Van Purchase Question

[hn7609]

I’ve progressed to a point where I am in a chair all of the time & it’s getting a bit tough not having a properly equipped van. I’m curious about the opinions of those who have purchased vans. The way I see it I have 3 options.

1- Just get a new van with all of the bells & whistles. Can’t happen unless I win the lottery.
2- Get a used van of recent vintage with 40 to 80,000 miles & pay 16 to 20,000. Doable but it’s a lot of money.
3- Get one of the old conversion vans of the 1990s for next to nothing & see what I can get out of it.

My thinking is that the van will actually get very little use. I can’t see going more that 5,000 miles per year. I figure I’ll only get to use it for another 4 years anyway so I only need it to run for another 20,000 miles or so. I know that those old conversion vans will get poor mileage but with so few miles driven I think that it will be a non factor. With my children 11 & 13 I am still busy driving them to practice & what not many nights a week. I currently use hand controls & anticipate being able to get the kids to practice for one more season, once I can no longer drive I’m thinking that my trips will mostly consist of trips to the Dr., grocery store, or school activities, all local.

Locally on Craigs list there are a number of these full size vans equipped with Braun lifts that sell for 4 to 6,000 with high miles but not an outrageous amount. Being able to enter & exit the van with a lift is just a huge plus. Currently I just sit in our mini van during practice because I am unable to walk out of the van. I do have a basket carrier w/ramp on the back but it is not practical because I am unable to load or unload it by myself. If I have somebody with me it’s OK as they can bring me the chair but solo it just sucks.

In your experience did you use the van as much as you anticipated ?
Looking back would an older van have done the job for you ?
If you did buy something late model how bad was the hit when you disposed of it ?

Thanks

 

[Susan10]

we just bought a full size ford econoline van with a braun lift on monday for under $11000. have been watching ---'s list for several months. this one has 68,000 mi on it and is an 02. its bigger than we wanted but in such good shape. like you, we expect to drive it about 6-8,000 per yr.

just keep looking. we saw some older vans that were just worn out. it doesn't do you any good to buy cheap and have monumental repair bills (like an engine or transmission).

 

[HelenL]

I'm in the same boat about the van... why spend 30K for a used van that will sit in the driveway most of the time. However, getting one that is too old is a bit scary due to breaking down. What makes it work for me is that I actually own a Honda Odyssey van that they use for conversions, but it's too old and would cost about $12K to convert... so not work it.

 

[John1]

I've done both of your options 1 and 2. My first van I purchased on the Internet for $16,000 US. It was a '99 Braun rampvan conversion on a Chrysler Town and Country and I bought it in 2005. It had about 48,000 miles on it. I have put another 125,000 miles on it and have semi-retired it this month. The only major problems I had were rebuilding the notorious Chrysler transmission twice. Otherwise it was a good van. I needed something more reliable and this spring bought a new Chrysler Town and Country with all the bells and whistles. It's like driving a smart phone on wheels. But honestly now that I have 9000 miles on it, I don't really prefer to the old one except that everything works and I have more confidence on long trips. We just finished an 8000 mile cross continent trip in it.

So if you are looking at a van for only local travel I'd go for the old cheap option. Just pay a dealer a few hundred bucks to thoroughly check it over before you buy it.

 

[HelenL]

Oh, one more thing, a lot of places that specialize in selling handicap vans will rent them out for a week long trip, etc. And many areas offer handicap bus for transport.

 

[Susan10]

agree with john1 on having the dealer check it out. we did andd they found enough for us to bargain with but nothing major. best $80 i've spent in a while.

 

[tmasters]

Do you have somebody who can drive you around in the future?

If you haven't already considered this, think about where you will park your PWC in the van. There are 3 options:
1. Driver's seat. (Not a good option for a progressive disease; you won't always be able to drive.)
2. Front passenger seat.
3. In the back. (This is the only option for rear ramp vans.)

I chose #2 and I can still drive by sliding over to the driver's seat after I park my PWC. When somebody rides with me they usually sit in my PWC. If somebody else drives then I'm riding shotgun and that works well, too.

For a minivan make sure your head clears the doorway. I'm 6'0" and had trouble with the Chrysler/Dodge.

I bought a 3 year old Honda Odyssey with VMI conversion in Sept 2010 for $46k. I love the freedom and independence I have with it. I took a long road trip with my son and we traded off driving. But mostly use it around town. I suppose, to answer your question, I use it about as much as I thought I would which is almost every day. An older model would have worked fine.

Make sure to consider EZ Lock instead of tie-downs if you're driving by yourself.

-Tom

 

[10steps]

I suppose a lot depends on progression.
Out of your listed options, we went with your second, was an 03(so a little older), loaded with low miles, for $22,000. I wouldn't necessarily buy from a specialty dealer - they don't know more than you and if you do need repairs it's very likely you can go to a local shop. The dealer "buy-back " offered me $8500 less then my purchase price after 6 months of use and about $1,000 of repairs. I told the guy to go ^&^E himself.
Ulitimately, I took a $6000 hit.
Looking back, because the progression was so fast, i would go older and less expensive especially if you are staying local. I was glad it had side entry and that the van had most options and a great stereo.

 

[HelenL]

Hah, with our disease, the dealers may not get repeat business with us, but they get the same van back to sell over and over again...

 

[hn7609]

Thanks for the replies..........you've confirmed my thoughts on the subject. If I were facing a long life in a chair then I would get something nice for long term use. Since this will be short term I'm going old, ugly, & cheap.

 

[Bill Simpson]

“Old ugly and cheap" is not necessary when looking at a used van. Recently we purchased a handicap accessible Van (used by three previously handicap owners). Locally, MC Mobility, is the place to go and seek handicap accessible vans. In your area, there may be a similar company, just Google for handicap Van. What we purchased was a full size Van with a Crow River power lift. The Van is 12 years old but looks brand-new. This was the only Van available to accommodate my Promobil C 300 PWC. The raised roof of the Van makes for an un-cramped loading and offloading as well as a comfortable ride.

I looked at the Internet sales sites, although there were some attractive choices, buying from a reputable, and knowledgeable service (I believe) is the best way to go. As they were several miles away, across the state line, they made the whole transaction so easy. They brought the Van to my house to see if it would work for me and my chair. After the decision to buy, they brought all the paperwork and necessary arrangements to my house so that we could make the purchase without having to try to transport to them.

MCmobilitysystems.com is the place to go in Ohio or Northern Kentucky. This is not an advertisement but a statement of satisfaction.A

 

[Bill Simpson]

“Old ugly and cheap" is not necessary when looking at a used van. Recently we purchased a handicap accessible Van (used by three previously handicap owners). Locally, MC Mobility, is the place to go and seek handicap accessible vans. In your area, there may be a similar company, just Google for handicap Van. What we purchased was a full size Van with a Crow River power lift. The Van is 12 years old but looks brand-new. This was the only Van available to accommodate my Promobil C 300 PWC. The raised roof of the Van makes for an un-cramped loading and offloading as well as a comfortable ride.

I looked at the Internet sales sites, although there were some attractive choices, buying from a reputable, and knowledgeable service (I believe) is the best way to go. As they were several miles away, across the state line, they made the whole transaction so easy. They brought the Van to my house to see if it would work for me and my chair. After the decision to buy, they brought all the paperwork and necessary arrangements to my house so that we could make the purchase without having to try to transport to them.