Mobility scooters - anyone had any experiences
Discussion
My mum is getting on a bit and has COPD so even just going up the stairs is a lot for her
Shes after a mobility scooter, and isn't afraid to spend a bit of cash to get something decent.
- Secure
- Good range
- Powerful (ish)
- Nice to drive
Im also wary that like with anything to do with old folk, its a minefield of scamsters and charlatans.
Anyone got any experiences.?
Shes after a mobility scooter, and isn't afraid to spend a bit of cash to get something decent.
- Secure
- Good range
- Powerful (ish)
- Nice to drive
Im also wary that like with anything to do with old folk, its a minefield of scamsters and charlatans.
Anyone got any experiences.?
Need more info. Does she want to go on the road, maybe at dusk/night time? Climb kerbs or go in the park (or other rough ground)? Then she'll need bigger wheels and lights. For a small nippy thing that can get round the shops and go IN the shops easily, look at the TGA Eclipse. Get the extended battery pack.
KAgantua said:
My mum is getting on a bit and has COPD so even just going up the stairs is a lot for her
Shes after a mobility scooter, and isn't afraid to spend a bit of cash to get something decent.
- Secure
- Good range
- Powerful (ish)
- Nice to drive
Im also wary that like with anything to do with old folk, its a minefield of scamsters and charlatans.
Anyone got any experiences.?
Scout ebay for them. You'll pay a small fortune for them brand new from a mobility place and the second hand ones are generally like new anyway.Shes after a mobility scooter, and isn't afraid to spend a bit of cash to get something decent.
- Secure
- Good range
- Powerful (ish)
- Nice to drive
Im also wary that like with anything to do with old folk, its a minefield of scamsters and charlatans.
Anyone got any experiences.?
The 4 wheeler ones seem to get stuck on kerbs and edges a lot as they have stabiliser things that stick out the back to stop them from tipping up but they're more trouble than they're worth. My Old Dear had 3 different types and had problems with them all so had a 3 wheeler now which she prefers.
The tyres seem to attract a lot of punctures for reasons I've not worked out. Again my Old Dear has been stranded many a time and got so sick of it she had solid tyres fitted but the ride now is bone shattering.
My Mrs has used a Sterling Pearl for ten years now. It separates into three bits to put into the back of a hatchback, and it's ideal for nipping into shops etc. It's OK on smooth pavements, dropped kerbs etc. but won't go up/down normal kerbs, and has about 3 inches ground clearance, so is useless on rough ground. It's absolutely useless in the wet, spray from the front tyres runs into the chassis and into the 'ECU' control box under the seat, and that's an expensive repair.
All that jazz said:
Scout ebay for them. You'll pay a small fortune for them brand new from a mobility place and the second hand ones are generally like new anyway.
Also put the word out locally. All the likely sources you can think of who might be in contact with older people - churches, doctors, chemists, supermarket notice boards, etc etc.our local Red Cross place has mobility aids for a donation and are very reasonable.
I would say buy second hand. My aunt bought one(brand new) used it 3 times and it sits in the garage. So many owners will die or become too infirm so there should be plenty about.
Try a wanted ad on Gumtree
I would say buy second hand. My aunt bought one(brand new) used it 3 times and it sits in the garage. So many owners will die or become too infirm so there should be plenty about.
Try a wanted ad on Gumtree
POTTER!I would have been happy to give my dad's one away. I bought it for £300 almost new, must have cost the previous owner....a relative of a colleague £1200
I couldn't find anyone to give it to so I put it on Gumtree and took about £100 for it. It just needed a new battery
I suggest looking at a few locally ..... There will be loads.....and let's face it it's usually the family needing to shift it and it very likely it's as new and for peanuts.
I couldn't find anyone to give it to so I put it on Gumtree and took about £100 for it. It just needed a new battery
I suggest looking at a few locally ..... There will be loads.....and let's face it it's usually the family needing to shift it and it very likely it's as new and for peanuts.
Look at second hand market first. Most people who buy them can never use them: ie storage issues , lack of charging facilities, confidence etc.
Ability matters are a national chain. You could visit their shops and get a feel for the products.
I meet many disabled people who have one and have never used the things.
Ability matters are a national chain. You could visit their shops and get a feel for the products.
I meet many disabled people who have one and have never used the things.
I've had 3 and currently use 2.
There's a lot of choice out there and shops tend to be linked to particular brands, so they don't always give the most impartial opinion.
There are Mobility Roadshows around the UK where you can try out several different types.
As someone said earlier, it depends on how she wants to use it. The big 8mph ones are great on the road and very comfortable but can be a pain around shops and forget trying to get them in a normal car.
Range is a bit like Government mpg figures, it depends on the type of terrain etc and can hopelessly misleading.
Two bits of advice though
Avoid 3 wheel scooters. They are very manoeuvrable but quite unstable at times
Avoid 2nd hand until you know what you're doing. They may be cheap but you don't know how the battery's have been looked after, they're the most easily f
ked if they've not been charged correctly or hardly used but easily the most expensive bit.
My 2 are a luggie, which is light and easy to get in the car, train or even plane but is only really suitable on flat,even, surfaces
And a 5 wheel Quingo Air, which is just small enough to get into the S-Max, breaks down so it fits in a smallish boot without to much trouble, looks quite "manly" and can easily cope with mild off road but does need 2 of us to get in and out of the car and is to big for trains.
There's a lot of choice out there and shops tend to be linked to particular brands, so they don't always give the most impartial opinion.
There are Mobility Roadshows around the UK where you can try out several different types.
