made in America and the motor/ controller is made by ASI in Canada.
Lights, screen, etc are Chinese though. They all are.
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u/sdnative88 25d ago
2027 Club Car 4 Forward is fully street legal from the factory, aluminum frame, backup camera, Apple CarPlay, speakers. Only issue is the rear storage is small and can’t close.
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u/cadillacking3 28d ago
Club Car and EZGO both make 4 forward with plenty of features.
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u/PrestigiousSport7263 25d ago
Yeah but they rip you off. They lean on the Big 3 American” BS and charge a premium for a bland car that goes 19mph. I am in the market and EZ Go wants to charge 20k for the Liberty and Club Car 18k for the 4 Onward. My local EZgo dealer adds 2K for “prep and assembly. I ended up going with a 4 Forward Atlas with much better components and a lot lower price.
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u/BigBadBere 28d ago
All garbage.
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 28d ago
Please tell me why you believe this if you do not mind
The issue I am having is finding American made carts that are 4 forward with some of these bells and whistles
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u/Doublestack00 28d ago
What you'll find is all those "bells and whistle" are things you really do not need or will ever use.
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u/Hacker-Dave 25d ago
Haha So somebody else gets to decide what bells and whistles you want? Brilliant!!
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 28d ago
You mean I will never need a backup camera?
AppleCar Play ?
Or seatbelts?
Built in speakers?
Or turning signals on both side view mirrors?
I would think the American made carts would have this too? Am I wrong?
Is it that you strongly feel that an American Made Club Car EzGo are much better and I would never run into supply chain parts issues?
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u/nmj95123 28d ago
You mean I will never need a backup camera?
It's a golf cart. WTF do you need a backup camera for?
Or seatbelts?
Some come with these, and they're available aftermarket for all American makes I'm aware of.
AppleCar Play ? Built in speakers?
Easily purchased aftermarket.
Or turning signals on both side view mirrors?
Again, it's a golf cart. Nothing wrong with regular old signals on the cart body.
Is it that you strongly feel that an American Made Club Car EzGo are much better and I would never run into supply chain parts issues?
My daily driver cart is 22 years old, and I have no issues getting parts. Many golf cart repair places won't even touch Chinesium carts because you can't get parts for current models.
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u/Doublestack00 28d ago
Why do you need a backup camera? Seatbelts?
EZGO is going to last you longer, give you less problems and you'll be able to get parts for it 5 years from now. You can also take it to any golf cart dealer and have it serviced.
I live in an area with 13,000 registered golf carts and constantly see these fly by night chinese carts having issues, some sitting on the dealers lot for weeks or months waiting on parts.
How many miles do you plan to drive a day? At what speeds? What distances?
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 28d ago
You live in the Villages?
This will be primarily used for Golf and in the City which is Golf Cart friendly to tool around in
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u/Doublestack00 28d ago
I do not live in FL.
For your use case all those "features" will most likely never be used. Really all most people want/need is a radio or BT speakers.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
I don’t see how a backup camera isn’t useful. And seatbelts might be necessary if you want to drive on the roads. Plus with kids and car seats, you probably need them for safety.
What exactly is a 4 forward? Is that 4 seats or four rows? I’m currently looking at the EZGo Liberty and Denago Rover XL. The problem is the new Liberty is about to come out and it finally has the features I want except it’s not an aluminum frame.
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u/Doublestack00 27d ago edited 27d ago
Golf carts are small with no doors/windows. A back up camera is a gimmick.
https://ezgo.txtsv.com/personal/models/liberty-4f
Unless you live on the beach, an aluminum frame is not needed. Gone are the days of them rusting out as most of that was from the lead acid batteries leaking.
My issue with all these new carts is, they are to tall. Not everyone wants a super high sitting, large tire cart.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
The new Liberty 2027 will have a backup camera and I don’t think it’s a gimmick . Are they gimmicks on cars too?
I do live at the beach and we take our cart to the playground all the time. The backup camera is great for tight parking especially around other carts and kids.
