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Best car choice for mobility impaired???

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  • 23-11-2010 11:49am
    #1
    Nafianna9
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭


    Guys, My dad recently suffered a stroke which has left him with serious mobility problems. I'm thinking of replacing his car with something that my mum can use to get him around - unfortunately his driving days are over so he'll be a passenger from now on. He's not in a wheelchair so a converted vehicle isn't necessary, but we may need to use a chair from time to time so sufficient storage to carry one would be good.He's a big guy - 6'3" and about 18 stone. Not overweight, but pretty big. As you can imagine it's a struggle for my mum when we're not there so any little conveniences we can introduce will help. As regards a car I'm think about ease of access, seat size / comfort, headroom - a vehicle generally designed to deliver comfort, easy access and plenty of storage for a folded chair or walking frame.This is all new to me and any advice I could get would be really helpful. Thanks in advance guys.


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    #2
    plon
    Registered Users Posts: 31 ✭plon


    get an estate as it will be easier for your mom to slide a wheelchair out. In a saloon model the boot tends to be deep requiring some lifting and tugging to get a wheelchair out
    Also more room in the boot of an estate

    Also check the door opening as many cars such as new peugeot 407 restrict the front door from opening fully

    Ensure the passanger seat slides back well enough to allow plenty of leg room to get him in

    Avoid bucket seats

    2 door cars tend to have a longer door allowing much more space for access into the front seat i.e no door pillar in the way


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    #3
    K2
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭K2


    i used an estate for a few years when my son was still quite small, great boot space for his chair but it sounds like you also need a vehicle with a wide opening door to allow easy entry/exit. Why not give parfit ltd a ring, we got our vw caravelle from them this year and found them very helpful. They have a website aswell but maybe you, mum and dad could pay them a vist and check out what they have in stock to see what works best for ye. (they are not far from dublin airport)


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