mobility scooters

[xelasnave]

I don't need one but I want get one for my father.
Does anyone have experience with these.
What should be the considerations before making the purchase.

[Larryp (Laurie)]

Alex, buy a 4 wheeler, not a 3 wheeler. The "Montana" brand seems to be well-supported with reasonably priced spares and service. I would avoid the ones with the small anti-tipping wheels fitted to the back, as these can sometimes foul on high gutters and suchlike.

[iborg (Philip)]

I know someone who recently bought one for their father.

One feature it had that sounded very good was, when turning the handle bar, it would automatically slow down.

If I understand correctly, it only slowed when the speed was on the high side.

Sounded like a good idea as it should reduce the chances of tipping if the handle bar is turned hard in an emergency.

Philip

[michaellxv (Michael)]

My dad has one of the 6 wheel variety. Drives on the big wheels in the center and can turn on the spot. Very maneuverable especially when he takes it on the bus.

[julianh72 (Julian)]

You need to think about how and where it will be used.

The most compact ones are the "power chairs", which can turn on the spot, and are designed for use indoors around the home. They may be of limited use for someone who needs to travel a couple of km, with some unpaved footpaths etc.

Next up are the "shopping scooters" - some with 3 wheels, some with 4. The wheels are usually quite small, and their suspension has limited travel, so their "off road" capability leaves a bit to be desired. When we were test driving for my father, we discounted these, as his trip to the shopping mall has to traverse a range of surfaces, but they might be fine if you only need to handle smooth, fairly flat paved surfaces. I found the three-wheeled models quite scary when going across uneven surfaces, such as footpath / kerb roll-evers, as I felt like I would tip over the front corner, so I wouldn't recommend them for someone with balance / fine-motor-control issues, if they have similar needs.

We got my father one of the bigger 4-wheel units with 7" pneumatic wheels and coil spring suspension. It can travel quite quickly (the grand-kids love going for a spin on "Grand-dad's go-kart"!), but it also has a "creep" mode when you need to move slowly. it has lights, turning indicators, carry baskets, sun shade, etc, and has a claimed range of up to 40 km, although it has never been used for more than about 5 km in a day. It is good for getting to and from the shopping mall etc, but it is a bit big to be used inside most shops. (Big department stores are generally OK, and even Coles and Woolies if they have been modernised with nice wide aisles, but he can't take it into any shops with narrow aisles.) It has the range to get him to and from his nearest Dan Murphy's, and the luggage capacity is plenty for a carton of beer and a bottle of scotch - he can drive it inside the store, but he likes to use the drive-through, as it takes away some of the pain of having his driving licence taken away for medical reasons a few years ago! It has given him several years of freedom, and was a great buy.

[xelasnave]

Thanks everyone I did not know where to start.