Getting a Wheelchair Accessible Van

I’ve had wheelchair accessible vans, in the past. Originally, they didn’t cost nearly as much as they do today. There were more resources out there, willing and able to help you purchase wheelchair accessible vehicles. Well, as part of my new year’s resolution, I’ve wanted to be able to get out of the house more.

I have to be honest. I just can’t afford a van. Prices have inflated to where the standard American in a wheelchair cannot afford a van. The cost of these vans are absolutely ridiculous. Other than blogging about how much these prices stink, there isn’t much that can be done, to change the price of these vans. There are also very few, if any, resources out there that can help with financing.

For example, I just looked up a new, modified, E-Line Ford 250 Van. It has a nice lift in it and costs $59,000. The minivans are usually more expensive than this, though I’ve seen prices run between $35,000-$60,000 for new vans. Most run in the $40,000 range. It’s nearly impossible to get a loan for this much money. With the banks and the bailout, getting loans has become even harder, anyway.

So, I’ve pretty much realized two things. If I want to get out of my house in 2009:

1. I am most likely going to have to get a used van. There are some vans around the $30,000 price range that are fully accessible and have decent mileage.

2. I can’t be choosy about which van I get. While I do have certain requirements for a van (some minivans won’t accommodate the size of my wheelchair with it’s headrest), I can’t select a certain style of van I want because it looks cool. I need a van because I need to get around, and right now, anything that works well and that I can get into is at the top of my list.

The price of these vans, even if they are used, is still exorbitant. So, I’m going to put this out for all of you, in this universe, to help pass on.

Please, if you have a few dollars to spare, could you help donate to my buy a van fund? If not, could you pass the message on to family and friends? I will be chronicling my van purchase journey on my blog and will have lots of pictures to prove that your money is going to buy this van.

You can help donate through the following link:

Thanks for considering helping me to purchase a van. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to make appointments to get back into college. You’ll be helping me to become the independent person I know I am.

With a van I can go to:

-School/College
-Work Events
-Doctor’s Appointments
-Stores (haven’t grocery shopped in years)
-To the Bank (very hard to cash checks or get out money w/o transport)
-Social Events (Haven’t been out socially in five years!)
-Conferences for Work
-Family Events (had to miss my grandmother’s funeral)
-Pretty much everywhere you can go if you have transportation