About Captain Spiffy

At Captain Spiffy we are golf cart enthusiasts, and we are excited to help you experience the fun and adventure that a quality GOLF CART can bring into your life! We are a golf cart dealership serving the Lafayette area, offering the best in new and pre-owned golf carts. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are ready to offer outstanding service at every point. At Captain Spiffy, we value the opportunity to create a long-term relationship with our customers, and we do that by making sure to exceed your expectations.

Captain Spiffy started their business out of a garage in lieu of COVID. Clayton Richard and Tyson Scheumann played professional and collegiate baseball, respectively. When COVID hit, baseball was put on the back burner for both of them. To fill time, they would train in the mornings and sell golf carts in the evenings. One thing led to another, and before you know it, they had a building and a full fledge business by November 2020. Captain Spiffy has drastically grown since then, becoming one of Indiana's largest golf cart dealers and the 2nd BIGGEST Icon EV dealer within a 15 state territory. 

Mission Statement

Captain Spiffy provides fun to families everywhere.  

  1. When buying a golf cart, one needs to understand the pros and cons of gas and electric carts. It is important that Captain Spiffy gives the novelties and limitations of each to help the consumer make the best decision possible. #2-6 pertains to gas-powered golf carts. #7-14 pertains to electric-powered carts. #15 pertains to Lithium Ion electric golf carts.
  2. With gas golf carts, you want to treat it as a car. Most golf cart engines sit underneath the main seat. When you flip the seat up, you will have access to all the major parts of the golf cart. You would see the engine, battery, gas compartment, etc. For proper maintenance, it is important that you check all of these parts. Make sure the connections to the battery are tightened and not frayed and examine if there is any corrosion. If there is corrosion, we recommend a battery terminal cleaner and protectorant. Read the instructions as different branded terminal cleaners and protectorant have varying instructions and usages. Also, it is important to make sure the gas compartment is at least 1/2 full at all times before and after use.
  3. It is imperative to continue to check-up your cart even in the winter. More than likely, if your cart sits outside or in a non-heated garage, your golf cart could be impacted drastically, particularly the battery and anything that pertaining to the start-up. When starting up the cart after a long winter, you may notice that the cart will have trouble turning over. In this case, the first thing to do is jump the battery and let the cart run for awhile. This allows the engine to heat up after a long winter and accommodate to its former usage.
  4. Gas carts are great for a neighborhood or golf course, but these carts are starting to be banned from campgrounds and lake communities because they negatively impact air quality. Gas carts are reliable for the most part, but when purchasing a gas cart we ask that you consider the limitations. Gas golf carts could be a huge pain in the butt at times. For a licensed technician troubleshooting gas golf carts may be easy but for the average Joe it could be very tiresome. You could expend a lot of time, energy, and money before finding the actual problem. Most problems that go wrong in a gas golf cart pertain to the engine, carburetor, motor, and much more. These fixes can be pricey and could result in you paying just as much money as you spent on the cart! Gas golf carts are also priced a little bit heavier than electric golf carts on initial purchase. With these aspects to consider, one should also understand the benefits of the gas-powered golf cart. Captain Spiffy can only speak on the experience we have had.
  5. Some of these advantages of a gas golf cart include:
    1. There is much maintenance with gas golf carts.
    2. They have more range than electric golf carts. Most electric golf carts may be limited to one or two rounds of golf, while a gas golf cart could go all day without drag.
    3. Gas golf carts pull hills very well. If you live in a hilly area, we highly recommend gas golf carts.
    4. If you want to go off-roading, buying a gas golf cart may be the better option. With less cable connections than that of an electric cart, you have less risk in jarring those connections loose.
    5. Overall, gas-powered carts have advantages in speed and torque.
  6. The gas-powered golf carts (make/model/year) we recommend: EZGO/RXV/2008+, Club Car/(former )Precedent or (new)Villager/2005+, EZGO/Express (L6 or S4)/2015+, Club Car/Onward/2018+
  7. What about electric? This is Captain Spiffy's specialty. Electric carts take more maintenance, but that maintenance pays off in the long run. When deciding on whether to buy gas or electric, people may not have a thorough understanding of the comparison. Let's take a sneak peek!
  8. The battery compartment typically sits underneath the seat just like the engine of a gas-powered cart would. When referring to electric, there are many different battery set-ups. Electric golf cart powertrains typically consist of 36 V, 48 V, 72 V, and Lithium Ion (which we'll get into later).
  9. Some typical maintenance includes:
