by swalker » 09 Mar 2020, 23:39
The most important consideration is whether or not you and your wheelchair will comfortably fit.
The only way I know to really be sure is to try the van out with your wheelchair.
Beyond that, choose between ramp vs lift, side entry vs rear entry, and passenger vs driver (or both).
Besides all that, you will want to make sure you can operate the lift/ramp, have appropriate locking mechanism for the wheelchair, and appropriate seat belt/shoulder harness for you.
If buying used, avoid those from a place where road salt is used. Minivan conversions have dropped floors, which are rarely made with the same quality material and workmanship of the original vehicle. There are many stories of excessive rust on wheelchair minivans in relatively short periods of time.
You can avoid that (and other) issues by buying a van that has minimal modifications (as in no dropped floor). That takes you into a full-sized van, such as a Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, or Chevy Express. Those will have lifts rather than ramps.
Finally, you should consider the capabilities of the vehicle relative to your needs. I live where it snows a lot and really want all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive. That is available in Mercedes Sprinter and older Chevy Express vans along with the pickup truck conversions done by All Terrain Conversions (ATC). I also want high ground clearance, and would love to have a 4x4 Chevy 3500 pickup with an ATC conversion. Those are very expensive, though.
Steve
Permobil F5 Corpus 3G
Permobil C500s VS
Permobil C500 Corpus 3G
Permobil C350 Corpus 3G
Magic Mobility X4 with 176 Ah LiFePO4