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hi all
Next Friday our Motability car will be collected and that’s it no more since 1991 it’s all over. So let me explain I am the mere driver carer for my wife, who was awarded the DLA back in 1991 for what was at the time MS you didn’t get it by filling in a form we actually had a consultant visit the house and do all the asessments for the DWP although I think they were called something else then. Anyway my wife was awarded it for life and those were the words (for life) so we bought our first Motability car an Hyundai X2 GSI in red beautiful now when I say bought at the time you could have HP which really suited us as if you needed to change the car then you arranged a price negotiated sold it and started again, we did this many times as my wife gained cancer, stenosis, thyroidosis etc etc but remember you can only have the now PIP for one thing and that’s MS. But since the beginning we have had 7 reviews and 4 home visits just to make sure we keep people in work I guess.
But to be able to change and adapt vehicles according to difficulties was great plus you could buy used up to 3 years and 30000 miles I think it sounds right and that’s what we did buying the last car in about 2012. Then it was all over Motability no longer had the license for HP and lease was the only option, but as you all know if your car no longer meets your needs then you can change it right? Well yes ish so we got an Alhambra and a hoist to lift my wife’s wheel chair into it problem was the guy came to fit it and said they have based it on the old Alhambra and not the new one so I can’t fit the hoist. We struggled for about 18 months buying another wheelchair that I could lift in then asked if we could change car. NO 1 We then bought an electric Peugeot Traveller well documented on here as it arrived with no air conditioning and no suspension (easy errors) so after 3 months of near death experiences we managed to get out of it. NO2 we didn’t know they were keeping count. So because we hated the Traveller so much we got the identical vehicle from stock as a Vauxhall Vivaro this was great with the optional extras of suspension and air conditioning, until my wife literally could not climb into it they are high, No 3 so we asked if we could leave the lease at around 2 years and we could, however we had no more money and the charity who promised they would help sadly didn’t and all we could do was take a no deposit car the best we could find was the Mini a magnificent car, cheap to run beautifully appointed so great for my wife, sadly her condition worsened and she rarely travelled in the car but its a good car cheap and I can get the shopping etc , but I was diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis, I can’t get help as too old so I struggled to get in and out of the car, we have had it for 22 months , so my wife called Motability now she has a cognitive score of 4 but I cannot speak to them on her behalf as I do not have power of attorney.
they explained that she had in fact ditched that last 3 cars and this would be the 4th despite two not being our fault. it was £250 to leave the scheme and their advice was that the scheme was no longer of use to people like us. To be honest we couldn’t raise the £250 so we had no choice but to refuse, however my wife was terribly distressed and I felt that we needed to address the situation so I borrowed the £250 and we called them back the next day and the car will be collected next Friday with the suggestion that we are exempt for a year or up to seven. Not particularly relevant as we won’t or rather cannot return and I dont think we should anyway. I find several things confusing like when the paid u to £2000 for people who lost their allowance but won’t help those who need it. Anyway good new is that we will save around £5000 off this lease my credit card was empty and when I looked was offering cash advance interest free for 9 months. so I looked about and found a Nissan Leaf for £3500 we should be able to use the movability payments over the 9 months to pay most of it off, this being hugely important as we live in a rural location with shopping being a 25 mile round trip.
It arrives Thursday and the Mini collected Friday, my wife wasn’t here for Christmas or New Year as she caught an antibiotic resistant virus and was given final treatment, fortunately so far she has survived and its looking good but I ask this question and give this warning if Motability is not for us then who?
please feel free to share this with any interested party all proof can be given and once again I have enjoyed all your company.
I am the carer / driver for my wife who cannot drive due to disability
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Wow long post, £3500 for an old Nissan Leaf you are asking for trouble
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
@Windy Lots of issues in there!
Firstly, when you refer to your wife having a lifetime award, that refers to the benefit, not entitlement to Motability. Whilst the benefit is a gateway to a Motability car, Motability are at liberty to refuse admission (or renewal).
Frequent early lease surrenders add to the costs of the scheme for everyone, so it’s right that they draw the line at some point. If your wife’s condition changes and that makes the car unsuitable then that shouldn’t count against you but, with respect, it sounds as though you may have made some hasty decisions and also not properly considered that the cars meet your current and future needs. My wife also has MS and is a full time wheelchair user. I wouldn’t have even looked at van type vehicles as I would have known that they were too high. I would also know that a Mini would never be suitable as it’s too small, both for us and the wheelchair. If the Peugeot van was meant to have air con but it didn’t then you should have refused to take delivery of it. Maybe the model you ordered didn’t have it as standard and you hadn’t established that before ordering?
You don’t need power of attorney to be able to speak to Motability on your wife’s behalf. I am the sole driver and we agreed with Motability that I am authorised to deal with them – as I do.
I am genuinely sorry to hear about your wife’s issues and your health challenges and I sincerely hope that things work out for you, but I think that the lessons for others here are more about doing your homework when it comes to standard equipment (models in showrooms always have extra cost options fitted), not accepting a car that isn’t exactly what you ordered, ensuring that a car that you choose meets your current and anticipated needs (over the next 3 years) and being aware that whilst Motability are very good at allowing terminations for genuine reasons, they will at some point draw the line.