    1. Monthly maintenance and refill of batteries. To refill batteries, you would use distilled water and fill batteries up to the cap lines. This is for regular golf cart batteries. Proper eye wear and nitrile gloves are recommended to complete this task.
    2. Some golf carts offer a one-fill-all water filtration system. In this scenario, there is a a tube that snakes through the battery compartments. Locate the nozzle that the snake-like tubing leads to. From there, fill the tubing with distilled water. This system would fill all batteries accordingly and we highly recommend this product option as it makes the battery maintenance process easier.
    3. Always check connections! When looking into a battery compartment, the amount of cables may be overwhelming, but let this not dissuade you. It is important to go through and check every connection before riding the golf cart, especially if it is 2005 or older. If need be, we recommend getting small sticky notes and labelling main and auxiliary cables. It will enable you to view the mess of cables with more ease.
    4. If you enjoy off-roading, we recommend you clean battery compartment after usage. Battery terminal cleaner and protectorant are available at your local auto stores. Terminals and anything metal in the battery compartment need to be cleaned accordingly. This will reduce wear and tear over time. IMPORTANT: Read instructions on the products as all instructions may vary.
    5. IT IS OKAY to wash the battery compartments with water. Make sure you rinse and not powerwash as powerwashing could erode/damage battery connections. When doing so, if your golf cart has a TOW/RUN switch, make sure it is in TOW before cleaning battery compartment and your cart is turned off position of the ignition. This kills the circuit and the chance of anything electrically catastrophic from happening. DO NOT BE AFRAID!!
  10. Some negatives of an electric cart include recurring costs of maintenance and battery exchange every 5-8 years. Typical electric golf carts need their batteries replaced 5-8 years, but some may extend past that life-time if properly taken care of. Batteries typically cost $800 or more. It is recommended you have a professional or someone adequate in the field of electric circuits reinstall batteries. There are many different battery brands. Dependent upon your battery compartment, you could utilize 6 V, 8 V, or 12 V batteries as long as they are deep cycle and are able to fit in the compartment. Talk to your local auto store when purchasing new batteries. Captain Spiffy recommends using TROJAN batteries. Other negatives have been stated in the gas-powered section, like decreased torque and speed in comparison to the gas-powered golf cart.
  11. Some positives of electric carts include:
    1. Environmentally friendly
    2. Easy to troubleshoot
    3. Quieter and neighborhood, campground, and lake friendly.
    4. Quicker in acceleration
    5. Extremely reliable if properly taken care of
    6. Initially $400-500 cheaper than a gas-powered golf cart of the same make/model/year
  12. Captain Spiffy recommends purchasing an electric cart that is 10 years old or newer. We also recommend purchasing the 48 V and 72 V golf carts and staying away from 36 V golf carts. 36 V golf carts typically do not last as long, have less torque, speed, and overall power output. If you are a consumer who wants to add custom upgrades like lights, turn signals, etc. to 36V golf carts, we have a recommendation for you... DON'T. We have been there, done that. It is better to get a newer 48 V golf cart that can handle the additional electrical capacity.
  13. The electric golf carts we recommend (make/model/year): EZGO/RXV/2008+, Club Car/Precedent or Villager/2005+, Club Car/Onward and Tempo/2018+
  14. From experience, we LOVE the EZGO RXVs and Club Car Villagers (2020 and newer, formerly known as Precedents). When purchasing a golf cart, we HIGHLY recommend these carts.
  15. What about Lithium Ion electric carts? Lithium Ion is a revolutionary type of powertrain that newer golf carts are equipped with and is the future of LSV (low-speed vehicles). The Li-On (Lithium Ion) drivetrain is extremely reliable and is an option for virtually almost all golf cart manufacturers. When purchasing a golf cart, one should thoroughly consider a Li-On golf cart. The initial cost ($1,000-$2,000 more) of Li-On is much higher than that of a typical electric cart. What you need to understand as a consumer is that the initial cost may be worth it in the long run. By purchasing a Li-On (Lithium Ion) cart, you are purchasing something that will last 5-10 times longer than a regular lead-acid battery operated golf cart and will require less maintenance than the gas-powered golf cart. It is the best of both worlds. These carts drive substantially better, faster, and longer with minimal maintenance. Traditionally, these golf carts are accompanied by a battery meter that makes sure all batteries are operating within an optimal range. This drivetrain is top-of-the-line! With more questions or comments, visit our contact page and reach out to us.

Contact Us

Call us at (765) 299-0433 or come by today and experience our superior service and selection! We look forward to serving you!

Contact Us

Captain Spiffy is conveniently located near the areas of Lafayette, Indianapolis, Chicago, Louisville, Fort Wayne, and Cincinnati.