JeepinIan
05-09-2003, 05:24 AM
on their private island.
On Fisher Island, they drive Rolls-Royces, Mercedes and Hummers. And... (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/5819540.htm)
Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2003
BY ANABELLE de GALE AND CARLI TEPROFF
adegale@herald.com
On Fisher Island, they drive Rolls-Royces, Mercedes and Hummers.
And those are just the golf carts.
Yes, this is how the rich get around the country's wealthiest neighborhood: They putter. In souped-up, mini-replicas of luxury cars.
Sure, the Miami island is home to a nine-hole course. But these rides are not just for the fairway. They come with options, upgrades and the price tags to match.
''I can blow past the other golf carts in mine,'' said resident Jim Ferraro of Ferraro & Associates PA. ``It's loaded.''
Ferraro has a Porsche, a Ferrari and a Mercedes 500 in the garage but he cruises the community in his miniature green Hummer, which can reach speeds of up to 25 mph.
Hey, that's much faster than your run-of-the-green golf cart, which maxes out around 18 mph.
The Fisher Island speed limit: 19 mph.
The Hummer's dashboard and steering wheel are trimmed in wood. It has turn signals and even a CD player. The cost? Close to $20,000 -- about the same as a new 2003 Chevy Malibu. Full size.
When Ferraro bought his home on the island a few years ago, the property came with its own golf cart. All the residences do. The thing is, he said, ``It was just your basic, standard one.''
About 650 families live on the posh, private island, which has the highest per capita income in the country, according to the 2000 Census. Getting onto the island requires a ferry ride and, for outsiders, an invitation from a resident to even get on the ferry. Its 216 acres include 18 tennis courts, 100 boat slips, a spa, hotel and six restaurants. And, yes, lots of very rich people who can afford to splurge on custom carts.
''It's an expanding trend in wealthier communities,'' said Brad Brin, manager of the Golf Car Connection in Pompano Beach. ``The market for luxury golf cars is getting bigger and bigger. Pockets of golf car communities have been popping up -- Fisher Island, Key Biscayne, Ocean Reef.''
And, by the way, Brin said, ``It's no longer a cart -- it's a car. Golf cars.''
Got it. Anyway, the top-flight ones run from $13,000 to $20,000, depending on extras. Drivers can opt for elevated suspensions, alloy wheels, speed upgrades or an ice chest.
Why blow that kind of cash on a golf cart?
Real estate investor Robert Vole weighed in:
``People will spend $300,000 on a car and then realize they spend more time in the golf cart than in the car.''
Poor things.
''That's when they invest in a better one,'' said Vole, who bought a Ford Think Neighbor about a month ago.
''It's got a really quick pickup and it's built like a regular car,'' he said of the oddly named electric cart.
Among the residents enjoying life in the slow lane: Fisher Island's Sonia Cohen.
Her navy-and-white Rolls-Royce seats six and has customized leather seats. The $15,000 ride was a gift from her husband, who drives the larger-version Rolls.
Said Cohen: ``He has a big one. I wanted a little one.''
On Fisher Island, they drive Rolls-Royces, Mercedes and Hummers. And... (http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/5819540.htm)
Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2003
BY ANABELLE de GALE AND CARLI TEPROFF
adegale@herald.com
On Fisher Island, they drive Rolls-Royces, Mercedes and Hummers.
And those are just the golf carts.
Yes, this is how the rich get around the country's wealthiest neighborhood: They putter. In souped-up, mini-replicas of luxury cars.
Sure, the Miami island is home to a nine-hole course. But these rides are not just for the fairway. They come with options, upgrades and the price tags to match.
''I can blow past the other golf carts in mine,'' said resident Jim Ferraro of Ferraro & Associates PA. ``It's loaded.''
Ferraro has a Porsche, a Ferrari and a Mercedes 500 in the garage but he cruises the community in his miniature green Hummer, which can reach speeds of up to 25 mph.
Hey, that's much faster than your run-of-the-green golf cart, which maxes out around 18 mph.
The Fisher Island speed limit: 19 mph.
The Hummer's dashboard and steering wheel are trimmed in wood. It has turn signals and even a CD player. The cost? Close to $20,000 -- about the same as a new 2003 Chevy Malibu. Full size.
When Ferraro bought his home on the island a few years ago, the property came with its own golf cart. All the residences do. The thing is, he said, ``It was just your basic, standard one.''
About 650 families live on the posh, private island, which has the highest per capita income in the country, according to the 2000 Census. Getting onto the island requires a ferry ride and, for outsiders, an invitation from a resident to even get on the ferry. Its 216 acres include 18 tennis courts, 100 boat slips, a spa, hotel and six restaurants. And, yes, lots of very rich people who can afford to splurge on custom carts.
''It's an expanding trend in wealthier communities,'' said Brad Brin, manager of the Golf Car Connection in Pompano Beach. ``The market for luxury golf cars is getting bigger and bigger. Pockets of golf car communities have been popping up -- Fisher Island, Key Biscayne, Ocean Reef.''
And, by the way, Brin said, ``It's no longer a cart -- it's a car. Golf cars.''
Got it. Anyway, the top-flight ones run from $13,000 to $20,000, depending on extras. Drivers can opt for elevated suspensions, alloy wheels, speed upgrades or an ice chest.
Why blow that kind of cash on a golf cart?
Real estate investor Robert Vole weighed in:
``People will spend $300,000 on a car and then realize they spend more time in the golf cart than in the car.''
Poor things.
''That's when they invest in a better one,'' said Vole, who bought a Ford Think Neighbor about a month ago.
''It's got a really quick pickup and it's built like a regular car,'' he said of the oddly named electric cart.
Among the residents enjoying life in the slow lane: Fisher Island's Sonia Cohen.
Her navy-and-white Rolls-Royce seats six and has customized leather seats. The $15,000 ride was a gift from her husband, who drives the larger-version Rolls.
Said Cohen: ``He has a big one. I wanted a little one.''