In February 2023 I decided to buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle for a close friend of mine living on the Isle of Wight – his wife is wheelchair-bound and he has limited means. I dismissed a private purchase in favour of buying from a dealership as I wanted my friend to have the benefit of a warranty and after-sales support. I also excluded general dealerships as they don’t have the specialised knowledge of both the vehicles and the disability needs of the customer. Plus I didn’t want a part-exchanged WAV that they simply wanted to off-load.
Fortuitously, I found a low mileage 2010 vehicle that matched my requirements and budget on the Southern Mobility Vehicles website. On speaking with Patrick Cooper, Operations Director, I swiftly acquired a good vibe for SMV. Mr Cooper described the vehicle in an objective and informative way and was impressively conversant with the features of this particular model. And I didn’t have to endure any clichéd sales patter. Further, Mr Cooper’s replies to my emailed questions were prompt and fully detailed. Amazingly, the vehicle comes with new tyres, is freshly serviced, has a new MOT and 36 months warranty. I decided to buy, and confident that the vehicle was everything it purported to be I broke a lifetime’s habit and purchased without viewing – and my faith in SMV was justified.
Bill Cowe, the Administration Manager, then took over and organised the Road Tax, V5 Transfer and HMRC VAT waiver for disability vehicles. And he also arranged to deliver the vehicle to the Wight Link ferry terminal in Lymington and perform the instructional handover to my friend. On the day it all went like clockwork and I received a call from my friend later in the day saying, in his words, ‘the vehicle is immaculate and looks as if it’s just come out of a showroom’.
From bracing myself for a tedious search for a suitable vehicle for my friend and the ensuing logistics of getting it to him I’ve been able, thanks to Southern Mobility Vehicles, to accomplish all this from the comfort of my lounge. SMV comes with my highest recommendation.