I love classic cars. In fact my last car I had was a 71 f250 with a 360fe 4 barrel carb. It got 2 MPG, LOL. But God I loved it. It killed me when I was forced to sell it. My mom thinks I should get. A more modern car since I'm handicapped. Below are 3 cars I'm considering. My question which seams best for my needs.

classic el camino (elky) with a wheelchair lift bolted in bed
00-05 Ford excursion diesel with lift bolted in interior
06+ Mazda mx5/miata with a trailer I can pull my wheelchair on

I'd want some thing I can work n tweak on but would be best car for me. I would really value opinions on this. The trailer for miata is designed so small cars or motorcycles can pull it. The advantage to excursion is chair is out of the weather. My hoveround has expensive parts. A good example is controller costs 13k! Mine is a heavy duty chair n wheighs 375 pounds. So I would need to add air springs to a elky. Down side to excursion is diesel fuel prices and size. Butwould be most secure to mount my wheelchair in. After all my chair retails for 18.5k and my insurance won't pay for a new one for 3 more years.

 

Not sure if a van would be of interest but I've seen quite a few very nice ones on eBay.

 

Van. Why fight with trailers etc. Sure, it's a van...but you can go mini or full size and have a decent driver either way, with a lot of comfort and convenience. Plus, with a van, if you need something from the back, you just hit the brakes and it comes to you.....good luck.

 

well i supose i could mount a lift in a sprinter van and overtime make it like a conversion van borderline class b rv

 

Have you ever thought about the fullsize 2wd dodge ramchargers from the 80's or the 2wd fullsize blazers from the same era?

Here is an example by you.
1987 Dodge Ramcharger Royal SE Reduced Price! $750 FIRM!

They can be made to look really cool. I would think it could be wheelchair equipped. They are the best of both worlds... truck/van combo. Look up the Dodge lil red express or the warlock to give you ideas of what the dodge wagon could look like.

 

So by your possible choices stated , You do not need to enter the vehicle while in your chair ? How about an extended cab truck with a topper ? Or a later model Bronco . I do like the El camino body, go fast parts are easy to come by , a slightly trained monkey can work on them . But, they don't look good with a topper , IMHO .

 

ideally i want something i can sell avon out of and hold all mine and my moms handicap equipment. 1 power wheelchair, 1 manual folding wheelchair, 2 walkers, and 2 canes. some have suggested suburbans and i prefer excursion over that. the cheapest i found is used 14' uhaul box trucks with the v10 at 3500-4500. then ther are sprinter vans which are temperature controlled. and finally super sized suvs like excursion or suburan.

but since i need to sell avon out of it and want my name on vehicle, what would u all recommend?

 

So... you and your mom are both in wheelchairs? If so you really do not have to many choices other than a expedition length auto. I would think rear A/C would be nice to have also. Does the Avon need to have A/C or can it be towed on a trailer?

 

You could always price a restored Dairy Van for what an excursion would cost.

 

IMO, you need a vehicle with a low step in height, sliding doors. You won't find either on an Excursion, Suburban or a pickup.

Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest mini-vans have both, the 2nd row seats can be removed, the 3rd row folds flat.

Plus, you get decent MPG that you won't get on those oversized tubs.

 

actly just me in the wheel chair. the manual is my backup chair. my mom is on a walker though. she has had 2 knee replacents. 1 was from the acedent that im getting my settlement from.

ideally id want to get a braun or vmi handicapped van. problem is even the 10+ year old ones are out of my price range. i seen the vans avrage 20-25k for 98-03 models. they jut such a speclized market makes it imposible to get one when i really need one.

 

You might consider an Econoline, as probably more of them have been converted than any other automaker.

What does a used Excursion cost?

 

Here is a Chevy Express with a Braun for 4000 in your area based on the location you have listed.
1999 chevy express van 3500 handicap

Just posted yesterday.

 

A little further from Tulsa in Oklahoma City there is a 99 Dodge that has a lift (It appears to be a Braun) for 4500 and a 2004 E-350 with a 6.0 Diesel for 9000 with a lift. Both of these are side door as opposed to rear on the Chevy.

99 Dodge Handicapped accessible Van

2004 Ford E-350 diesel handicap accessible van

 

that 04is nice. love it has the psd as well