The City of Carroll took advantage of a $1 buy-out option at the conclusion of a four-year lease on their fleet of 30 E-Z-Go golf cars at the Carroll Municipal Golf Course in July of 2015. The cars remain in good condition and have minimal issues, mostly just the routine maintenance found with a five-year-old machine. Parks and Recreation Director, Jack Wardell, says that he and his staff believe that now is the time to trade these in on newer models, while they are holding a higher trade-in value. Initially, he reached out for leasing information.
Because of this, Wardell asked the suppliers to include a purchase option in their submitted bids, which came in from $6,600 to $8,700 lower than the cost to lease. Harris Golf Cars of Dubuque, NB Golf Cars of Des Moines and E-Z-Go Miller and Sons Golf Cars in Britt submitted bids. Wardell said a comparison of benefits between lease and purchase options yields the most logical choice.
Wardell added that the routine maintenance of each of the 30 machines is still the responsibility of the city, whether it is a lease or purchase. The only real difference is the ability to spread costs over the length of lease, rather than facing an up-front payment for all 30 carts with a purchase. There would be the option, in the future, to stagger the trade-in times of the cars to spread out expenses. The request to purchase 30 E-Z-Go golf cars for a net cost after trade in of $51,630 from the lowest bidder, E-Z-Go-Miller and Sons Golf Cars in Britt, was approved.
