My first van was an 84 e150. Had a 4 inch dropped floor, crow river lift, power doors. Paid 1500.00 for it out of an old mans barn. Regional Center gave me 3000.00 to put Monarch hand controls, B and D swivel seat and a Crescent remote system for the lift and doors. I drove it 4 years and one day was going to a movie and the engine started knocking. Pulled it over and figured out the oil pump went out. Took the wheels, transfer seat, remote system out and gave it to the blind. Ron
________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2013 5:23 PM Subject: Fwd: [QUAD-L] new minivan I was hurt in '71 and got my first van in '79, an e-150 ford. I simply couldn't afford it till then. Finally, I managed to land a teaching job and voca-rehab helped with the conversion. Although it was new, it turned out to be a colossal piece of junk. Stayed tore up all the time. I spent three times as much on repairs as I gave for it. Ironically, I still have it parked in a storage shed. I put a new motor in it and use it as a back-up. My current ride is a '96 E-150. Bought it in '02' put in a new lift in '11 and have had no problems.....knock on wood. Begin forwarded message: Resent-From: [email protected] >From: Aaron Mann <[email protected]> >Date: November 9, 2013 at 4:21:38 PM EST >To: [email protected] >Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [QUAD-L] new minivan > > I did not begin driving until 11 years post-injury. First van, 1999 Chrysler Town & Country w/ Braun conversion, drove it until someone ran red light and T-boned me. It was a great van to drive, just had lots of transmission issues. My current van, 2005 Toyota Sienna w/ Braun conversion, has been an excellent vehicle. It currently has 150,000 miles in just under 9 years of driving it. I've had zero major issues w/ this van. I highly recommend it. > >Now, I'm currently having a 2014 Chevy Silverado 2500 modified to drive. I >cannot wait to get out of mini-vans, been a long time coming. We have plans >to purchase a little Toyhauler trailer and do a lot more traveling. > >Good luck, the independence of driving is exhilarating. > > > > > >Aaron Mann > > >On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 6:44 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >Hey all, >> >>After 13 years of paralysis I'm finally going to be able to drive. I >>have to use fully electronic controls which are really expensive and >>the manufacturer won't transfer them between vehicles after a certain >>period of time so I'm looking for a really good van to get as many >>years as possible from. >> >>I've decided on either a honda odyssey or toyota sienna, but I'm not >>certain which conversion to get. vmi or braun, fold out or in floor. >>I currently have a 2003 braun foldout which has been ok, but not as >>reliable as I'd like. Especially since I'll now be alone when I'm >>driving and would prefer to not being left stranded somewhere. >> >>Any thoughts or opinions about which is better for long term >>independent use? I know I sit too low in a sienna with an in-floor >>ramp, but that still leaves a lot of options. Any insights would be >>greatly appreciated. >> >>Thanks, >>Rob >> >> >
