Ability Classifieds"

12/10/2025

Check out the stories on our BLOG Go To https://www.abilityclassifieds.com/blogs

01/10/2025

This is a Dealers Letter to a Client. A must read
Published on October 1, 2025

Heartbreaking Compliance Roadblock
No Way Forward (Names removed) Abilityclassifeds.com.au

Dear ....

I’m truly lost. I’ve run out of options, and it’s heartbreaking to be writing this. I don’t know what more I can say, I’m at a complete loss.

As you know, I’ve had countless conversations with Rover, the federal body responsible for motor vehicle imports, and with the engineer who submitted the new model report for the Ractis. But Rover has been utterly unresponsive. Every inquiry is met with the same cold reply: that model report details are protected by privacy. It’s like talking to a brick wall.

The engineer who submitted the report tells me Rover keeps asking for more information but offers no clarity. We’re at their mercy, and it’s devastating.

Since 2013, I’ve imported numerous Toyota Ractis Welcab WAVs and other mobility vehicles into Australia, including the one you purchased from Auto Portal Japan. At the time, the Rover website clearly listed the Toyota Ractis NCP122 series as eligible for import. It’s not a complicated process: if a vehicle isn’t eligible, Rover wouldn’t issue a Vehicle Import Approval (VIA). Your vehicle had a VIA. It was approved. It was shipped.

Then, without warning, Rover revoked the model report for the Toyota Ractis NCP122 Welcab series. Just like that, your vehicle, and many others, became ineligible for compliance and registration. No notice. No explanation.

This isn’t an isolated case. Rover has revoked multiple model reports without warning, leaving dealers in financial ruin. Some have gone into liquidation. I’ve been pushed to the brink myself. I’ve effectively been put out of business.

Meanwhile, conversion companies and engineers seem to manipulate the system for their own gain, while disabled Australians are left stranded. It’s clear that Rover isn’t protecting the vulnerable, they’re enabling profiteers. They don’t care.

Some model reports were reinstated after AIMVIA, the Australian Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, threatened legal action, like with the Suzuki Jimny. Rover reversed their decision, claiming the chassis matched the Australian version. That logic is absurd. It implies Suzuki uses different chassis for identical models depending on the export market.

The same happened with Toyota Hi Aces. AIMVIA intervened, and Rover granted exemptions for vehicles already in transit with approved VIAs.

But for us, for you, there’s no resolution. No fairness. No accountability.

I wish I had better news. I wish I had a solution. But right now, I’m heartbroken and out of answers.

Warm regards,


If you are experiencing a similar fate, please write to us as we will do our best to make a change. Send to admin@abilityclassifieds.com

29/09/2025

Ability Classifieds" We feel a little awkward saying this for millionth time, but we also know that what we do genuinely helps people.
AbilityClassifieds.com is a simple, supportive platform where anyone can buy or sell daily living items for the disabled or elderly. Whether you're looking for mobility aids, accessible vehicles, support services, or just trying to pass on something you no longer need, we’re here to make that easier.
We built this site to be useful, affordable, and inclusive, because everyone deserves access to the tools and services that support independence and dignity.
If you haven’t visited yet, check out www.abilityclassifieds.com. And while you’re there, explore our new blog, we’d love to hear your story, your experience, or anything you’d like to share with the community.
Thanks for reading. We hope we’re making a small difference

26/09/2025

🚐 The Truth About Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles in Australia: Why the System Is Failing Families
Created By: ability

🚐 The Truth About Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles in Australia: Why the System Is Failing Families

By AbilityClassifieds.com staff news researcher
Published: 26 September 2025

Australia’s wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) market is broken, and families living with disability are paying the price.

What should be a straightforward path to safe, affordable mobility has become a minefield of inflated costs, misinformation, and industry protectionism.

💸 The $120,000 Price Tag That Sparked Outrage
Linda, a retired teacher from Newcastle, needed a WAV for her adult son Jake.

She visited a Sydney mobility dealer and was shown a converted Kia Carnival. It had a lowered floor and a fold-out ramp, but the price? $120,000.

“They said it was about engineering and compliance,” Linda told AbilityClassifieds. “But it felt like price gouging.”

She’s not alone. Across Australia, families are being pushed toward expensive conversions, often with questionable safety compromises, while safer, factory-built alternatives are quietly suppressed.

🚫 The Industry’s War on Japanese Factory-Built WAVs
Here’s what most Australians don’t know: Toyota and Nissan manufacture purpose-built WAVs in Japan.

These vehicles are designed from the ground up for accessibility, rigorously tested, and approved by the Japanese government for domestic use.

But instead of welcoming these vehicles, Australia’s conversion industry has lobbied government regulators to block them.

Their claim? That Japanese factory-built WAVs are unsafe.

Let’s be clear: it’s absurd to suggest that Toyota or Nissan would build dangerous vehicles for their own citizens.

And it’s even more ridiculous to imply that the Japanese government would allow unroadworthy cars on its roads.

These vehicles are engineered to meet some of the world’s highest safety standards.

So why the resistance? Because imported factory-built WAVs threaten the conversion industry’s profit margins.

Conversions allow companies to mark up both the base vehicle and the modification, often doubling the price. Factory-built WAVs cut into that business model.

⚠️ What You’re Not Being Told
Conversions often compromise safety by removing structural supports and relocate fuel tanks to install ramps.
Factory-built WAVs from Japan are safer and more affordable, but face industry resistance.
The conversion lobby has influenced government policy, blocking imports under the guise of “safety.”
NDIS funding doesn’t guarantee protection, families still face inflated prices and limited options.
There’s no centralised regulation, leaving consumers exposed to misinformation and manipulation.
✅ What You Can Do
Linda eventually found a used factory-built WAV imported from Japan through a private seller in Victoria. It was safe, reliable, and didn’t cost her life savings.

