Affording Accessible Wheelchair Vans

There are so many ways that accessible wheelchair vans can change your current quality of life.  With the purchase of a mobility vehicle, you would never again need to rely on family and friends to help you run your daily errands.  Unfortunately, the idea of buying a new vehicle can be overwhelming.  A new car really is a major purchase and not one that can be entered into lightly.  You may find that the expense is more than you can handle, but you don't have to give up right away.  There are plenty of options available to you that will make accessible wheelchair vans a possibility.
Your first step is to choose the right vehicle for your needs.  With so many different sizes and styles from which to choose, you should be able to find something quickly and easily.  There are several features and accessories that you will want to consider, including ramps, lifts, hand controls, and restraint systems.  Once you have chosen between a full-size van, minivan, truck, or SUV, you will then need to worry about how to pay for it.
If you fear that you cannot afford the vehicle you have chosen, then it's important that you speak to your sales agent right away.  There are financing options that could take a great deal of strain off of your financial situation, but you won't know about them unless you ask.  First of all, you could find that there are loans available that require no down payment.  For those that have no money saved up, this is an excellent option.  You could also consider extended financing, which will allow you to spread your payments over a longer period of time.  With lower monthly payments, you might be surprised at what you can afford.
Accessible wheelchair vans might still be too expensive to consider purchasing new, but you could certainly look into used vehicles.  There are many dealerships that offer a whole lot of used accessible wheelchair vans.  When you make the decision to purchase a used vehicle, you will see serious savings immediately.  Don't worry about the reliability of the car you have chosen, either.  These accessible wheelchair vans are inspected and certified, so you can be sure of their safety.  Best of all, these vehicles are presented in like new condition, which means you won't have to sacrifice luxury to purchase a used van.

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Why Are Lowered Floor, Wheelchair Accessible Vans So Expensive

Before I started working at VMI, I had the exact same question. It didn't take me long to figure out why these conversions are so costly. I highly suggest that anyone who is in the market for a wheelchair accessible van, try and visit the manufacturer and see how the vans are built. Since we are in Phoenix, a major vacation destination, many customers like to stop by and take a tour of our manufacturing process when visiting the area.

There are many factors that go into the price of our product, just like any product. There is R&D (research and development) time and expenses. Just as an example, our engineers worked 18 months on the Honda Odyssey with the VMI Northstar conversion. We put a lot of work into every facet of the vehicle and conversion. Within this R&D work is also a lot of testing. For months on end, we have products in our R&D area doing nothing but cycling over and over to test the mechanics and durability of the product. In addition to testing, the vehicle has to go through a myriad of testing to pass all federal government requirements; front crash test, rear crash test, side crash test, and pull testing (for seat belts). These are millions of dollars of costs incurred before we built a single production unit.

The actual production of converting the vehicle for wheelchair accessibility is very invasive. When we receive a vehicle for conversion, the first thing we do is take everything out of the vehicle, everything. Your pretty shiny new van is stripped to pretty shiny shell. We then cut out the original manufacturer's floor. To give wheelchair users the best line of site in the vehicle, we have to add an entirely new floor, which is dropped 11". That floor gets welded back onto the vehicle and then it is a process of putting things back together. We add in all the ramp equipment and ensure it is correctly tied up to the electrical system. We then have to add the ground effect/flares so the new lowered floor is not exposed. The vans go through painting where we have all OEM paint colors to ensure the best match to your van. The next process is for the van to enter our Hurricane Booth to ensure there are no leaks in the van. All in all, each van has more than 100 man hours in order to complete the entire process.

I strongly recommend that when looking for a wheelchair accessible van, do your research. VMI has been converting vehicles for over 20 years. We have thousands of vans on the road with hundreds of repeat customers. When shopping for a van, learn about the manufacturer, call and talk to people that work there, not the sales people, but ask to talk to an engineer or a product manager. I, at times spend the majority of my day by chatting on the phone with customers. We email each other, stay in touch, exchange information. I am always available to talk anytime, for however long. I want the customer to feel educated and confident about what they are buying. Do your homework and remember the old adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

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