WANTED Mobility scooter wanted

[PhilMary]

As my daughter's MS is getting worse we now need a mobility scooter of some sort to help her keep her independence.
Has anybody of this fine section of the community have any ideas?
Phil

 

[funflair]

There are lightweight ones that fold up and go in a car boot or there are fixed ones that you/she would park up at home, then you have a choice of pavement only that do about 4mph and road legal that do 8 mph or more.

Martin

 

[SuperMike]

The Very @old-mo TypeFella was selling a mobility chair a while back. Don’t know what happened, or wether he still has it.

Sack that sorry, found the thread and it’s gone.

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/salsa-m2-mobility-chair.167356/page-2

 

[cranky]

my only advice, after getting one for my late mum, is as there are so many types out there, find what you want and try before you buy, and then look for a good second hand one of which there are thousands. (a bit like buying a moho, only you know what you want/need)

 

[RogerThat]

I'd like to suggest avoiding Quingo.

There are no prices on their web site, you can't buy online or over the phone - Instead they send a salesman to your house.

Unscrupulous pressure is applied

They are also desperately overpriced for what they are.

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[TheBig1]

the sad truth is mobility scooter salesmen make a lot of profit from people in need. You pay excessively high price new and the value just evaporates. second hand prices are a fraction of new even when barely used#

many people buy scooter for frail relatives who are then unable to use them. the scooter sits unused till it is then disposed of. £200 to £300 will buy a nearly new scooter from a house clearance shop

 

[chrisgreen]

If you go secondhand be sure to check the bateries, dont beleive the battery gauge on the scooter as it can read full and you get mile down the road and its flat mobilty scooter bateries are not cheap.
you might buy a scooter for 200 pounds but then find you need new batteries and depending on the AH that could be another 200 pounds.
if someone tells you it was my mothers and she died 6 months ago but didnt use it for 2 years before that be weary,as without proper batterie management the batteries could be goosed

 

[Marty Gilly and Pup]

The second hand advice ain’t bad. I’m actually the manager of a large distribution warehouse full of this stuff. Products come back to us, as new due to being wrong colour, too big for hallway or whatever and are sold second hand at about 60% of wholesale price. They are snapped up. Colleague bought one recently for his missus and is made up with it. The batteries are as new too to be honest. Not quite the same as dealer new but their mark up is plenty believe me.
Shop around. Try a few websites and do comparisons. But do go look at them. Some folding ones are nearly impossible to pick up while other light ones are flimsy as you like.
I won’t say which company I work for but I’ll answer any questions you might have or pass them to the expert engineer who is involved from design to support for these beasties and knows everything worth knowing.

 

[PhilMary]

Mary, Gill and pup
Thanks for your input. I will be with my daughter tomorrow so I will try and get her to draw up a wish list.

Thanks all for the input.
Phil

 

[tonyidle]

There are some styled as tricycles that look less like the traditional variety depending on her preferences / needs.

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[Mousy]

Hi, not sure how old your daughter is?
I too have MS there are a couple of MS groups I’m on that would be a great resource for your daughter and occasionally have second hand sales. She could also ask for recommendations.


If she is a mum or trying to be there’s muMS UK or if not there’s MS UK on Facebook. Both upbeat and positive supportive members.

 

[Marty Gilly and Pup]

Mary, Gill and pup
Thanks for your input. I will be with my daughter tomorrow so I will try and get her to draw up a wish list.

Thanks all for the input.
Phil

Cheers Phil.

You can always send me a PM if you need to ask anything. Happy to respond.

 

[TheBig1]

Also beware rip off prices for batteries. No such thing as mobility scooter batteries. They can use gel, agm or sealed lead acid, so plenty of choice

I just this week changed and upgraded the batteries in brenda's little scooter for under £60. Which took 10 minutes with a screwdriver and a spanner. Mobility shops quoting up to £200 for fitting the same batteries.

Anything for disabled is like motorhome parts, way overpriced for easily available replacements

 

[TheBig1]

Its the same with servicing, a quick wipe over, lubricate the moving parts and spray the electric connectors with acf then test the batteries. 20 minutes work for £150+ good pay for nearly bugger all work.

 

[TheCaller]

MS tends to affect the whole body, not just arms or legs. While the smaller scooters are great for packing up & putting in a car boot, a certain amount of upper body strength is needed just to stay on them.

In addition, younger people tend not to be keen on mobility scooters because they are associated with old people.

The alternative is to look at electric wheelchairs. The design of these has come on in leaps & bounds in recent years. You sit in a wheelchair rather than on it, which is much more comfortable. It is easier to take it into places, rather than having to leave it outside. They are available with seats that are powered up & down, which is great if standing is getting difficult. Some of them look very snazzy - small children are heard to say "Oh, cool" as you go past.

The downside it that they tend to be more expensive than scooters. Some stupidly so, but there are some that aren't too bad for what they offer. Eurovema in Sweden do some very practical powered chairs.

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[Humsafer]

I buy and sell mobility scooters so have a bit of experience of what to look for. Someone gave advice that you should investigate what you want at a dealer and then buy privately. That is good advice.
If you are buying a "Boot" scooter for the car and M/H don't get hung up on batteries, Nearly ,but not all run on two 12volt 12 amp. I purchased two new ones yesterday for £37 (ebay) and they are easy peasy to fit. I would sooner purchase a scooter that hasn't been used for a year or so and put new batteries in. Ride the scooter for half a mile, watch the battery gauge and listen carefully for noises, it shouldn't have any, check the overall condition and look at the tyres and treads, check the seat for rips and tears. Check the Tortoise and Hare knob operates correctly There are many good scooters available second hand and with a little patience and common sense it is not difficult to find a good one at a fraction of the price of new. nb: there are lots of lemons out there as well, I know , even I have bought the odd one, don't rush, apply common sense and if in doubt scoot off. It is surprising the fibs some people can tell you

 

[PhilMary]

Many thanks, Humsafer.
Getting some good advice from the Funsters as usual. Ta.
Phil

 

[TheBig1]

Nearly ,but not all run on two 12volt 12 amp. I purchased two new ones yesterday for £37 (ebay)

yes but higher capacity batteries can also be installed if they fit. i put 22ah batteries in brens scooter nearly doubling capacity and range

 

[Humsafer]

You can get 15 amp batteries the same size as 12 amp so they can fit the same box. Some boot scooters do have larger boxes that can take 20 or 22 amp . You pay extra but as "The Big 1"says its worth for the extra range. Less chance of running out. As you go up in scooter size, batteries get bigger and much more expensive , can be around £250 a pair. But this is a whole new ball game where good batteries are essential in the deal so some testing is necessary. 12 amp should give a boot scooter at least 6 miles and 15 amp about 8 miles but of course it can vary with conditions.