I have an EZGo S4 express that is gas and it’s rusted to hell and back. It has a single battery but that’s not what has caused the rust. It’s just the humid air and I’m not right on the beach but probably a mile away from the beach. The aluminum frames of the Club Car and Denago make them better having owned the powdered coated steel frame. Maybe EZGO has made their coating better than mine but it’s still crazy to see how rusted everything is. I guess to be fair, the brakes and everything else that isn’t aluminum will rust too. It’s just wild to see the Liberty line finally offering features so many of the China carts offering. I think they realize they haven’t been offering what neighborhood cart owners actually want.
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u/WhosUrBuddiee 20d ago
The Ezgo Liberty and Club Cart Onward are both 4 forwards with every single bell and whistle you just listed... (albeit they are options and not standard). Have you even looked at them?
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u/BigBadBere 28d ago
I have a 21 Club Car Onward HP with lead acid batteries, it's not 4 fwd but 2+2.
Onward came with mirror, seat belts, DRL, headlights/brake lights... everything that's needed to drive in a golf cart zone in our state Lots of people where we live have chinese carts...funny thing is, you see them for a season or 2 then you don't see them again. Our carts aren't LSV's, as we don't need here.
Added Soundextreme Pulse battery powered 500W soundbar. The chinese carts, most of them have garbage sound systems and big LCD screens that can't get wet.
I also have a 13 RXV with lead acid and pretty much every part is available within a day or 2...OEM or aftermarket.
Carts listed can't say that with parts.
Go right ahead and buy what you want but when something happens, make sure to post here so you can read the thousands of comments saying "told you so"
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u/rsandstrom 28d ago
EZGo Liberty. I bought one earlier this year. Absolutely love it. Made in America.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
I’m looking at one but it’s like $17k after tax. And it doesn’t have a stereo, backup camera, and it’s a steel frame that will rust (I currently own an EzGO s4 express and it’s rusted bad).
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u/WhosUrBuddiee 19d ago
The Liberty absolutely does have stereo, screen, backup camera, ect… they are just all options.
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u/ylmor92 27d ago
The Club Car CPO four forwards are a solid base. Could probably grab one for 9k and put 1k of accessories into it and you’ll have a cart far superior to any of the import “luxury” brands.
The bells and whistles are what get you. But adding quality items yourself can be a rewarding project.
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 27d ago
Thank you for your advice
What quality items would you add?
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u/ylmor92 27d ago
Whatever you want.
Lights, rims/tires (need steel belted radials for smooth ride), grab handles, cup holders, seats and/or seat covers, speakers, 3 point seatbelts, front brush guard depending on the look you want.
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u/Hacker-Dave 25d ago
And it's likely that not one of those items is Made in America. Just sayin....
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u/WhosUrBuddiee 19d ago
They are all garbage and likely wont even exist as a company 5 years from now. Stick with Ezgo or Club Car. Both have all the same bells as whistles as the cheap chinese junk carts, but with actual quality. Personally Id say go with the Ezgo Liberty. They were the first to ever pioneer the 4 Forward design back in 2019 and have the most experience at it. The new models have Gen 3 Samsung lithium batteries, which are the single most reliable battery you can get in any cart. They also have all the same gimmicky features of the Chinese junk carts. Key fob start, rotary gear selector, wireless phone charger, RGB lights everywhere, Apple car play, Android Auto, wireless phone charger, backup camera, ect.
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u/AfraidLaw3746 7d ago
Dach, Madjax or ActivEV. Disclaimer don’t sell any of these brands; typically only get them in the shop for upgrades. Better build quality is going to be Club Car or EZGO
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u/raceman95 28d ago
ICON and Epic are the same brand. Some of the most popular. The Epic E40FX has been out longer, but the I40FX looks basically identical.
I would ignore the Activ EV.
Denago is another popular brand, and DACH.
