Personal Website of Scott Pilkinton

Most of the newer manufacturer approved handicapped vehicle conversions comes from companies that have submitted to the manufacturer’s program to be a recommended converter. Basically, these companies (at least the big one’s anyway) have their own assembly lines that the vehicle goes through once it’s obtained from the original factory. The development cycle of a converted vehicle is basically something like the following:

1. Vehicle is purchased from the manufacturer by the conversion company
2. The conversion company takes the vehicle and performs the following: (not a complete list)
   1. Original floorboards are cut out, from the firewall to the rear seat.
   2. New lowered floor pan installed and welded in the vehicle
   3. Gas Tank Relocated
   4. New heavy duty rear suspension (springs)
   5. New exhaust installed
   6. New Front seat mounts
   7. New interior components installed to compensate for lowered floor
3. After conversion process has been completed, the vehicle is sold to a dealer
4. Dealer sells to the consumer and then typically becomes the first point of contact for any questions,concerns, or service on the vehicle from that point forward.

I initially thought this would be ok, we would just buy from a handicap vehicle dealer.  There are a few things about going this route that I realized real quick.

1. Since the conversion company makes the vehicle purchases, they buy vehicles in big lots from the manufacturer.  The vans purchased to be converted will have the common options that people desire.  However, most will not have the ‘extra’ features that you may want.  These ‘fully equipped’ vans exist – but they are much harder to come by.
2. Since these vans go through multiple shipping processes, the cost of shipping to each location just adds that much more to the total.
3. The factory incentives (instant rebates) that are currently running at the regular dealerships may not be available on the conversion vans at the handicap dealers.

The dealer had a pretty nice 2008 Braun Town and Country van, although it didn’t have the entertainment system – everything else looked real good.  With the touch of a remote button, the van ‘squatted’, opened the side door, and let down the ramp for entry into the vehicle.  After looking it over, I asked the question: How much?  The answer: $61,000  Wow, $61k for a new vehicle.  The very first thought out of my head was: there is no way we can do this.  That was as much as our first house!

Next time I’ll tell you what we did…