Buying a used mobility scooter

When buying any kind of mobility equipment, it’s always a good idea to assess what your specific requirements are before making the commitment to go on and make a purchase.

Used mobility scooters can be a great choice and can represent a great saving over the price of buying brand new. However, as with any considered purchase, it’s a good idea to make sure that you are buying from a reputable vendor, with your consumer protections in place.

Can you get a used mobility scooter to match your exact requirements? This really depends on what your requirements are and how narrow that makes your overall search.

If you are looking for a very specific make and model, then it may require a much more extensive search, than if your requirement is more open, and easier to be satisfied with what’s on offer when you are looking.

For more specialist equipment, or if you only want a mobility scooter from a certain brand of manufacturer, then obviously you will need to apportion more time to your search and look across more vendor websites.

Should I buy a scooter from private ads?

Sometimes people do sell their unwanted mobility scooters privately, and there can be some good deals around, but you need to be aware that anything you buy privately from Gumtree, Facebook Market Place or any other ads site, is ‘sold as seen’, therefore there is very little, if any, recourse on the purchase if something goes wrong after you’ve bought it home.

Buying from a mobility retail business is a much safer option, albeit it can be a little more expensive that buying privately, but that is very often offset by the fact that buying from a retailer, you have much more consumer protection and almost all equipment will be covered by at least a short term guarantee against breakdown or faults that appear after purchase.

If buying from a physical premises, you will also be in a better environment to view and try your scooter before committing to your purchase. When buying privately, your viewing options can be far from ideal, and can lead you into making the wrong choice.

How much should I pay for a used mobility scooter?

The price of your used mobility scooter will be influenced by many factors, not least the brand and model of the scooter, and its age and general condition. 

That said, you can expect to make fairly good savings over the new price or (RRP) Recommended Retail Price by buying a used model.

Used mobility scooters can range in price from anything from a few hundred pounds, p to a few thousand, but again this really depends on what you are looking for and the brand, condition and features of the scooter.

If you are struggling to find the right used scooter, it can be a good idea to contact the retailer in advance and ask them to put you on a wait list. The market for used mobility scooters is fast moving and it may b that you can get a deal from a retailer before it goes public on the website or social media.

How do I know if I am getting a good deal on a used scooter?

The benefit of online shopping is that you have all of the resources to enable you to make good comparisons of used mobility scooters over the cost of brand new models.

Of course, some used mobility scooters will be out of production, but even in these cases it’s usually fairly easy to get reference of what the new price would have been so you can make an easy evaluation of the value for money. 

Also, you should never be afraid to ask the retailer about the history of the scooter involved, they will often have a good idea of its previous use, so that you can get an idea of the general wear and tear, also if it has benefitted from any optional extra been added by the previous owner.

Most retailers are very genuine and have no interest in risking online reputation by mis-selling used mobility gear. For the relatively small margins on used equipment, it is simply not in their interests to overly inflate prices. 

That said, there are always the exception to the rule, so it’s always well worth following your instinct and carrying out your own research and due diligence.

If you would like to check out Mobility Smart’s range of used mobility scooters, please click here to look at our current range. Bookmark the page and check back often to see the newest arrivals.