Do you drive a WAV, would you recommend it?

[bloodywhitecat]

I might be in the market for a WAV in the next few months, at the moment I disassemble little one's wheelchair and put it in the boot but it weighs a ton so I am thinking about getting a WAV. In a previous life, when I worked in a special school, I often used to drive their Citroen Berlingo WAV and hated it with a passion. It's mainly just me and a toddler who will be using the car but I will sometimes have adult passengers. I am unsure as to whether I will buy outright or go down the Motability route as I haven't got a clue which would be the most cost effective way to go.

I drive a WAV and I can honestly say it's fine. It's a VW caddy maxi (or something like that!). My dm bought it as my late brother and my nana really struggles getting in and out of the car. She bought it privately from someone who used it as a taxi so it has been well looked after. I think we got the hens teeth with this WAV as not only is it 5 seats and a wheelchair the previous owner asked for the third row of seats and they can be clipped in and be used as a 7 seater without a wheelchair.

Id prefer it if it had the electric hoist to pull the wheelchair up but unfortunately you have to push the wheelchair and person in it up the ramp which I struggle to do on my own as I'm pushing adults up the ramp and I've got a dodgy knee myself. I usually get my younger fitter brother to do all that though 😁

Absolutely changed our lives getting a WAV. So quick and easy just getting the chair in, no more faffing folding the chair up and battling DD into a car seat! Literally 3 minutes and we can drive off. She is safe, comfortable and much happier. Could never ever imagine going back.

I see so many people being, let’s face it, vain about not wanting to be seen in a ‘van’ but it is a million times better for all of us having a WAV.

VW caddy pretty much like my old Golf to drive (I adored that car) Went via motability as they are incredibly expensive to buy outright. Allied mobility brought one to our house for free demo (mentioning them as winch comes free as standard, not all converters put them in) base WAV is identical but each company converts them slightly differently, some better than others

You can get help with deposit. Or go for a nearly new one which are much cheaper and only 3 year lease not 5.

There is a tiny KIA now that’s a WAV and looks like a car by the way that might work for you if your little one has a small wheelchair.

Kia SOUL

Used to drive a WAV - we got ours through Motability so it was hassle free. The last one we had was a Peugeot Partner. We were a family of 4 though so had 2 slimline seats in the back and DDs wheelchair would fit in between so I could reach her from the front passenger seat.
Different companies do different layouts and modifications and it's definitely not one size fits all. For example my friend's son was quite big so they had to have a large van size wav to get the headroom and take the weight of an electric wheelchair - the Partner was no good for them.

Best thing we did was to go to the Motability roadshows and speak to different conversion companies about their options (not sure if those exhibitions have restarted since Covid but I'm any case the firms will bring a vehicle to your house to try out).

In practical terms it was a lot quicker to get DD in the car in her wheelchair than it was to lift her into a car seat and dismantle her wheelchair to lift into the boot - and my back was forever grateful that we got a WAV (only wish we'd done it sooner!)

We'd always had a Motability car (ordinary before WAV) so never missed DDs mobility payment so the scheme was ideal for us. Insurance, tax, servicing, new tyres all paid for - all I had to do was put petrol/diesel in.

The downside is you can't park on the road where someone might park behind you - no matter how many signs you put in the rear windscreen, someone will always think they don't need to leave room for your wheelchair or will leave you 2 feet - which isn't enough space to get the ramp out and the wheelchair on! If I had to park on the road in town I'd try and find the end space where the double yellow lines started so technically no-one could park behind me - but that wasn't always foolproof!