unable to buy new car with dla after 5 april 2011

just been to local car dealer to buy a new car with my high rate dla only to be told that after 5 april this year you can only get a lease vehicle. confirmed this with motability by phone. yes a lease vehicle is okay but you actually pay a lot of money per month for it and it is never yours. after three years of buying the car it is yours and you get to keep the money that was being directed to motability. motability is supposed to be a charitable organisation but only allow certain mileage etc so they can make max money when sell car on at end of your lease. and that is without the deposit that you pay to cover the loss of money in depreciation when they sell it. sorry for rambling but surely this has got to be against our human rights as it is at the end of the day our money and our choice of which car is suitable

Comments

  • Think you're getting a bit confused!

    You get Higher rate Mobility and have several options:

    1. Have the money and spend it on what you want (Get a loan from a bank to buy a car)
    2. Use your allowance and Motability will lend you money to buy a car on HP up to a certain amount and with certain conditions attached.
    3. Use your allowance to lease (BORROW) a car for 3 years, 20,000 miles a year, all servicing, tyres, insurance, Breakdown cover etc included in the price, and there are loads of cars that need no deposit.

    Hope that helps, from my point of view, having a new car, fully expensed except for fuel, for around £50 a week is a very good deal
    Opinions are like bottoms - We all have one, just some stink more than others

    Service Attributable Pension - War Pension - War Pensioners Unemployability Supplement - War Pensioners Invalidity Allowance - War Pensioners Comforts Allowance - War Pensioners Mobility Allowance - War Pensioners Child Allowance - Housing Benefit - Council Tax Benefit
  • melcor
    melcor Posts: 3 Newbie
    edited 28 March 2011 at 12:23PM
    sorry that is what my point is !!!!!!!!!!! the option to buy a vehicle through motability is being stopped on 5th april, not confused just annoyed. as i bought my car with my dla and husbands lease(borrowed) vehicle going back and he wants to buy (as is his choice) but cant because lease ends after 5th april. if you ring motability they will confirm option to buy is being scrapped as they want everyone in lease vehicle or keeping the money. this is a financial decision by motability. i personally think to hand over 8400 pounds over a period of three years to have nothing at the end of it is wastefull. especially when the company providing vehicle is making money on you hence the limited mileage. the option to lease is better for yourself obviously, but you at a guess have a lifetime entitlement and possibly near retirement age thus avoiding the rigourous new medicals. other people myself and husband are in our forties and have three year entitlements the thought of not having a vehicle to get around in is unthinkable. and as normally in this imperfect world those that can play the system get those in need dont.
  • Chorlie
    Chorlie Posts: 1,029
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    Are you saying that Motability is stopping the 5yr HP option (the car is yours after the 5yrs) or are you saying that Motability won't sell you the car you've leased of them for 3yrs?

    If it's the second point, then they used to sell it to you for about market second hand price, so you could just buy a 3yr old car for about the same price. It's Motability's car and they are free to dispose of it anyway they want, so if they have do a group deal on there cars it's upto them.
  • colin13
    colin13 Posts: 1,007 Forumite
    as said above,,it is your money you can buy and negoiate the purchase of any car,you wish,,just not tthrrough motability tbh never knew you coul;d do that and get all the benefits you geet with a motability car
  • I've just phoned them up, and stand corrected, they do appear to be stopping the HP option!

    They did say that if you were in the last 14 weeks though that you still had that option. Guess it depends how long you have left, but I have to admit that I had never heard that the HP options were going?
    Opinions are like bottoms - We all have one, just some stink more than others

    Service Attributable Pension - War Pension - War Pensioners Unemployability Supplement - War Pensioners Invalidity Allowance - War Pensioners Comforts Allowance - War Pensioners Mobility Allowance - War Pensioners Child Allowance - Housing Benefit - Council Tax Benefit
  • Chorlie
    Chorlie Posts: 1,029
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    I don't know anyone who did the 5yr option, don't you have to pay your own insurance, servicing etc and after 5yrs most people would be looking to replace the car by then. You still have to give up you're allowance so a new car every 3yrs with all the extras is better for most people.

    If you want to keep the car, then buying a good second hand car and use the allowance to pay off the car loan isn't any real difference to the 5yr HP option. Also if you're a wheelchair user and have the car adapted than you can buy a new car VAT Free, with the Motability Discount and any Deal Discount so that could be 30%+ off the list price of a new car and you can try to haggle in 3yrs free servicing, breakdown cover etc. And you can still take out a personal loan, then use your allowance to pay back the loan.

    So there are other option, still don't understand why the OP thinks there Human Rights have been Broken by Motability.
  • i bought one and paid 15 pound a month warranty which i have just extended car now paid for after three year hp option and now have benefit of extra money coming in and the option if with 12 months of disability payments left i can move to a lease vehicle if necessary. does actually save you money in long run. yes you have to insure it but shop around because no matter how long you on mobility insurance you receive no no claims. the reason is i feel that human rights issue is because when i first went to buy my car 18k on clock mint condition they contacted dealer to see if they could get me in new model on lease they dont want people buying cars and try to influence you. check their website only last paragraph mentions hp option. therefore even though they advertise the option minimilistically they try to persuade you otherwise when in fact it is your choice with your money and they have taken that option away. yes ok can go to bank but unfortunatly if had house repossessed due to illness then this may be only option to buy a car that for example to teach your children to drive in. as the motability took away that option on insurance terms. yes it is minor and maybe i dont like banks making money out of the disabled in the name of charity - they charge deposits for cars i could drive (automatics large family) to cover any deprecition on resale value when you take the car back with under average miles - they sell normally through garages with high hp interest rates and they have had your money as well.
  • Tally-Ho_2
    Tally-Ho_2 Posts: 369 Forumite
    edited 28 March 2011 at 7:13PM
    The cynic in me thinks this is a hard nosed business decision by the banks who own Motability Operations (or whatever the side other than the charitable arm is called).

    They probably forsee that once DLA is replaced by PIP, a lot of their current customers may lose their benefit. Hence if the claimant cannot pay (havng lost their DLA/PIP) they would need to reposess the car. However under Hire Purchase legislation the car cannot be reposessed once a certain amount of installments have been made. That then could get 'messy' and expensive legally for them.

    In other words, it is far easier for them to recover a leased car than a HP car!.

    I don't think they will admit that this is why they have chosen to go down this route, but I feel pretty sure it may not be too wide of the mark (according to someone in the know!!)

    Tally
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