A LONGSTANDING NEPTUNE CITY CAR DEALERSHIP LAUNCHES A GOLF CART REVOLUTION BY ERIK SCHONING PHOTOS
BY ALEX BARRETO
Head to any Jersey Shore town in the summer and you’ll see throngs of people bound for the beach on bikes, on foot, by car, and thanks to a recent law change in the state golf carts. Low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) are now street legal on roads with 25mph and under speed limits. In Neptune City, Michael Graubart, the proprietor of Michael’s Motorcars, is welcoming the new movement with the latest division of his business: Michael’s Motorcarts.
Graubart launched his company in 1996 (opening in Neptune City in 1999), and gradually expanded the dealership to include a service center, an auto detail center, and body shop. In 2011 he acquired 1800 Car Cash, New Jersey’s largest car-buying service, and in 2019, he obtained the 100-year-old Yamaha dealership on Highway 35 with the intention of opening an exotic car showroom.
“I own a lot of property and businesses in the neighborhood,” Graubart said. “So in 2019, when I bought the Yamaha dealership, I needed a golf cart that would get me around the neighborhood. I looked up different cart manufacturers and I found Icon, which was developing a street-legal golf cart. So I bought one. Then we started seeing one or two here and there and we thought, ‘You know what? We should sell them.’”
The first step in launching a successful enterprise is identifying a demand, and Graubart entered the LSV business at a time everyone seems to want one. These are perfect beach vehicles: easy to pack up, easy to park. Every vehicle in the Michael’s Motorcarts showroom is 100% street legal, equipped with license plates and blinkers.
The Icon brand has been steadily on the rise since its launch in 2017, recently named the top golf cart by Golf Cart Magazine. At his showroom, Graubart sells the full range of Icon vehicles, from the two-seater Icon i20 and the four-seater i40 to the Epic line of premium LSVs. Epic vehicles boast finishes that rival many traditional cars in the luxury department, including diamond-stitch seats, a carbon fiber dash board, backup cameras, and top-of-the-line sound systems.
Today, Michael’s Motorcarts has its own dedicated show room space in the facility originally slated for exotics. Out front, customers can spot Graubart’s own Icon cart, which he keeps on display at the dealership and uses for test drives. The move from selling traditional cars to LSVs has been, in many ways, a refreshing change of pace for Graubart.
“This is more exciting,” Graubart said. “The customer is coming in for a cool toy that they and their family are going to enjoy and run around town with. So it’s more of a fun feeling. Everybody is excited about buying one, versus someone coming in to buy a regular car, who might be a little nervous and is trying to fill a need. With the carts, customers come in, they know I’m here, they know who I am, and it’s a very happy experience.”
Graubart’s top-selling Icon is the i40L, a four-seater lifted cart. The vehicle’s upgraded suspension is perfect for off-roading on grass. As with all Icon vehicles, it comes in a kaleido scopic range of colors and features 12-inch aluminum wheels and a touch of extra durability.
As Graubart continues to expand his motorcart division, he is eyeing all sorts of uses beyond recreational. Schools, townships, police departments, and athletic departments all have a need for these types of vehicles, and the seasoned businessman is looking to position himself to take full advantage of a nascent market that has boundless growth potential.
“Now that LSVs are street legal, I think a lot of people are going to want to buy them,” Graubart said. “It’s just starting now. I think demand for these vehicles is really going to take off. I’m very excited to see where it goes. I have a very good feeling about it.”
But as much as Graubart believes he got into the right market at the right time, he knows the success of Michael’s Motorcarts is largely attributed to the trust he’s earned from the denizens of Monmouth County after two decades in business.
“We’re already a staple in the community,” Graubart said. “We’ve been in this town since 1999. Everyone knows the name Michael’s, and they know they can trust us to do right by them. I’m not just some unknown guy who opened up a little golf cart shop. I’ve been here for years.”
Michael’s Motorcars
1207 New Jersey 35 S, Neptune
732.775.4444 / michaelsmotorcars.net