As someone said earlier, it depends on how she wants to use it. The big 8mph ones are great on the road and very comfortable but can be a pain around shops and forget trying to get them in a normal car.
Range is a bit like Government mpg figures, it depends on the type of terrain etc and can hopelessly misleading.
Two bits of advice though
Avoid 3 wheel scooters. They are very manoeuvrable but quite unstable at times
Avoid 2nd hand until you know what you're doing. They may be cheap but you don't know how the battery's have been looked after, they're the most easily f
ked if they've not been charged correctly or hardly used but easily the most expensive bit.My 2 are a luggie, which is light and easy to get in the car, train or even plane but is only really suitable on flat,even, surfaces
And a 5 wheel Quingo Air, which is just small enough to get into the S-Max, breaks down so it fits in a smallish boot without to much trouble, looks quite "manly" and can easily cope with mild off road but does need 2 of us to get in and out of the car and is to big for trains.
Edited by stuartmmcfc on Saturday 29th August 10:55
See if you can find a lightly used second hand one and make sure she gets a good test drive before buying.
My gran also had COPD and spend about 2k on a all singing all dancing model from one of these rip-off companies that visit at home to sell. Anyway she only used it a handful of times because she was too nervous with it, especially in busy places like shops and town. Ended up selling it on ebay for her and got back about £300... the new owners were delighted.
Also as the COPD progresses quite frankly reaction times and strength to control the thing just are not there.
edit:
plus storage can charging can be an issue as they are generally too big to get into the house easily and anyone with COPD will find it hard to walk to the shed or garage to get it out, especially on a cold day.
My gran also had COPD and spend about 2k on a all singing all dancing model from one of these rip-off companies that visit at home to sell. Anyway she only used it a handful of times because she was too nervous with it, especially in busy places like shops and town. Ended up selling it on ebay for her and got back about £300... the new owners were delighted.
Also as the COPD progresses quite frankly reaction times and strength to control the thing just are not there.
edit:
plus storage can charging can be an issue as they are generally too big to get into the house easily and anyone with COPD will find it hard to walk to the shed or garage to get it out, especially on a cold day.
Edited by VolvoT5 on Saturday 29th August 11:19
Bit of a thread resurrection. My old mum can no longer drive a car (we've stopped her). She is 87 and struggles to walk far. I need to get her a scooter to get to the local shops about 2 miles each way, maybe she'll go 5 miles each way. Will be used on suburban pavements and crossing roads, needs to get up dropped curbs etc. I doubt we'll need to get it in a car but would be nice.
Main issue is we will need it to cope with a steepish ramp down to her house, she will ride it down and out the side entrance where it will be stored and charged.
Any thoughts? will be looking second hand to start with, need to see how she gets on. I see batteries mentioned, what type do they generally take? Costs?
Main issue is we will need it to cope with a steepish ramp down to her house, she will ride it down and out the side entrance where it will be stored and charged.
Any thoughts? will be looking second hand to start with, need to see how she gets on. I see batteries mentioned, what type do they generally take? Costs?
Buying a mobility scooter is like buying a car.
Buy new from a dealer
Pros : should be perfect for you in both what you want and mechanically.
Cons : expensive and if you only go to one dealer you only see 1 type of car
Buy 2nd hand from a dealer.
Pros: cheaper and any problems should be sorted before sale. Should be a wide range of models,
Cons : warranty no where near as long and things can still wear out
Buy 2nd and privately
Pros : the cheapest way of doing it
Cons : no comeback and potentially someone else’s old problem.
I’m now on my 5th purchase but this time it’s my first electric wheelchair.
I bought 2nd hand from a dealer I found on eBay. The principles the same though. It was nicely prepared and came with 6mth warranty and new battery’s.
It has stopped it 8 moths down the line from developing a fault which has cost me £200 to sort out.
However it was £6000 cheaper than new.
My only advice would not to rush in and buy the first cheap one you see advertised.
Buy new from a dealer
Pros : should be perfect for you in both what you want and mechanically.
Cons : expensive and if you only go to one dealer you only see 1 type of car
Buy 2nd hand from a dealer.
Pros: cheaper and any problems should be sorted before sale. Should be a wide range of models,
Cons : warranty no where near as long and things can still wear out
Buy 2nd and privately
Pros : the cheapest way of doing it
Cons : no comeback and potentially someone else’s old problem.
I’m now on my 5th purchase but this time it’s my first electric wheelchair.
I bought 2nd hand from a dealer I found on eBay. The principles the same though. It was nicely prepared and came with 6mth warranty and new battery’s.
It has stopped it 8 moths down the line from developing a fault which has cost me £200 to sort out.
However it was £6000 cheaper than new.
My only advice would not to rush in and buy the first cheap one you see advertised.
My mum now needs a scooter to get about.
She has a 10 year old Jazz, ideally she'd like to be able to bung the scooter in the boot and take it places
She's 5ft and built like a sparrow. She would struggle to lift 4*2ltr bottles water.
I've seen there some boot hoists.
Anyone got experience of a boot hoist?
Is a Jazz boot viable for a scooter and hoist?
Budget not an issue, but I'd rather she does spent thousands of £££ on something she can't manage.
Thousands on something she can manage would be a great result.
She has a 10 year old Jazz, ideally she'd like to be able to bung the scooter in the boot and take it places
She's 5ft and built like a sparrow. She would struggle to lift 4*2ltr bottles water.
I've seen there some boot hoists.
Anyone got experience of a boot hoist?
Is a Jazz boot viable for a scooter and hoist?
Budget not an issue, but I'd rather she does spent thousands of £££ on something she can't manage.
Thousands on something she can manage would be a great result.
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