WheelchairDriver

I'm considering enlisting the help of my BIL who is a used car dealer in a popular retirement state. He says used WC vans are available there are much more favorable prices than in my area. I need a check list of features to give him.
side ramp, power ramp
drop floor
kneeling
AB driver, WC front passenger

What have I missed?

Nothing. Thats the stock standard wheelchair minivan.

I might buy used in the UK. They go for nothing, hard to sell. And usually around 5 times less miles than in the US. Over here a car with 50k on the clock is usually avoided and looks to us as if its worn out. Thats high mileage. In the US I see them going for 2/3rds new price with what we consider to be monumental mileages that we wouldnt look at. Many wheelchair vans here have anything from 15 to 30k miles after a decade. Which makes brand new ones look rather attractive in the US. Esp to us where we have the currency difference.

Yes, in the US people drive much further outside of urban areas.

I only know HC vehicles from looking at web sites. Hoping more members will share their experiences.

I see Braun advertised more, a few Rollx. Any preference? If I was buying a new conversion, I like the Rollx information better but am I right? I like Chrysler products generally. My current auto is a 2012 Dodge bought as a 2 year old lease-return. I'd like to find a vehicle about the same age.

I have read and re-read everything at
http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/accessible-vehicles.htm
which confirms everything above.

How difficult is it for an AB to switch out the front seats in the Chrysler / Dodge WAV?

2 Mins and they just clip in place.

You need to roll them on their wheels into and out of the van up the ramp. And store them in a garage or spare room.

flagman1776 wrote:I'm considering enlisting the help of my BIL who is a used car dealer in a popular retirement state. He says used WC vans are available there are much more favorable prices than in my area. I need a check list of features to give him.
side ramp, power ramp
drop floor
kneeling
AB driver, WC front passenger

What have I missed?

Arizona Mobility will deliver to your location for a price. The dealers in my area buy from them so I figured I would too. As far as your list...

Hand Controls
WC Driver (tie downs)
Power doors
Power tailgate

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

In the UK, a phone call to any of the big converter companies has them clamouring to bring you a van as a demonstrator, to try out getting in, explain all the options etc. Some companies have more suitable conversion. Be SURE to carefully look at many. Small differences actually make or break these vehicles depending on your chair, needs, etc. And as you start looking there will be a mass of stuff to absorb and understand.

Burgerman wrote:In the UK, a phone call to any of the big converter companies has them clamouring to bring you a van as a demonstrator, to try out getting in, explain all the options etc. Some companies have more suitable conversion. Be SURE to carefully look at many. Small differences actually make or break these vehicles depending on your chair, needs, etc. And as you start looking there will be a mass of stuff to absorb and understand.

Too right. Brotherwood brought the prototype of their new Peugeot-based WAV all the way from Dorset to show me, followed up with a couple of long phone calls with their chief designer regarding a number of changes I suggested before I'd consider it. But it wasn't bad, except its a Peugeot (I know I'm biased, but I can't help it) and its van-based so has a diesel engine and crap rear suspension at the moment (my Kia Sedona conversion is started life as a 9-seater MPV and it still stands out above anything currently on offer in the UK).

I get useful information from every post, every link, every key word.

One problem is that we gat different vehicles and options to you. So looking at say a VW caravelle with lowered floor and high spec everything from a UK dealer wont help. And likewise theres no minivans being imported to the UK any longer as they dont fit the stupid EU safety and envioromentalist bullshit. So we have to import those from canada or US ready built like mine.

Sometimes what I learn is the conversion on a certain base vehicle, although possible, isn't what I want. Since I'd been unaware of the conversion possibility, it did give me information.