Mobility Scooters: Wanted - Tips, Warnings,Reviews.

Diwundrin

Diwundrin

Well-known Member
Location
Nth Coast NSW Australia
Shopping for something to get me around the new digs when I move and currently cruising eBay for bargains and researching.
Anyone got or use one? Any hair-raising stories. They can't be as wonderful as the ads for new ones, 50km range off a battery charge? Batteries must have made a hell of a leap... but then I'm not up to speed I guess.


Any feedback welcome.

I like this one. (It's red, it must go vroooom right?) But I'll be going for 2nd hand, new's too exy for the use I'll get out of it.

http://www.electricscooter.com.au/shoprider-rocky-6-4-wheel

Shoprider-Rocky-6-4-wheel-16-1.jpg
 

Di:
I like this one. (It's red, it must go vroooom right?) But I'll be going for 2nd hand, new's too exy for the use I'll get out of it.
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Di, Don't know anything about them and sure hope I don't have to find out, but if it were me I would buy it just because it's red..LOL Also, that seat looks cushier than others I've seen, but I would like to see a more solid wire basket than that cheesy plastic one.

They just had a major shake up of a company that was the biggest supplier of these chairs here that was bilking Medicare out of millions of dollars. Medicare pulled their contract and the company went bankrupt.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-scooter-store-shutting-down-after-federal-scrutiny-cbs-probe/

Good luck in your search.
 
LOL...how cute, Pappy. I do not own one, but have rented them several times. My friend and I rent them when we go to Las Vegas or to Flea Markets, bring them in the room at night, plug them in and they're ready for the next day and they'll go all day on an overnight charge. When you're out and about and want to get off for a while, just take the key with you and its safe to leave. They are a little tricky in the elevators though...lol

There is a lady here that rides hers to the grocery store...she has a red flag on her scooter and goes all over town on it.
 
$6,000?!?

I could get six used cars that actually run for that price! :cool-new:

I hope you can find something used, because frankly I don't see that they're worth that kind of money. It's just a pregnant go-kart!

I'm lucky enough that I haven't had any experience with them though, so all I can do is wish you luck. Maybe check Craigslist?

OG, I always suspected that The Scooter Store was doing a scam, just like these "FREE Back Brace" and "FREE Diabetic Supplies" ads on TV.

Pappy, so cool! Is that a modified little red wagon that Ma is riding in?
 
Good one Pappy, I was thinking of hitching a tonka trailer on to haul the groceries home if I lose my car licence.

I only need it to get around the grounds, the 'village' is built down a hillside and getting to the community centre, and dining room if I want to use it, would be no great effort, but climbing the hill back home would be. I can only do short distances before my back muscles cramp up, then seize up, so I have to lean on something to recover every 50 metres or so. I still drive so won't have to (hopefully) use it for shopping.

There's a frame on eBay that fits these things to hang rollators, shopping bags etc on so the plastic basket won't matter, it would only need to hold a raincoat and brolly. My cousin has a welder, plenty of metal bits and pieces and talent so he can rig it up with gadgets for my needs anyway.

Saw one with a canopy with built in solar panel recharger but as they're only asking $150 for it I doubt it would get far.


My main problem is getting past those burnt in images of the Wal-mart Walrus people on them.
 
Phil:
Here ya' go - bet this wouldn't be too expensive ...
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Phil, Which unit are you referring to?

See Di, you can always count on members of the forum to come up with great suggestions to any question, always with our best interest at heart..
b-wink.gif
 
Ozarkgal said:
Phil:

Phil, Which unit are you referring to?

See Di, you can always count on members of the forum to come up with great suggestions to any question, always with our best interest at heart..
b-wink.gif
Click to expand...

Well, I was referring to the one in front, but now that I've seen the one in the background I like that a lot more. It looks like a big onion on wheels. :D
 
Go for a 4 wheeler, they are far more stable than the 3 wheelers. I've test driven both. Just about feel off the 3 wheeler when I took off rather suddenly. Did you know that you can join NRMA with one of them? That's an Australian thing in NSW.
 
SifuPhil said:
Well, I was referring to the one in front, but now that I've seen the one in the background I like that a lot more. It looks like a big onion on wheels. :D
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Please don't pretend that you know OG was referring to the driver. She doesn't look like any onion I ever saw.


GJo, that's great news about the NRMA, didn't know that, thanks.
Wouldn't even contemplate the 3 wheelers, I use a 3 wheel walker because it's much easier to maneouver in the house but aware never to lean on it one handed, it tips over too easily.

I've read in the fine print that I have to take out biggish 3rd party insurance to be allowed use a scooter in the 'village' precincts. There must have been a few residents bowled over by them. I might be able to get that tacked onto the car insurance with NRMA and hopefully include it on my no claim bonus... maybe. miracles happen right?
 
Diwundrin said:
Please don't pretend that you know OG was referring to the driver. She doesn't look like any onion I ever saw.
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I'm trying to reign-in my baser instincts. :angel:


I've read in the fine print that I have to take out biggish 3rd party insurance to be allowed use a scooter in the 'village' precincts. There must have been a few residents bowled over by them. I might be able to get that tacked onto the car insurance with NRMA and hopefully include it on my no claim bonus... maybe. miracles happen right?
Click to expand...

That's insane! How can they demand insurance for something you use on the sidewalk? It isn't even a motor vehicle!

Man, these insurance people are worse than the lawyers ...
 
This liability insurance thing in the rules and regs specifically mentions the scooters separately.

Phil these things are registered for road use here to my understanding. I don't know if that applies to those used only on private land, or in retirement village confines though. Some on eBay have number/licence plates. They have a range of 20 to 50K and are classed as motor vehicles on public thoroughfares. They're used on public roads in country towns where there are no footpaths or bike paths and while it's lethally dangerous there's no other option for those out of town a ways but to run them on the road.

It's also highly dodgy legally here when it comes to even riding bicycles on footpaths let alone a vehicle with an engine/motor/ or power source in it. I'm not sure how it works yet but will research it. They are seen in shopping centres but how they get there I'm not sure, nor what the legalities of them are. They would cause as much damage to an elderly person as anything else that could knock them off their feet I guess.

We have a lot of different laws here to those in the US, this is just one of 'em. Unfortunately we have roughly the same ratio of hungry lawyers.
 
You can laugh, but......in our retirement village we have a guy who rides around in a Harley scooter,
it has one wheel on the front, Harley handlebars and larger tyres on the back.....:wtf:
Apparently, from what we've heard, he had it specially made for him.......showoff.... :pfff:
 
But Cas, does he wear a sleeveless leather jerkin and his hair in a pony tail??
Somehow I can't picture an old geezer in hat, kneelength shorts, and socks with sandals riding about on that.

If I win lotto I'll get one rigged up like Boadicea's chariot and do laps of terror waving the double header axe and yelling yeeehaaaa.

.... or not.
 

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