Mornin’ folks!
Good thread topic! Here’s my $.02 worth;
I’ve owned both minivans and full size vans.
MINIVAN(’95 dodge) WITH SIDE ENTRY LIFT(vantage):
We bought this van already decked out with conversions. Lowered floor and side ramp access.
Pros-
1- Ease of driving for my wife. It’s not a huge vehicle;
2- Parking was not a problem. You can use parkades and not worry about taking the roof off;
3- Fuel efficient. Pretty good mileage on a 6 cylinder engine.
Cons-
1- ‘Bottoming out’ from the lowered floor was common. We would tense up when we had to go over speed bumps;
2- Smallish for a big guy. I’m 6’4” when standing, so fairly tall in my wheelchair. I would bounce my head off the roof of the van more times than I care to remember and had to duck down to enter;
3- Not much room for family AND luggage for road trips. By the time the van is loaded, you couldn’t see out the rear window.
FULL SIZE VAN(’01 GM Savana) WITH SIDE ENTRY(Bruno draw bridge style):
We bought the van first and then had it converted. The Savana had not been tested for the lowered floor so we bought a raised roof style. This saved a ton of money on the conversion. We had to get the van ready to be fitted for a ramp which required some servicing to the side doors and raised roof to accommodate the lift. The medical supply place (that we bought the ramp at) took care of all of that.
Pros-
1- Tons of room! I can fit my whole family, luggage and then some and still have lots of room left over;
2- No more headaches! With the raised roof I can sit up straight and don’t bounce my head off the roof;
3- No more bottoming out. With no lowered floor, the worry of bottoming out is gone.
Cons-
1- Fuel efficiency has gone down with a V-8 engine, though not as much as I thought;
2- Bigger tank means more bucks to fill. It has a 100 litre tank so it costs more for a fillup;
3- Can’t see out the windows! Without the lowered floor, I have to hunch over to see where we’re going. That’s a bit of a pain;
4- It’s a biiig drive! It’s kinda funny to watch my wife (she’s pretty tiny) drive that van, it’s like watching someone pilot the space shuttle. She’s nicknamed it “the tank”. She’s a good driver though, never had a problem. Parking is also restricted with the raised roof.
I like the side entry lifts as I like being up by my wife. Also there is the issue of storage. With side entry you have the whole back end for groceries or what have you. Although a pain for parking, we’ve adapted. If we can’t find a spot wide enough, my wife will drop me at the door (of wherever we’re going) and go and park.
I would advise to do some research. I looked into the vans first to find a quality one. Then explore the different lifts. I’ve had no problem with the Bruno setup. The Vantage I wasn’t so crazy about, but I think I bought a crappy setup.
If you buy a van already decked out, take it to a good medical supply company and have them check it over. I didn’t do that for my Dodge and I got stuck with a real lemon! (I’d still like to get my hands on the guy that sold it to me…
)
Don’t forget that buying medical equipment (new) is tax deductible as a medical expense with a doctor’s note. I believe buying used is not, someone will correct me if I’m wrong. So, if you buy a van already fitted with a ramp (used) it will be cheaper than installing one in a plain van, but you can’t claim it. I guess you’ll have to decide which way to go.
I hope this helped some!
Cheers!
Michael
