Research shows that more than 15 million Americans over the age of 65 have trouble walking around and climbing up stairs on a regular basis.
Are you one of them? Or, do you have a loved one who has been experiencing mobility issues in recent months?
If so, you should consider investing in a mobility scooter. A mobility scooter can help you or loved one regain your sense of freedom. They can also prevent you from falling and injuring yourself when you’re trying to maneuver around throughout the course of a day.
Before you buy a mobility scooter, though, you should do whatever you can to get the best possible price on it. You shouldn’t have to break the bank to enjoy the advantages that come along with using a scooter.
Continue reading to find out 5 ways that you can save money when you go to buy a mobility scooter.
1. Start by Creating a Budget For Your Scooter
When you first start shopping around for mobility scooters, one of the first things you’re going to notice is that they come in a wide range of prices.
You can find some scooters for a little more than $1,000. You can find others that cost $5,000 or more. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of your options and pay more than you really want to for a scooter if you’re not careful.
There is an easy way to avoid this: Come up with a budget for your scooter…and stick with it!
Sit down and decide how much money you can afford to pay for a scooter at this time. If you’re on a fixed income and don’t have a ton of extra money to spend, something on the lower end of the price scale will work for you. But if, on the other hand, you have plenty of money stashed away in the bank, you might be able to splurge on something that costs a little more.
Whatever you do, don’t start looking around at scooters before you have a firm budget in mind. It’ll prevent you from overspending on your scooter when you purchase one for yourself or your loved one.
2. Find a Place That Sells Lots of Different Scooter Models
Once you’ve come up with a budget for your mobility scooter, the next step is finding a place that sells lots of different scooter models. This will give you a chance to check out a bunch of scooters to see which ones you like the most.
You should look for a company that sells:
- Indoor scooters
- Outdoor scooters
- Heavy duty scooters
- Extended range scooters
- Portable scooters
- And more
In order to find the right scooter for your specific needs, you’re going to want to search through all the various types of scooters that are available. A company like Scooters ‘N Chairs can provide you with the opportunity to do this.
After you track down the right place, you can start looking through the scooters that fit within your predetermined price range. Even though you’re going to find that there are tons of options, your budget will help guide you in the right direction.
As you look through all the scooters that are out there, you should start to familiarize yourself with some of the most trusted brands in the business. You’ll see scooters from Afikim, eWheels, Drive Medical, Pride Mobility, Golden Technology, and more.
A simple Google search should yield all the information you could ever ask for about scooter companies. You can also read through online reviews for the companies to see what people have to say about them.
The key is to research, research, and research some more. You obviously want to get a good deal on your scooter, but you don’t want to do it if it means buying a scooter that’s not going to work well for you.
By putting in the time to look up as much info as you can about the different kinds of mobility scooters and the different scooter brands, you’ll put yourself in position to buy the right one for your situation.
3. Consider Which Features You Really Need in a Scooter
At this point, you should have a budget in mind for your mobility scooter. You should also have a long list of scooters that you wouldn’t mind welcoming into your home.
So, how do you take that list and narrow it down when there are seemingly a million and one scooters to choose from? It’s not as difficult as you might think.
The best way to do it is by creating a list of the features that you want most in your scooter. If your budget is on the lower side, you might need to compromise on a few of them. But generally speaking, you can use your must-have features to pick out a few scooters that you think will be your best options.
Ask yourself these questions to see which features might be important to you:
- “How much battery life will I need out of my scooter?”
- “How often will I be traveling with my scooter?”
- “How fast do I need my scooter to go?”
- “What kinds of surfaces will I drive my scooter over?”
- “Do I need my scooter to be able to carry things around?”
- “How much weight will my scooter need to be able to hold?”
- “Are there any special features like lights, mirrors, or horns that are important to me?”
Your goal should be to try and envision the perfect mobility scooter in your head. It should have all the features you want in it.
By going through this exercise, you’ll be able to paint a clearer picture of what you want and avoid overpaying for a scooter that has features you won’t use.
4. Learn How Much Maintenance Certain Scooters Need
Saving money on a mobility scooter involves doing more than just looking for a scooter with the right purchase price. You also need to consider the maintenance that might need to be done on a scooter in the years to come.
Regardless of how well made a scooter is, there is likely going to come a time when it will need to be serviced or repaired. When that time comes, you could end up spending a fortune on your scooter to get it up and running again.
That means that you should try to learn about how much maintenance certain scooters need before buying one. After you’ve narrowed your search down to two or three scooters, do some more research on them to see what other people have to say about their maintenance costs.
One scooter might only cost $1,200 to buy. But you could very well find that most people spend another $1,200 servicing and repairing the scooter within the first few years of owning it.
At the same time, another scooter might cost $2,000 to buy. But most people might have nothing but good things to say about it as far as maintenance is concerned. They might report no issues with it and say that it’s about as maintenance-free as it gets.
By purchasing the second scooter instead of the first one, you might put out more money in the beginning. But it could ultimately help you to save money in the long run.
5. Look For Coupons or Promo Codes For Your Preferred Scooter
After you work your way through the first few steps here, there should be one mobility scooter that stands out above all the rest. That is the scooter that you should buy based on the research that you’ve done.
But before you whip out your credit card and buy it, there is one last thing you should do. Look around on the internet for coupons for the scooter and see if there are any promo codes available to you.
The internet has made it simpler than ever to track down coupons and promo codes that can cut the cost of everything from clothes and shoes to bedsheets and, yes, mobility scooters. You could save, 10, 15, or 20 percent on your scooter just by taking a few extra minutes to see which coupons and promo codes are out there.
You should also spend at least a month or so going through this entire process. During that time, the scooter shop that you use could very well drop prices or offer special deals depending on what time of year it is.
By being patient during your scooter search, you could reap big rewards.
Get a Great Deal on a Mobility Scooter Today
Buying a mobility scooter is going to be a big investment. You shouldn’t purchase one on a whim or agree to buy one before you’ve done your homework.
When you put the tips that are presented here to good use, you can save hundreds and, in some cases, even thousands of dollars. You can also ensure that you walk away with the right scooter and increase your mobility.
Would you like to get your hands on coupons for just about anything you buy? Read our blog to find out more about some of the coupons that are available to you today.