Wheelchair Lift

After-market wheelchair lift?

I recently got married, and my wife is in a wheelchair. She cannot transfer into a car, so she has a Chevy van with an aftermarket wheelchair lift installed. Frankly, neither the van nor the lift are in great shap. In fact, I've been told that her lift - a Ricon - is a bottom-of-the-barrel brand.

Obviously, when the time comes to replace the vehicle and/or lift, it's going to be a major expenditure. So that I can start planning for it, how much does an aftermarket lift usually cost, what is a good brand/model to get, and what factors should I consider in deciding which one to get?

Also, any experience on which vans might be better than others for installing such a lift?
Richard - thanks, but I'm trying to *not* spend $25-$45k on a completely modified van. I just want to buy a standard minivan or whatever and add a lift onto it.

I am car salesman in Virginia. I have dealt with several different companies that install wheelchair lifts. I have liked working with The Mobility Center the best. Their phone number is 800-231-7774.

Which Chevy van does your wife have? Is the lift on the inside, or just holding the chair behind the vehicle? Out of the Chevy vans the Express is better than the old Astro, Venture, or the new Uplander to add an inside lift to. It can handle the added weight of the lift because its a fullsize van instead of minivan. If you do decide to buy a new van I would get a full size for that reason. I have sold every brand of van there is, and I think the Express is the best fullsize van out there.

Dodge quit making a fullsize passenger van. They still make the Sprinter, but its more of a delivery vehicle. The Ford Econoline is the most popular, because businesses buy them. They are the cheapest one that will get the job done. However, the Express is a more technologically advanced van. The Ford has not been updated in years.

It will cost around $500 more to install a lift into an Express over an Econoline because of the way the floor is raised up in the Chevy. I forget the details of why, but it makes it harder to install the lift. I can't remember if Ford does, but Chevy gives an additonal $1500 mobility rebate for stuff like wheelchair lifts. Keep in mind rebates are only on new vehicles though.

As for the lift itself, I think Braun makes one of the better lifts out there. Check www.braunlift.com. Their website will locate the dealer nearest you. Check with several of them to get price quotes, make sure you give them all the details and they give you an acurate install price so you can compare apples to apples. Some will leave out details that will become extra charges later on.

If you wanted to put a lift in a minivan, I have seen more of them in Dodge Grand Caravans than anything else. But that could just be because Dodge sells more minivans than all the other brands put togather.

I hope this helps. Email me with any questions.