Suggestions for new car please

malebolge

I wonder if anyone can give me any suggestions as to a suitable car for me.
I have very restricted mobility - use a wheelchair for any distances but can walk with sticks very short distances. I can drive, but have usually been driven by my husband for the last few years as I had restricted use of my hands (carpal tunnel, diabetic neuropathy). I have, however, had operations on both hands now, and although I still have the neuropathy, I can use a manual gearbox.
We always intended that we would go down to one car, and as I have a progressive illness, I would no longer drive, but sadly my husband died suddenly 2 months ago and I've had to rethink everything.
I'm looking for advice about what type of car to get. We used to have a large zafira, which was great for my wheelchair, but it's no use to me as I can't drive it. (My husband was 6 feet 4, I'm 5 feet tall, same as my daughter) Friends and family have made various suggestions, but they are able-bodied; I wonder if anyone who has better experience could suggest any models of car - I'm reliant on others to take me out to look so narrowing down the choices would save time.
I will drive the car for little journeys but for days out etc, my daughter will drive me. The car needs to be large enough to fit my wheelchair in, and ideally fit me, her and her 3 children too. (room for all the children is not an essential though). I do have enhanced mobility PIP, but am not intending to lease a car; I'm looking to buy one a couple of years old. Money isn't an issue - getting a suitable car is.
My daughter has her own car so it's one that suits my needs I'm looking for - she will be driving me when we go for days out etc. Her car isn't suitable for my wheelchair - we've tried a shopping trip in it and struggled.
I would appreciate any advice. I know absolutely nothing about cars and have had lots of offers from people to take me out to look at cars, but I've no idea which makes & models will be feasible.
Thanks for any help at all.

HB58

I am so sorry for your loss. Looking for a new car must be just another added stress at the moment.

The problem is that there are many models of car out there and every person has different needs. I have just had a new Peugeot 3008 and am very pleased with it. The seat is high enough for me to slide in (I am 5' 6"), but a little high for my 5' 0" mum, the sill are low enough for me to get my legs in and the boot is big enough for my wheelchair, in the bottom, and a full weeks shopping.

The Nissan Qashquai seems very popular amongst motability users but I found the sills too high for me.

Do your friends have cars that you can look at and practice getting in and out of? That might give you some ideas to start with.

rochja

Maybe this site can help you think about what you need:
http://www.rica.org.uk/content/motoring-advice-disabled-people

ingey.uk

My Wife has a Mitsubishi ASX which I drive she is a Wheelchair & Mobility Scooter user it has a nice large boot very Comfortable seats and a very reasonable down payment of £300 it's not only a very Practical car it also looks realy Smart.

malebolge

Thanks for the replies. That site was very interesting- I'm going to make a shortlist of ones to look at and do some looking around.

dori2o

Hi, I am sorry to hear about your loss.

I know you said that money isn't a issue but it would be easier to suggest which car may be suitable if you could give an indication of what a maximum amount of money is that you would be looking to spend.

What size mobility scooter do you have? Would you consider changing the scooter to a smaller model which may allow a greater range of cars to be suggested?

How big is the wheelchair? Is it a foldaway type with big wheels, a transit chair or a power chair?

Do you struggle getting in and out of cars, and if so what are the issues you face? Would you be able to manage the sill on cars like the Quashqai?

I know it seems like a lot of information for a relatively easy question about which make/model of car, but the more information we have the better we can advise you.

harveybobbles

This might sound like a bizare suggestion, but how about a Fiat 500?

A friend of ours had one and his Gran's wheel chair fit easily in the beet, becasue its quite "long" due to the slope of the back end of the car.

Also, they are a little bit higher up than a normal car and quite easy to get in/out for osmeone with mobility issues.

However, the three kids might be an issue.

sunnyone

If you need perminant adaption to allow you to use the vehicle it might be worth considering buying a new car instead as you will not pay VAT on it since you are a wheelchair user. You would then also not be pay VAT on any servicing, parts etc. for so long as you own the vehicle. It's worth looking at adaptions, they are not all expensive and it's worth the extra expense to get the vehicle zero rated for VAT.

The mobility roadshow or similar disability events are a good place to try different vehicles in one place even though you are buying and not leasing, it's very difficult to recommend a vehicle without much more information.

I love grand voyagers personally and they are great vehicles to accommodate both a family and mobility aids (even seven people, a wheelchair and a mobility scooter) but it might be too big for a runaround for you. I have had both the standard vehicles and now I have a wheelchair accessible one to accommodate my powerered wheelchair, they are just the right height to get in for my mobility impaired family so it suits us perfectly ATM.

Chorlie

sunnyone wrote: »

If you need perminant adaption to allow you to use the vehicle it might be worth considering buying a new car instead as you will not pay VAT on it since you are a wheelchair user. You would then also not be pay VAT on any servicing, parts etc. for so long as you own the vehicle. It's worth looking at adaptions, they are not all expensive and it's worth the extra expense to get the vehicle zero rated for VAT.

The mobility roadshow or similar disability events are a good place to try different vehicles in one place even though you are buying and not leasing, it's very difficult to recommend a vehicle without much more information.

I love grand voyagers personally and they are great vehicles to accommodate both a family and mobility aids (even seven people, a wheelchair and a mobility scooter) but it might be too big for a runaround for you. I have had both the standard vehicles and now I have a wheelchair accessible one to accommodate my powerered wheelchair, they are just the right height to get in for my mobility impaired family so it suits us perfectly ATM.

This isn't 100% correct; you have to be a permanent wheelchair user and the car has to be adapted so that you can either:- enter / leave, ride in or drive the car. The OP hasn't stated it need to be adapted and has stated they can walk a short distance with a stick so therefore wouldn't be classed as a permanent wheelchair.

To the OP; have you considered an automatic if you have hand problems? I'd go to a car supermarket (not to buy) but you'll be able to see lots of makes / models in one place and can see which do / don't fit your needs to help narrow down your search, then you can state you're looking a 'X' type of car or a car that has X, Y & Z; that way we maybe able to help you more.

malebolge

Thanks so much for all the advice. In response to some questions - I was thinking of about 10-12K cash, but could go higher for the right car. Just before he died, my husband was going to buy a quashqai; I sat in it and had no difficulty getting in and out, but I'd never have been able to drive it. I can't reach the pedals on bigger cars. My last car was a KA, which is obviously way too small.
I've had an automatic in the past, thing is my daughter will probably end up doing the driving if we go out for the day, as I don't particularly like driving, and she doesn't like them.
I don't need any special adaptations, just room for my wheelchair, which is a fold-up manual one that I can manoevre myself. My illness is progressive, and I was told last year that I would be totally wheelchair bound by now, but still can walk a little bit. Being pragmatic, though, I am getting worse and i can see my daughter taking on more and more of the driving in the next 2 years. Me and my husband used to go out a lot, to gardens, for lunch and general sightseeing, and I'm really lucky to have a daughter who's said - right, we'll carry on doing that. That's really why I want to get a decent car. I'm trying to be positive and not staying stuck in a huge house on my own, and she's being brilliant.
The idea of a car supermarket is excellent - we're going to do that next week. Ive made a list of all the suggestions and will take it with me. Thanks so much to everyone.