“It was designed for people like my son,” she said. “And it didn’t feel like I was being taken advantage of.”

If you’re navigating the WAV market, don’t settle for what dealers push. Ask about factory-built options.

Challenge the narrative. And demand transparency.

🧠 TL;DR What Aussie Families Need to Know
WAV conversions can cost $100K+, often with safety compromises.
Factory-built WAVs from Japan (Toyota, Nissan) are safer and more affordable, but face industry resistance.
The conversion industry has lobbied against imports to protect profits.
The system lacks centralised regulation, leaving families vulnerable.
Research your options, ask tough questions, and advocate for change.
AbilityClassifieds.com is here to expose accessibility gaps and empower families. If you’ve faced similar challenges, we want to hear from you.

Your story could help drive reform. We would like to post your experience on our blog on www.bailityclassifieds.com

📢 Click to send your experience: admin@abilityclassifieds.com

24/09/2025

https://www.abilityclassifieds.com/blogs Is Live, And It's Here to Tell the Truth

We’re proud to announce that the **AbilityClassifieds blog is now live** right now at and it's fully sharable across your favourite social media platforms.
https://www.abilityclassifieds.com/blogs
This blog isn’t just another feel-good corner of the internet. It’s a space for **real stories**, **raw**, **unfiltered experiences** from people who live and breathe the disability and aged care sectors 💬. Whether you’re a carer, a parent, a support worker, or someone navigating this system yourself, **YOUR VOICE MATTERS HERE** 🫶.

We’re tired of the glossy, sanitized posts that dominate social media 😐. You know the ones, carefully curated to avoid offending advertisers 💰 or upsetting the algorithm 🤖. But behind the scenes, there’s a darker reality:

- 💸 Families being **bled dry** by businesses charging outrageous prices for basic daily living items.
- 🏚️ Charities and government agencies stretched so thin they can’t help those who fall through the cracks.
- 🚫 People missing out on vital support simply because they don’t “qualify.”
- 🤑 Corporations and small businesses alike claiming to “care” while raking in **MASSIVE MARGINS** on disability and aged care products.

Let’s be honest: if you slap the word “disability” or “aged care” on a product, THE PRICE TRIPLES 💥. And yet, these same companies parade their compassion like it’s a badge of honour 🎖️. It’s not just disingenuous, it’s **cruel** 😡.

We’ve seen it. We’ve lived it. And we’re **done staying quiet** 🔇.

At AbilityClassifieds, we don’t have a flood of dealer ads 🚫, and maybe that’s because we refuse to play the game. Maybe we’re fighting a losing battle 🥀. But we believe that **change starts with truth**, and **truth starts with you** 💡.

So we’re asking, no, **begging** 🙏, you to share your story:

- ❌ No names.
- ❌ No business names.
- ✅ Just your experience.

We’ll publish it, unedited except for anonymity 🕵️‍♀️, so the world can see what it’s really like to fight every day for a shred of dignity, support, and quality of life 💔. Because being a carer isn’t just a job, it’s a **calling** 💖. And those who answer it are a **rare breed of Hero and Heroin🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️.

📧 Send your story to **admin@abilityclassifieds.com**.
Let’s shine a light 🔦 on what’s been hidden for too long.
Let’s make noise 📢.
Let’s make change 🌍.

https://www.abilityclassifieds.com/blogs

17/09/2025

17/09/2025

💔 A Heartbreaking Reality for Australians with Disabilities
I don’t even know where to begin. The truth is, living with a disability in Australia comes with a price tag that’s cruelly inflated. Every product, every service, especially mobility-related, is marked up simply because providers know we have no choice. And now, something even more devastating is happening.

🚨 Factory-built wheelchair accessible vehicles from Toyota and Nissan, designed with safety, dignity, and comfort in mind, are being pushed out of reach. Why? Because a handful of engineers and businesses have found a way to profit from vulnerability.

These businesses are converting standard vehicles into wheelchair-accessible ones and selling them for over $100,000. They claim their conversions are “better” and “safer” than the original factory-built models. But their claims are backed by self-serving engineering reports, not truth.

One engineer even made a video showing a factory restraint system “failing”, but what actually gave way was the floor under an extreme, unrealistic load. Any restraint system, even a chain, would have buckled under that force. Yet this misleading video was used to revoke all model approvals for factory wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Now, these same engineers have submitted new model reports requiring expensive modifications, kits costing $3,000, plus $1,500 for restraints, and more for installation. And here’s the kicker: you’re forced to buy their kit. No other approved brands allowed. Once installed, the factory-designed electronic restraint system and winch are ripped out, leaving gaping holes in the floor and walls. It’s a disgrace.

🛑 AbilityClassifieds.com is being gutted. We’ve spent years helping families access affordable, factory-built wheelchair accessible vehicles, vehicles that were safe, reliable, and within reach. For example, a 2019 Toyota Voxy with 80,000 km might cost $50,000 at a dealer. We could import a newer, better Esquire with just 15,000–30,000 km for $34,000–$37,000. But now, with these forced modifications, prices jump by $7,000 or more, putting them out of reach for the very people who need them most.

This isn’t just about cars. It’s about freedom. It’s about dignity. It’s about families who can’t get their loved ones to school, to work, to the doctor, or even to the park.

I have a plan to fight back. But I can’t do it alone.

👉 If you care about fairness, accessibility, and stopping this exploitation, please reach out to me, John, through the Contact Us page at www.abilityclassifieds.com. Your support could change lives.