See post entitled, "Power Wheelchair Lift Van Difficulties"
When I wrote that post last fall, I was barely able to walk at all. For all we knew (then), by this time (summer 2015) I could be severely disabled and needing a nurse. Such a prediction was not unreasonable paranoia, but likely considering the normal rate of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) in nearly every other CBD patient, including me. Therefore, the plan last year was to get a conversion van with a built-in ramp that was easy to operate and required no walking from me and no lifting from Joe, who has arthritis in his back.
Then, something odd and unexpected happened: I got better. No, not better better, but just not worse. The pain in my foot improved so that I could put my weight on it. I can walk short distances. The rate of degeneration slowed to an imperceptible rate. I no longer feel like I'm going to die in 2 to 3 years. So then I got to thinking about an SUV and having one of those carrying platforms mounted on the back. I can get a decent SUV with less than 50,000 miles for just under $20,000. I could buy it from a dealer and know that it's been checked out and certified. I would feel a lot more comfortable about my purchase, and the process of making it.
The proper name for that lift is Bruno Out-Sider®. They
are reasonably priced at $2600 installed, and can be mounted on the
back of trucks, vans, SUVs and some larger sedans...or so their
literature says. Then I called the local Bruno distributor. It will
not work on the back of my existing Subaru Legacy station wagon
(slightly longer than an Outback). Surprisingly, it won't even work
on a Forester. Then, I got to researching and found out why. Sport
Utility Vehicles are getting
smaller. A lot smaller.
They started out more like big, square, enclosed trucks with 4WD or
AWD. You could tow a trailer or boat with one. They had big engines
and big frames and were strong and heavy. That's why they got such
lousy gas mileage. Because of the environmental concerns and the
economy, SUVs are now smaller and lighter and get reasonable gas mileage.
They are no longer trucks. They are more like AWD hatch-back cars.
They no longer come with trailer hitches because they no longer have
towing capability. And you can't mount a 142 lb lift that carries a
250 lb wheelchair onto the back of them. Shit. That puts me back at vans. See my earlier post for my problem with vans.
Then something expected happened: Joe's Honda Element started breaking down. We have reached that inevitable point in an old vehicle's life where it is costing more to repair it than car payments on a new(er) one would be. It is broken down right now. We have to get it repaired to trade it in. This is not good. It means that I have to make a decision about this van NOW, or at least, really damn soon. I'm still really confused. And the used ones are $30,000 and up...WAY up. So the guy at the lift dealership suggested I look into getting a VA grant to help me pay for it. Shit. More complication.
I'll keep you posted.
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