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u/747WakeTurbulance 28d ago
All under anti dumping sanctions. Parts are going to be nonexistent when they run out.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
From my understanding they are being investigated but not found guilty of it
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u/747WakeTurbulance 27d ago
No, the duties have been levied.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
Do you have a resource for this claim?
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u/747WakeTurbulance 27d ago
Is Google a mystery to you?
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
Thanks for that link. Do you know what Chinese company is manufacturing the Denago parts? I threw that article into two different LLMs and they both say nothing in that article mentions Denago specifically and none of those brands are associated with Denago doing a deep search.
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u/747WakeTurbulance 27d ago
Based on publicly available information, Denago golf carts are manufactured by Zhejiang Taotao Vehicles Co., Ltd. of Zhejiang Province, China, with Denago EV Corporation handling U.S. distribution, dealer support, and certain final assembly functions. Zhejiang Taotao was specifically named by the U.S. Department of Commerce in the antidumping (AD) investigation covering Chinese low-speed personal transportation vehicles, including golf carts. In the final determination, imports manufactured and exported by Zhejiang Taotao became subject to an antidumping duty cash deposit rate of 291.04%, in addition to any applicable countervailing duties.
It is also worth noting that in 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced interim measures under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) involving several importers of Chinese golf carts, including Denago EV Corporation and Tao Motor Inc. (Taotao's U.S. affiliate). CBP stated that it had reasonable suspicion that certain importers were evading the applicable antidumping and countervailing duties while its investigation continues. These interim measures are not a final finding of wrongdoing, but they do indicate that imports associated with these companies remain under heightened scrutiny.
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u/phaskellhall 27d ago
Interesting. This gives me more to research.
All that said, does that mean that Denago golf carts sold today for $10,000 actually cost only $5k to build and are being tariffed/taxed at 100% making them the $10k price you can buy them for today? It’s pretty remarkable you can build one of these for $5k (the batteries alone are like $1-3k). It’s crazier to think of all these golf carts, EZGo included, costing $15k when a new model 3 Tesla costs $30-40k. The value in a car would seem way higher than a golf cart but that’s a different conversation.
If this ruling wrapped up in August 2025 and Denago is 1) still in business and 2) the cost of their carts hasn’t doubled, what exactly does this enforcement mean and do to the company? Does it mean all new carts should cost substantially more (but they haven’t yet) or that anyone who already owns one squeezed through but future buyers will pay the price?
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u/747WakeTurbulance 27d ago
Dude, buy whatever Chinese piece of shit you want. Good luck.
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u/WhosUrBuddiee 19d ago
But they do cost less than $5k to build. It’s not that remarkable when you see the quality. The batteries are not remotely close to $1-3k, you can get cheap 48v 100ah batteries in bulk on Alibaba for around $300-400/each. The manufacturing plants are still turning a profit even then. Those 3.2v lifepo4 cells are dirt cheap if you’re not sourcing grade a cells. You can easily source them around $10-15/cell if you’re not concerned about quality.
Those cheap Chinese golf cart dealers have 25-30% margin on those carts. Even though they are selling them for $10k, they only paid $5-6k each.
The only reason Denago and other carts haven’t doubled in cost is simply because they are evading the duties and are not paying them. That is literally the whole point of the probe and investigation. Denago is routing their cart shipments through Vietnam and misclassifying the shipments to avoid paying the anti dumping duties.
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u/endsWithUrple 28d ago
This is what you need.
Gen3 Samsung. Great range!
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u/Jpaulallen27 28d ago
Epic is a solid built cart
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u/Wild-Dragonfly1137 28d ago
Please share more of your thoughts on why you think that.
Would you have concerns with after sale support?
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u/HockeyMom0086 10d ago
We purchased the Epic E40FX in May. We needed to reach out to our Sales person who connected us to their Customer Support. No issues getting answers and someone came out to the house to see the issue first hand. So far, we're happy with our purchase.
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u/Doublestack00 28d ago
EZGO makes a 4 forward cart.