I had an unusual request this week, to look for a wheel chair converted Fiat Doblo. Now I am familiar with the Doblo, a brilliant cheap little utility vehicle, but wheel chair conversions were new to me so I was going in a little blind.

The request had come from a neighbour, whose wife is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. Unfortunately in recent months her health has deteriorated to the point where unless she is a wheel chair she is more or less immobile – not a nice situation for any one but an especially frustrating one for the couple who until recently had enjoyed an active out door life style.

Being of the older generation and quite a proud man, my neighbour had decided to turn down the offer of a leased Motability vehicle, preferring to purchase a used car on his own terms. However, he didn’t know where to start, either on the specification of the conversion or even how much to pay for one. What he did know is that he wanted a Fiat Doblo based car, having previously owned various Fiats.

Not really having much more of a clue, I decided that eBay was as good a starting point as any and at least from there I could see who was doing the conversions, how many different types there were and if indeed the Doblo was the best bet for his needs. Surprisingly, quite a few listings came up for various converted vehicles which it would seem come in many different forms.

Amongst the more common low floor or high roof Doblo / Kangoo / Berlingo conversions, there were a whole plethora of vehicles from Suzuki Wagon R’s through to Mercedes B Classes with varying styles of ramps, extensions and seating arrangements. The other point that I noticed was the disparity of pricing between the vehicles of exactly the same specification and type. I know it’s a specialist market but some dealers were happier to capitalise on this than others.

After many hours or research, reams of print outs and a slightly better understanding of the whole system, we decided to take a look at a vehicle being advertised at a dealer locally. The high roof, powered access Fiat Doblo appeared to be the best for their needs and the 2007 model I had found registered only 1400 miles on the clock and came in at a comparatively bargain price of £7495, little if any more expensive than a non converted model.

Armed with a wheelchair but not unfortunately the lady concerned, we prodded and poked around the converted vehicle, folding flaps, winding winches and folding seats. This particular conversion left the basic vehicle pretty much intact. The winch mechanism was concealed beneath the standard rear seats, along with the frontal chair restraint anchors. The boot floor had been replaced by a laminated surface which housed various quick release channels for further anchoring points, but fundamentally was still flat and as Fiat originally intended. The only give away clue that this wasn’t a standard vehicle was the ramp mechanism, which should it be required, could be removed in a matter of minutes. Overall this was a neat conversion that could either be used as a family five seater or as a three seat plus wheel chair vehicle.

Sadly though, the complexity of the anchoring system was a little daunting for my guy who was concerned that despite the quick release buckles and ratchet mechanisms, he would not be able to secure his wife securely in his advancing years. In some ways I could see his point, but with out a bespoke chair and anchoring system there really wasn’t going to be any other way to do it. The dealer wasn’t too worried though as apparently a lot of interest had been shown in the vehicle by various local taxi companies. After spending the best part of an hour getting to grips with the car, I can see why.

A wasted trip then? Not at all. My neighbour has now decided that for the sort of journeys he will need to do in the future a cab may be a better bet, especially if they are equipped in the same way. I am now trying to find him a local taxi company that can accommodate. For me, a couple of days of education and a healthy dose of respect for the needs of another sector of the motoring public.