I bought a 5yr old Maxi Life, with 21k miles and FSH, to use as a weekend camper. When doing my research before buying, I found that mobility conversions were typically £2000 to £3000 cheaper than equivalent non-conversions. (This was 2.5 years ago, it may be different now that a lot of mini-cab drivers now seem to use them.)
I bought it from a Motability dealer in Kidderminster that was a pleasure to deal with. (I got him to include window tinting in the price and he did'nt haggle a penny for it!)
And so for the work.
The drop down ramp was held upright by a latch, held to the floor by 3 bolts. This was removed, the bolt holes sealed and plated bolts and nyloc nuts fitted.
The ramp was cut off with a multi-tool at a suitable height and trimmed with generic doorseal. The remaining hinged section was bolted to the sides of the dropped floor. (Again with plated bolts and nyloc nuts)
I then got on my back and underbody sealed anything that needed it, to keep any road water out.
The conversion was such that I was able to replace the tailgate doorseal with a genuine one from a scrapyard.
The top of the ramp were 2 motorised straps for pulling the wheelchair onboard, beneath a protective cover. I removed the cover, dis-connected and insulated the 12v supply and put the straps inboard of the motors. I did'nt remove anything. I then replaced the cover.
I used 12mm ply in 3 sections for the new flooring, which is held secure by patches of hook and loop. The middle section is supported half way down the ramp to prevent sagging over time. (not referring to the missus!)
The front section is used when I remove the seats.
The rear section means I can access the spacesaver spare easily, Because I can't fit a bumper protector I'm just using a drop down piece of carpet fixed to this section.
I also fitted a reversing camera between the number plate lights, connected to rear view mirror monitor.
So, if any of you are concerned about buying an ex Mobility I would say don't be. O.k. you lose the 3rd row of seats (and who of us want those anyway?) and the fuel tank is smaller (I top off the tank and refill when I hit halfway on the gauge, and get 250 miles from it). But you get piece of mind from a FSH, low mileage, and quite possibly a bargain price compared to the van.
Cheers, Vlad.