Regarding the right car it is difficult unless it is a drive from wheelchair or WAV to have a right car with driving adaptations as we all have been before. As to a Mini being too small it all depends on what Mini Model the smallest being the 3 door although you can get a wheelchair in its boot. My Car a Abarth 695 has a two way hoist in the boot which is great in fact I think it may fit in a Mini 3 door but all depends on tailgate height amazing now what can be done and Motability and grants have been great in helping me. It is very strange that many people think you have to have these high to get into MPVS which is not one fits all my car is wheelchair height and very nice to transfer to although my rear seats are folded all the time which I no problem for me. But Motability does need to keep an eye on too many terminations which the wording they use like perhaps the scheme is not for you is one of many they use. But with many disabled having changes to there health over the 3 year lease can be hard to say if your health deteriorates although I suppose in theory they could and I hope not say have you contacted the DWP to tell them your health has got worse as you may get more care money if you are on lower rate but I as said do not think that would be right.
As I was reading this, I had so many things to say but Glos Guy said it all.
I would add however, if you think your recent car choices have posed problems for you, paying £3500 for a Nissan Leaf and saying it’s good news, is just asking for more of the same.
As I was reading this, I had so many things to say but Glos Guy said it all. I would add however, if you think your recent car choices have posed problems for you, paying £3500 for a Nissan Leaf and saying it’s good news, is just asking for more of the same.
As well as insurance and maintenance, I would imagine the EV will need to be safe and serviced correctly to comply with properties insurance conditions, the original 24 kWh Nissan Leaf when new would achieve 40 – 50 mile range in the winter, with an deteriorating nearer 25/30 in the winter.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
As I was reading this, I had so many things to say but Glos Guy said it all. I would add however, if you think your recent car choices have posed problems for you, paying £3500 for a Nissan Leaf and saying it’s good news, is just asking for more of the same.
As well as insurance and maintenance, I would imagine the EV will need to be safe and serviced correctly to comply with properties insurance conditions, the original 24 kWh Nissan Leaf when new would achieve 40 – 50 mile range in the winter, with an deteriorating nearer 25/30 in the winter.
There’s some great older cars out there, if you look and not for alot of money. I recently got hold of a immaculate 05 plate Rover 75 V6 with 40k miles, full service history, which would have been a better bet than a leaf.
As I was reading this, I had so many things to say but Glos Guy said it all. I would add however, if you think your recent car choices have posed problems for you, paying £3500 for a Nissan Leaf and saying it’s good news, is just asking for more of the same.
As well as insurance and maintenance, I would imagine the EV will need to be safe and serviced correctly to comply with properties insurance conditions, the original 24 kWh Nissan Leaf when new would achieve 40 – 50 mile range in the winter, with an deteriorating nearer 25/30 in the winter.
There’s some great older cars out there, if you look and not for alot of money. I recently got hold of a immaculate 05 plate Rover 75 V6 with 40k miles, full service history, which would have been a better bet than a leaf.
Totally agree the poster need a reliable comfortable vehicle to accommodate his wife disability, there is plenty out there VW Gold springs to mind.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
I agree about older cars @kezo. They can provide very cheap but good quality motoring, even allowing for the odd problem, as you get virtually no depreciation and they are cheap to repair. The cheapest car that I ever ran was a 6 year old BMW 750i Sport 4.4 V8. I sold it for more than I paid for it, so it cost me nothing! If I could find one, I’d love to buy a Ford Scorpio Cosworth 2.9 24v that I had new as a company car in 1996. Sadly, they haven’t lasted!
This dealer has a YouTube channel, he featured this car on it last week, showing all the work he did on it, only 24k miles.
https://www.highpeakautos.com/used-cars/rover-75-1-8-club-4dr-stockport-202505142391290
@Kezo This dealer has a YouTube channel, he featured this car on it last week, showing all the work he did on it, only 24k miles. https://www.highpeakautos.com/used-cars/rover-75-1-8-club-4dr-stockport-202505142391290
Yes mate, did see his video, as I regularly follow High Peak. Alot of work done to get it on forecourt but, the guys honest, a rarity with many used dealers. Shame it was the undesirable Club spec or he’d got more for it.
I dropped on with mine, as I new the owner & history of the car, as it was a best mates father who sadly passed recently. It was always loooked after and garaged and thus immaculate. Also the more desireable Connoisseur se spec, with the 2.5 V6 engine
£3500 will buy you a decent Toyota Aygo 2015/2017 with 50,000/60,000 miles on the clock absolutely bullet proof, cheap to insure and maintain, about the same size as a early Nissan Leaf.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally say the wrong thing.
Also James on youtube Chops Garage in Devon he seems pretty good and getting some warranty on older cars he seems very helpful and goes beyond what most used car dealers would do.
There is James at youtube Chops Garage he seems to sell cars even older models and seems pretty fair going out of his way to help his customers which is a bit rare nowadays. His ads are C&G Car Sales he is in north devon but he has many traveling from london and afar to sell their cars to him and buy, and no I mainly support Motability you have piece of mind. As with any new or buy yourself motor it is a matter of luck if you get a good car with no problems but as we know if you do not have the money to pay for repairs which can be huge depending on the problem and with the labour rate very high I really over the years was lucky when buying my cars as they used to be new and low mileages but you need the money or warranty to back up used cars. I also think there is Geoff’s Cars he is on youtube.
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