How do I figure out what Scooter to buy?

[lovetoscrap]

Long story and it is too late to go into it tonight but I have decided that I am done sitting on this couch (where I have been for the last year) waiting for my feet to get better when they probably aren't going to. I am reclaiming my life for my sake, and for my kids and DH's sake. I am not getting much help from the Drs, they just want to keep throwing ineffective pain meds at me and telling me that it will eventually get better. I am done waiting for eventually. . .

So, since I can't walk for more than about 10 minutes and that has drastically altered my quality of life DH and I have agreed that it is worth it to invest in a scooter to help me regain a lot of my independence and freedom. I am going to try to find something used or deeply discounted. I see a lot on ebay that offer free shipping. But my head is swimming with trying to figure out what I need and what is worth the money.

I really just need something lightweight that I can easily take apart to put in and out of my van by myself if necessary. I can lift--I just can't walk or stand for more than a few minutes, but I can pick things up and put then in the van. I will use it outside of the house. To go to the grocery store, to the mall, to field trips, museums, pretty much anything outside of the house that requires me to be on my feet for more than about 10-15 mintues continuously.

Since my Drs seem to think I should continue to live like an elderly shut in at the age of 38 they aren't going to approve this, but my insurance isn't that great anyway so it isn't that big of a deal. I was going to pay almost $200 in a month to rent one at Disney anyway so I figure why not just put that towards buying one now. I would really like to keep it in the $500-700 range, but are those worth it?

And DH would like to know what the average overall lifespan of the batteries are before you have to buy new ones.

If you have any websites that can help me sort this all out I would appreciate it! Or just personal advice. I really want to take my girls to the Aquarium as soon as possible!

Thanks!

LTS

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have also been shopping for a new scooter. Three good web sites are www.pridemobility.com www.rangerallseason.com and www.shoprider.com I have heard that you should avoid Rascal.

 

[Piper]

I have a Pride Gogo and love it. It is lightweight (even though I'm not!) easy to manouver (think Disney bus parking!) has a tight turn radius (think crowds) and has improved the quality of my life so much!

 

[ireland_nicole]

I'm mostly just learning from your post since I will probably be buying a scooter myself in the next year or so (I'm almost 36). I just wanted to say, Good for you. I think it is absolutely awesome that you are taking your like back! You go girl.
Nicole

 

[WheeledTraveler]

I have a Shoprider Scootie that's fairly portable, but really doesn't like anything other than flat going. It'll do hills, but it can get slow and it kills battery power like crazy.

I've also used a Rascal and actually really liked it. I know one of my friends had a Rascal for years and loves it. (It's now her back-up wheels for her powerchair)

 

[LauraVV]

... DH and I have agreed that it is worth it to invest in a scooter to help me regain a lot of my independence and freedom. ...
I really just need something lightweight that I can easily take apart to put in and out of my van by myself if necessary.

I just purchased a scooter. I got one now because I couldn't rationalize spending $200-$300 for a week at Disney when I could get a new one for $800.

I purchased a Cosco 4 wheel scooter from Farm and Fleet. It was on sale for $800. It worked out very well. It has a 9 mile range. I weigh about 130 lbs. Weight certainly has a lot to do with range. It comes apart easily and it's pretty light weight (heaviest piece is 32 lbs). I ran out of battery power one day, a day when my daughter sat on my lap (almost 10) and I was out for about 12 hours.

Broken down it fits into the back of our minivan.

 

[SueM in MN]

It has a 9 mile range. I weigh about 130 lbs. Weight certainly has a lot to do with range.

weight does have a lot to do with range, as well as the type of terrain - flat or smooth terrain takes less battery power than either rough surfaces or hills.

I don't know about scooter batteries, but I know for my DD's power wheelchair, we were told we might have to replace them once a year. Her old power wheelchair was 5 years old and still had the original batteries when we got her new power wheelchair. Her chair had started acting up and the first thing the service people thought of was the batteries. When they checked, the batteries still held a charge like new. The service guy asked me what my 'secret' was, and I told him that I watched the battery indicator and did not recharge the battery every day if it didn't need recharging. We usually re-charge when she has about 1/3 of the charge left (we do check it and if we know she will be doing a lot of driving it, we recharge it even when it is not down that far).

 

[scottsod]

i have a scooter sitting in my garage that is unused

its a 3 wheel kinda of heavy we had a arm lift in the mini van for it bout 10 years back when my dad used it i have 2 chargers for it
it needs a new battery to run i think my dad used it for less then a year its like new


im in nj in the nyc area

if anyone realy needs it and cant afford one i would donate it

scott

 

[RNMOM]

I bought my scooter at http://www.scooterlink.com/ and have been very happy. I have had mine for 18 months. Another good site is www.scooterville.com.

They break down the catagories as to weight capacity, distance covered by battery power and things like that. I have a heavy duty scooter due to my size and it has been great. I have a 25 mile capacity which I have never come close to exceeding.

Look at the web dealers carefully as most offer free batteries and free shipping as well as giving a lot more information about each catagory than the individual sites do. I used the individual sites as well but can't complain at all about the service I received. It was delivered in about a week. Have fun searching.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I came across this link tonight, http://www.usatechguide.org/techguide.php as if to help answer my own question. It has some reviews that I may find helpful. I have a few things available to me locally on craigslist, but they don't seem to post much information so that is frustrating. I may just stick with the Ebay route where I am at least dealing with a company and getting something new.

I am going to see if I can find any local companies where I can see what may be available here and try some things out and kick some tires so to speak. Maybe I can come across a good deal that way.

I am about 200 lbs and the most use it will get is a full day at WDW. Not reallys sure how much battery life I will need for that. The ones I am looking at all say about a 9mi. range per charge so that may really be my only option in my price range.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Oh, can anyone tell me why I would choose 3 wheel or 4 wheel? I am not sure what the difference, advantages/disadvantages of one over the other are other than price.

 

[LauraVV]

Oh, can anyone tell me why I would choose 3 wheel or 4 wheel? I am not sure what the difference, advantages/disadvantages of one over the other are other than price.

I think that the 4 wheeled ones are more stable. The one I have is a nice one. There is one on ebay that offers new scooters and has a really good guarantee. Mostly, though, they were not cheaper than buying a cheaper new one.

Did you check your local newspaper? I also found one on tradin' post, which is a newspaper for classified.

 

[RNMOM]

Three wheel scooters have a shorter turning radius. If you have ever tried driving those scooters at the grocery stores or Walmart/Target you will get an idea what I mean. It makes it easier to make sharp turns or completely turn around in a small space. Doesn't seem like a big deal but I had the challenge of ascending a ramp that had 180 degree switchbacks and it was tough even with my 3 wheeler.

 

[fanningIII]

Maybe you can go and visit the local medical equipment companies in your area and just try out the different types to see what you like and the features they offer. I would call them first to see if what tyes they carry, but usually they will demonstrate and list the features of each one. Nothing says you have to buy it there, but you just may find some good information from them.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I have narrowed it down to the Pride GoGo Elite and the Active Care Medical Spitfire, anyone have any comments or reviews of either of these?