ROOSEVELT PARK, Mich. (AP) — Go ahead, look all you want.

He might stand out a bit, but Louis Schaub said driving his electric golf cart through town is worth every penny he isn't spending on gas.

"It's a head turner. Everyone looks," Schaub said of the street-legal golf cart he uses to buzz around town at 25 mph. "I just continue on. I know they're looking."

The 21-year-old Roosevelt Park man purchased the used golf cart for about $1,500 in 2007 and spent three months meeting state requirements to make it safe for the road.

"It was about the gas prices, and I figured, if I was going to get one, I wanted to be able to drive it. I didn't just want it stuck in the garage," Schaub said.

The cost to purchase the necessary vehicle parts via the Internet and the fees associated with registering the golf cart cost Schaub an additional $800.

But Schaub — who drives an F-150 pickup truck to Grand Haven for work each day — said he felt the alternative set of wheels was worth it.

For his weekday commute to Grand Haven, Schaub said he budgets about $50 a week for gas and never fills the tank completely.

However, Schaub said his modest budget might not cut it for long.

"It's about $10 a day. But I'm probably going to have to change that with gas going up," he said.

To get his golf cart on the road, Schaub — an electronics technician student at Muskegon Community College — said he had to jump through a few hoops.

While researching the process, Schaub said he was warned by state officials his goal might never be achieved.

"It was a project. I was at the secretary of state's office (in Muskegon), and they said it couldn't be done. But I had looked it up on the Internet and found the (state) forms," Schaub said.

So, rather than try and convince local secretary of state officials it could be done, Schaub e-mailed a woman from the secretary of state office in Lansing and checked with a local police officer.

When Schaub received the necessary approvals, he began the golf cart renovation "project."

"I looked up the law on the Michigan Web site ... and started my project. I pretty much did all of the work with friends," Schaub said.

"It was kind of a slow project. I probably could have done it in about a month, but it took me about three months with my work schedule and schooling."

Fortunately, Schaub found that the finished product requires little maintenance. To juice it up, the golf cart is plugged into an electrical outlet and charges for about four hours in order to be driven several miles.

The electric costs are minimal, Schaub said, usually amounting to a few dollars each month. The farthest Schaub has driven the golf cart is to the Lakes Mall area in Fruitport Township — about 17 miles round trip — using residential roads.

Schaub said he uses the golf cart primarily to run errands around town.

But on more than one occasion, he's had some explaining to do.

Schaub admits it's taken local law-enforcement officials a little getting used to: He's been pulled over by Roosevelt Park police officers twice since he's driven it, most recently in May.

"One officer asked, 'Are you serious?' I said, 'I have the paperwork. It's all right.' He looked baffled and said, 'OK,' " Schaub said. "The second officer asked me, 'Do you know how many double-takes you got?'"

From others driving by, Schaub said he generally gets a "thumbs up."

Schaub, who also has installed a stereo system in the golf cart, said he's proud to be one of few people who actually did something about his gas gripes.

"I just like that it's unique," Schaub said of his golf cart. "I've only seen mine around town. I'm the original, and that's kind of nice to know."

___

Information from: The Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/chronicle