Hi everyone, I haven't posted in this section before so please be kind
Both my parents are disabled, and only my Mum can drive as Dad is also partially sighted. Mum's health is also deteriorating and now neither of them can safely lift Dad's mobility scooter - its one of those that comes apart into multiple sections for storage, but each section is still quite heavy, so its becoming more and more infrequent that Dad gets out and about.
So, they're thinking of ...
1) getting a secondhand 4 way hoist to lift the scooter into the boot;
2) exchanging the scooter for a one piece model as the one they have now tends to fall apart (!!!)
3) changing the car for something allowing the installation of the hoist - so something with a near vertical tailgate and plenty of bootspace for a one piece scooter.
Their budget is very small so any car they buy will be around 10 years old most likely - they currently have a 15 yr old Vectra hatch, which of course isn't compatible with a hoist. Sadly, the depreciation is horrendous and its worth around £1000 now, probably half that as a trade in.
So, I was wondering if you could suggest a small, reliable but cheap car that would suit them, given the requirement for the hoist, scooter etc? Mum prefers a petrol engine, but as long as its an auto I'm sure I could convince her to consider anything*.
* I tried to give her my old V70R which I thought would be perfect, but she said all Volvos are too big for her...
Many many thanks for your help