Not many reading this who deal in Golf Carts, think Export, but Europe in particular is hungry for second hand stock. Today’s rate of currency exchange between the Dollar and the Pound Sterling or Euro makes US imports cheap and financially attractive to buyers across the Atlantic.

The reason is golf cars have now become firmly established in most European countries, all in varying degrees of growth, but take the United Kingdom for instance – it has around 3,000 golf courses and maybe only one third have made the change from walk to ride. Those that have are eagerly expanding their fleets, partially due to changing climate bringing more warm sunny days and partially because clubs are wising up to realising golf carts generate profit. Before we go on let me explain, golf carts are more commonly known as golf buggies in parts of Europe so if I refer to buggies you know what I mean. I have personally been involved in the sale and hire of golf buggies for 14 years now and always see a shortage of stock in June. Throughout this year we have all been turning down buyers because we have nothing to sell and we personally have turned away some 65% who had dollars in their pocket wanting to buy now. Manufacturers who probe our used car market are still to listen and learn what is required, something they are not good at doing. Courses are adding to fleet numbers, not trading fleets, and this shows no signs of changing in to the 2005 season.

E-Z-GO, Club Car and Yamaha control the European golf market, as with most places I guess. The change in preference to electric versus gas models has been very fast and certainly brought about by the performance and reliability of the Club Car DS 48-volt. Hills you once would not have pointed a 36-volt electric at are now providing dealers the chance to show off with their latest battery powered models. The things to remember when exporting electric buggies are the voltage and hertz rating of the charger. Europe uses 220V AC, 50 hertz/cycles so a European (export) charger is required. Tops and windshields are essential too for golf carts.

RV Parks are looking for utility vehicles such as Workhorses and Turf/Carryall trucks plus 6 seat people movers. Private buyers are looking for carts with beauty or attitude but the vehicles don’t exist here. Kit cars are talked about but none are available. Spain and Portugal have a lot of privately owned golf carts around the Costa regions and private carts mean customers want special carts. Try and find them for sale in those areas and you will run out of gas looking – hey there goes another opportunity.

The European market spans the whole year with the short seasonal nature of Northern Europe down through into Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece with all year round requirements.

One way of finding buyers in Europe is by advertising on www.buggymart.com. Currently this website attracts up to 3900 hits per day, all looking specifically for golf buggies, their parts or accessories. When surveyed, these hits are from genuine golf cart buyers, but Europe’s no stock situation means they are not finding the deal they want. A problem for Buggymart, but a huge opportunity for North American Dealers with stock.

20 carts without roofs fit in to a decked out 20 foot high cube shipping container, that costs about 3,000 US Dollars total. Individual units can be shipped as consolidated loads and this means they ship in a container along with somebody else’s items at slightly higher rates than a full load but still very affordable transportation charges.

You can “list until sold” a single golf cart or details of a whole fleet for a straight fee of only US$33. Once registered you have the choice of auctioning items or a buy now situation. If we can help with more information please just send an email from the buggymart website or call us on 011-44-1744 893787. (Eastern time + 5 hours)