Mobility scooter

[consultant31]

Mum is in need of a mobility scooter and there are hundreds out there to choose from. Has anyone got any recommendations please?

It would need to have 4 wheels and be strong enough to carry her weight comfortably (14 stone). Ideally, it needs to fold down enough to go in the back of my car when we go out (Mitsubishi Outlander), but still be big enough to go several miles on one charge at about 6-8 mph.

She suffers with osteoporosis and so needs good 'cushioning' against bumpy terrain (no mountaineering, just local roads, lol).

We've looked at the Rascal 850, Shoprider Cadiz and various others - all with good points. Please tell us which is the best bet.

Many thanks.

[Nile]

Hello consultant31

I'll move your thread to the 'Health & Beauty' board, where it should get more responses.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

Regards

Nile

[Ted_Hutchinson]

A quick scan of adds for secondhand mobility scooters such as
Disability Equipment Register (http://www.disabreg.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/disabled%20scooters.htm)
Disabled Drivers Club (http://www.justmobility.co.uk/smalladds/Directory.asp?SAString=scooter&SACat=Any&SAArea=Any&LowPrice=Any&HighPrice=Any&SAPrvt=Any&SANew=Any&x=58&y=12)

or Ebay (http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=mobility+scooters) produces hundreds of similar stories of little or hardly used mobility scooters which have been bought with the best of intentions but prove unsuitable.

May I suggest you start by reading the leaflets at
Disabled Living Foundation (http://www.dlf.org.uk/public/factsheets.html) and Radar (http://www.radar.org.uk/radarwebsite/tabid/113/default.aspx)

I expect many readers here will remember I was all set to buy one of these for myself a while ago before I discovered the ability of Vitamin D to improve muscle strength (http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/newsletter/2007-mar.shtml)and athletic performance (http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/newsletter/2007-mar-supp.shtml). It's almost certain that someone with osteoporosis (http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/researchOsteoporosis.shtml) will be vitamin D insufficient. Improving my Vitamin d3 status got me on my feet again.

[consultant31]

Thanks TH, but at 80, Mum is beyond that sort of help. She already takes 24 tablets a day for her heart, arthritis, osteoporosis etc, etc, etc. (interesting links though!)

My Dad passed away recently leaving Mum in a house which is a couple of miles from the nearest shop, no regular buses and she can't drive.

Really would like some input from someone with a heavy duty mobility scooter please. We've spent the last 2 days looking on the internet and have had some quite conflicting opinions from the companies selling the scooters.

The latest one we've looked at is the Shoprider Cordoba, which seems excellent, but is too expensive to be making a mistake.

Help please!!!

[anguk]

I think it may be best if you actually go to a specialist shop selling the scooters, that way your mum could try out lots of different scooters to see which suits her the best and you could ask the salesperson for advice. If you find a suitable scooter in the shop there's nothing stopping you from having a look on the internet afterwards to see if you can find one a bit cheaper although I think sometimes you get better after care and service from a local retailer.

[Savvy_Sue]

Or, if there's a ShopMobility scheme anywhere near you, go and have a go in some of theirs ... you may find it's just not going to work. Sorry to hear about your dad.

[ellenaitch]

Could anyone help me with the cheapest and most reliable seller of mobility scooters. My adult daughter is disabled and needs to buy her first scooter that will fit in the boot of her car. She has little money as she has been unable to work for some time. Any information will be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

[Savvy_Sue]

Hello, I've merged this into an older thread.

There's also a couple of older threads on the Silver Savers board, which may be useful even if your daughter isn't in that category. Here (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=576579) and here (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=347005)

General advice rather than specifics, but useful nevertheless, I hope.

[JAY3436]

Hi

I've used a couple of website before, both gave useful info. Try:
www.help-my-mobility.co.uk (http://www.help-my-mobility.co.uk) and click on the scooter section. or www.mobility-scooters-reviews.co.uk (http://www.mobility-scooters-reviews.co.uk)

good luck.