OT: for ecv owners

[dj2]

Does anyone have any feedback they'd like to share about purchasing an ECV: what to look for in general, etc., or about the Victory model from Pride specifically? Someone in my area is selling one which they say is less than 1 year old. Is it an acceptable model?

An on-line search priced it new at about $1900. They're selling it for $400. I have a two-week trip tentatively planned for december, which will run me about that price for an ECV rental, so I thought buying might be a better option.

of course, that will mean taking it on the airplane. other threads seem to indicate that this is doable, right? it actually seems quite a relief to use that rather than the rollator in the airport, as my condition continues to degrade, and i'm really not sure what things will be like 10 months from now.

Any advice you can share will be greatly appreciated.

-dj

 

[Sue & Co.]

I'm sure someone else may post soon with more knowledge of that particular model but with regard to flying it all depends on the type of battery it has. if it is less than a year old it should have one of the newer sealed batteries but you would need to check the specifications.

if it is less than a year old and was $1900 new, then $400 seems rather cheap? Over here in the UK second hand ecv's would not have depreciated that much that quickly but it may be different in US.

Sue

 

[dj2]

it does sound like a good deal, doesn't it? he was asking more, but i figured it couldn't hurt just to tell him my budget. and i asked him to think about calling me back if his add ran for awhile and he didn't get any offers at the price he wanted. i was really surprised when he did call back. i think he just wants to get rid of it, as he said his wife is in a power chair now. dh and i are going to drive out (an hour away) to see it on sunday. i asked him about the batteries, and they're the right kind to be easy for flying. are batteries (and loose parts) the major concern for taking an evc on a plane?

also, even though it's a low price, i don't want to have to turn around and buy another one soon. are there any other features i should be paying attention to in this decision in addition to the batteries? are there things that are not as good which i should make sure that this one doesn't have? TIA -dj

 

[dj2]

it looked good, so i bought it.

anyone know which is preferable--tires that need air or solid rubber tires?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The solid tires. They are filled with a foam, so they are very much like standard (air filled) tires in handling. About a year ago one of my air tires failed and the shop replaced it with a solid tire. I could not detect any difference in handling. I was told that all the newer ECVs use the solid tires. The nice thing is they don't go flat.

 

[dj2]

Thanks, that's good to hear. the ecv i just bought has the solid ones. i really appreciate your posting. -dj

 

[SueM in MN]

The nice thing is they don't go flat.

Wheelchairs too.
My DD had one wheelchair with air filled tires. They were a real pain because they needed to have the air level checked and sometimes more air added.
And, they did go flat. It wasn't so bad on the big rear tires; they took standard bike tubes. But the little front tires needed special (and very expensive) tubes you could only get from wheelchair dealers.
All her wheelchairs after that had the foam filled tires on the back and small solid tires on the front.