Vehicle Recommendations - Side or Rear Load

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I am new to the forum. My husband, Larry, was diagnosed with ALS in February, 2009. We are now at the point that we need to purchase a van to get around. Can anyone tell me what features I should look for? I'm particularly interested in knowing which is better--one that loads from a side door or one that loads from the rear? Also, if there is a particular make or model that you would recommend, that would be helpful.

Thank you!
Linda
 
A lot depends on how tall your husband is, and what kind of chair. We have a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country, with an automatic ramp on the side. We are very happy with it. A rear entry means he will be in the chair in the back of the Van, whereas a side entry will allow him to put his chair into the front passenger side, or even be able to put it in the drivers side if he is still driving.
 
I can give you the downside to having a full sized van with rear entry and no riding "up front". Or should I just stop right there... Well, since I always want to know "why" something is a problem, I will go on and try to be serious, because it's sometimes pretty funny. First, whereas I am not tall, these chairs make us sit pretty high up, so that getting in that rear entry is very difficult unless you were to get the raised roof ( we didn't.). I have to back onto a lift, with my legs elevated, and also with my back quite reclined. Mind you I'm looking straight up, so I'm directed to go back "another three inches". When I'm on the lift correctly, I'm lifted electrically until level with the van's floor. Then, I raise the back, lower the legs, keep backing up, and then turn forward. And, I get behind the passenger seat (which actually looks quite comfortable), and after I'm tied down, strapped in and gotten into a comfortable tilt, I pretty much can't see out the side, other than the road itself. I can see through the windshield. I like leaving the van, especially since I get to do it facing forward in the direction I'm headed.:roll:

And for my own preference, unless I'd already been driving a full sized van, I wouldn't want to have to drive it or park it. I would imagine most women in particular would be more at ease driving a "mini van" or something similar in size.
Ann
 
Thank you all for your quick response. You gave me some very useful info. My husband's chair is a Permobil C300 and he also has a transport chair, which we are currently using to get him to and from the car and to appointments, as we have no way currently to transport the Permobil. I'll continue to monitor the site for more info. Thanks, again!
 
We just got the Honda Odessey with the Northstar conversion. I like it because the ramp is built in to the floor. The floor has the non-skid rubber on it, so it will be very easy to clean. My husband is borrowing a Permobil 350 until his C400 arrives. It is very easy to manuever it into the front passenger seat. Once the permanent chair comes in, we will have the Easy Lock System. Right now, we are using the retractable tie downs. Very good.
 
Thank you, Missy. I was wondering about how well the Permobil would fit and how easy it would be to get on the passenger side. I've not actually been able to get out to physically "see" a vehicle first hand. I've only seen pictures and they don't really help all that much, since I'm more of a "hands-on" kind of gal.

Linda
 
we have a permobil 300, and no problems with our vehicle.
 
Thank you! This is all new territory for me and I appreciate the guidance.
 
Hi. If you look at the bottom of this page there are links to other threads with more information.

AL.
 
Thank you, Al. We've taken the plunge and purchased a Honda Odyssey with a side entry. Not much parallel parking in our community, and because my voice is shot, trying to talk with someone in the rear of the vehicle would have been impossible without a bullhorn!

Thank you all for your input. I so appreciate it.
 
Hi Linda,

I am considering the 2011 Odyssey to replace my 1999 Chrysler T&C Braun side-entry van. It will be several months before the Braun vans are available. I would be very interested in your evaluation of it. Some questions:

What year is yours?

Who did the conversion?

I am particularly interested in the space between the front and rear seats. My van will park two big scooters side-by-side whereas the new Sienna conversion will not. Do you happen to know the distance between the seats on yours?

I am a bit concerned that the Honda vans (Braun's at least) have the narrowest ramp of all the minivan conversions. It is about 2" narrower than Toyota or Dodge/Chrysler. I occasionally drive up on the side of the ramp now when reversing down it. Do you have any problems with exiting?

Aside from the conversion features, how do you like the van overall, especially compared to others you may have driven?

Thank you. I hope you really enjoy the van.

John

p.s. Missy I just noticed you also have the Odyssey. Any comments on this from you would also be appreciated.
 
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Hi John.

We have the 2010 Odyssey with the VMI Northstar conversion. My husband has a Permobile C400. We don't have any trouble with the ramp (28.5"). In fact, the few times that he has driven over the side, he just bumped over the side - no problem, just a jolt. The van "lays" down when the ramp extends, so it is never that far off of the ground. We like that the ramp can be let out on a curb, too. We just depress a button that stops the van from "laying down". It is 54" from the rear seat to the front seat. We could easily fit two full size chairs in the van - three if we pulled out the driver's seat (my husband does not drive). Bottom line, we haven't driven any other vans except when looking at vans. We are very pleased with the Odyssey. Feel free to ask me any other questions.
 
Thanks for your reply, Missy. I'm glad to hear of your good experience with the Odyssey and that it is spacious behind the front seats. Was your 54" measurement from the front to the back seat taken when the front seat was all the way forward or all the way back?

I do have one more concern. I notice that the new Odyssey has only 6" of ground clearance compared to 6.9" on the new Toyota Sienna. I'm not sure what the clearance is on my Chrysler Town and Country but I was constantly bottoming out on driveways and bumps. I solved the problem by putting on 2" oversize SUV tires. The downside to that is that it tends to lean outwards on corners at highway speeds. Do find yourself dragging on driveways or other bumps?
 
Hi John:

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to answer. I haven't been on the forum since last week. The Odyssey is a 2009 and has a VMI Northstar Conversion. I measured from the back of the driver's seat to the rear passenger seat and the distance is 49". The driver's seat is in the position from which I would normally drive. I'm only 5'4 1/2" tall so the seat is not all the way back. I've only had the vehicle a little over a week, but have driven it on errands around town. While the clearance is low, I haven't found that it bottoms out on my driveway or over speed bumps or in deep depressions on the roads around here.

With regard to the ramp, my husband is still kind of spooked about driving his chair up the ramp, as it's all new to him. We put black gaffing tape down the center so he could line up the chair between the foot ramps and drive up and down. The ramp is 28.5" wide.

As far as driving the van, I've found it to have an excellent turning radius, smooth ride, easy to park and good sight lines. There aren't any areas which seem to block your line of vision, unlike other vans and vehicles I've driven. It also doesn't have the "cumbersome" feel of a heavy vehicle. The only other van I've driven was a Chevy Astro, which is a full-sized van. Our van is also equipped with a rear back-up camera, which will take some time getting used to. I haven't driven any of the other converted vans, and I'm not familiar with all the different conversions, so I can't compare.

I hope this was a least a little helpful.

Linda
 
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