I struggled with the decision of what to get. I considered a trailer, among other options, and pretty quickly dismissed the idea for the reasons that have been posted here.
I was very surprised to find that my wheelchair would not fit in many vans. I encourage you to be sure your wheelchair will fit in the van before you commit to the van.
New and slightly used wheelchair minivans are stunningly expensive. After much thought and searching, I decided to get a full-size conversion van with a wheelchair lift.
I discovered that well-used full-size vans are available for much, much less than minivans. Mine cost $11,000, but needed a couple of thousand in work to make it safe and reliable (including adjusting the EZ Lock for securing the wheelchair).
Our conversion van has a raised roof so the floor does not need to be lowered. I think the fewer the modifications to the vehicle the less chance for problems. That was a major factor in getting the van we chose.
Our van has worked well for over 20,000 miles of use. I view it as an interim solution because when I am no longer able to transfer to the front seat I will be confined to riding with my head too high to see out the windows.
I refuse to live life with a view of roadside ditches (to paraphrase another forum member), so we intend to replace the van as I lose my ability to transfer.
We are seriously looking at wheelchair conversions for a pickup truck. This will allow me to see the mountains from our dirt roads, tow a trailer, and just feel better about what I am riding in
Good luck. I found that it was a tough decision but am pleased with the interim decision we made.
Steve
