Aw... come on! What's 3000 or so miles out of your way? LOL
OK, seriously. Here's some of the things I would keep in mind for your Mom:
(All of this presumes there is an elevator to get her to the floor she lives on, and no steps that she has to deal with.)
- Measure any doors she will pass through at her home and the apartment building, so that you know for sure if the scooter will fit. Make sure that the elevator doors will stay open long enough for her to either back out, or pull out. If the elevator in her building is not very large, she will probably have to learn how to back in - and do so quickly enough that the doors won't try to close on her. That way, she can drive straight out when she gets to her floor. If she can't back in to the elevator going in... she will have to be able to back out coming out, and again, do so before the doors auto-close.
- Make sure that you (or someone in her world) can either lift the scooter assembled, or at least are able to lift the heaviest portion of it if it is disassembled for transport in a passenger car.
- Make sure that the seat is comfortable for her, and that she can reach the controls when seated properly. Sitting towards the front edge of the seat to reach the controls might cause fatigue, and she won't use it if it isn't easy and comfortable to sit in and use. Watch as she gets on and off the scooter for possible trip hazards (for example: can she lift her feet high enough?) and make sure that she can get on and off safely without assistance if that is going to be necessary.
Similarly, if she has arthritis in her hands, make sure the throttle control will be comfortable for her to use for extended periods of time. If there are hand-operated brakes (not likely, but they do appear on some ultra-lightweights), make sure her hands are strong enough to stop the weight of her + the scooter.
- Find out the cost of replacement batteries up front. Some day your Mom will be done using the scooter, and the next user may need to swap out the batteries for new ones. If the scooter is cheap, but the batteries cost a fortune to replace, that might be a checkmark in the "con" column for sure.
- Worry less about accessories and "extras" (like USB chargers and fans, etc.) and more about safety features like solid tires (that can't go flat) or headlights for visibility. Don't load it down with lots of saddlebags, baskets, and other stuff that can cause problems with (1) theft, (2) stability or (3) portability. Think of a daily use
ECV vs a rental like a draft horse vs a race horse. Your draft horse may not be as exciting or glamorous, but it is going to pull the wagon every day, loaded or not, day in and day out as long as you care for it. The race horse is beautiful and exciting, but it's not going to do the daily work of the draft horse for you. (poor analogy but it's late, so please forgive me LOL)
- Make sure you get ANY warranty or guarantee promised to you in writing. If a salesperson says to you that the battery won't need to be changed for 5 years, get it in writing, on company letterhead, or better yet as part of the sales contract.
- Take a moment - either in the store, or at home after you make a "let's just see what's out there" visit - and go to places like
MonsterScooterParts.com to see if they carry replacement parts for that brand of scooter, and more importantly, *what* they have for any model you are considering. A big "red flag" might be if the manufacturer of the scooter isn't listed there. (Sadly, there are all kinds of rip-off/knock-off mobility devices flooding the US now, because
Amazon has made it possible to drop ship these into the US; users are finding out there is no support for these knock-off devices, and no replacement parts if something gets damaged or needs to be replaced, like a battery. I won't call these sellers "scammers", because I don't think they are selling inferior products with ill-intent, but the end result is the same.) TL;DR this is one time when buying brand-name might be a good idea.
- Remember that buying an ECV is kind of like buying a car - it's a very personal experience, and features or performance that are important to one person may be meaningless to another. Don't be afraid to walk out of the showroom without making a purchase until she has found something she is really happy with, and can afford.
Those are just *my* thoughts and opinions. I hope you all can find something that your Mom likes, and will take her on many great adventures, like my Angus has for me!