I think it is coming to the point where we really need to get a van with a lift for Celeste. She is so big and it is really difficult to get her in and out of the carseat. Her wheelchair is heavy as well and it is hard to get her chair lifted in the trunk as well.

I was wondering two things; for those of you with lift/ramp vans, what make/model do you have and how long have you had it? Are you happy with it? Second, what type of entry do you have... side or rear? Pros and Cons to each? Thanks so much!

Hi

We got Ben a VW Caravelle 2 years ago. In the UK we opted to buy this ourselves rather than go through the mobility system.  We chose this van because it was one of only a couple we found (the other being mercedes) with a sliding door on the side.

We wanted Ben to be able to travel in the middle of the van with someone seated beside him in case he needed assistance. Also we needed enough seats left in the car to attached children's car seats to for Ben's two younger siblings.

Because lifts are so expensive (approx 11k) we opted to get a couple of manual sliding ramps which we keep in the boot and we have a tie down system fitted to the van floor.

Ben travels seated in his Kimba spring buggy to which we have fitted a racing car harness to, to keep him secure in his seat.  We were surprised at how few guildelines there were in the UK about safety.

Ben is aged 7 1/2 now, is 123cms tall and weights 25.7kg.  It's pretty hard work pushing him up the ramps and I wonder how long it will be before we have to get a lift or some other system.

Sally & Ben x

Just saw this the other day - it's the first vehicle specifically designed for wheelchair accessibility.  It's not available quite yet, but they're saying retail price is going to be < $40K.  Might be worth looking into anyway.  :-)

http://www.vpgautos.com/

Best,

Sarah

It seems like there are alot of Dodge Caravans out there with modifications.  We have looked at a few and were told its because the vans are less expensive helping with the overall total cost.  When we do get a van, we have discovered that a rear entry will be the best way to go because on side entry vans its difficult to manuver Kyles wheelchair to swing it around and position it.  Hope that helps some