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MDA’s award-winning bimonthly national magazine goes to everyone registered with MDA, as well as to MDA clinics, researchers and subscribers.
Quest publishes articles on all aspects of living with a neuromuscular disease, and updates on research findings. Quest’s circulation is 125,000.
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Check Out the New Digital Version of Quest! |
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Game to Get Away
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Online games provide an alternate world
in which to play, say gamers with neuromuscular
diseases. Here’s a primer of terminology,
gaming options, social tips and
info on how playing may affect muscles.
In addition, Kid Quest, page 69, provides
Internet gaming safety tips for kids.
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Stories by Topic
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Freedom Motors offers the Chrysler PT Cruiser
in two wheelchair-accessible models: The PT Driver is for drivers
who use wheelchairs, and the PT Rider for passengers in
wheelchairs.
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Financing Options Can Make
Van Buyers Good to Go |
| by Alyssa
Quintero |
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Without a doubt, purchasing a modified vehicle
is a huge financial commitment. Added to a pile of medical costs related
to your neuromuscular disease, buying a vehicle poses a major financing
challenge.
In addition to the actual price of a new or used
van, the conversion can cost $12,000 or more. So you ask: “How can I
possibly pay for all of this?”
Fortunately, you may have more options than you
realize in finding the funds for your new vehicle. |
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Extended-Term Financing
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Mobility by Volvo’s reimbursement program
offers buyers up to $1,000 toward the cost of installing adaptive
equipment in a new 2005 or 2006 model, including the Volvo XC90
pictured here.
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Traditional vehicle financing means taking out a
loan to cover the price of a vehicle and the modifications, and signing an
agreement to make monthly payments on the loan’s principal and interest
over a specified period. The purchaser, the vendor and the lender, usually
a bank or other financial institution, agree upon the terms of the
loan.
Extended-term
financing, including 10-year loans, lets you make monthly payments lower
than those on more typical five- or six-year loans.
“The best option for retail
clients is to have long-term loans with low interest rates,” said Oliver
Ramaker, director of business development for Liberty Motor Co., which
sells converted vehicles to consumers.
For example, Access & Mobility Finance, based in
Lafayette, Calif., offers financing nationwide for up to 10 years for new
and used modified vehicles. Tom Matson, the company’s founder and
president, offers fixed rates, no prepayment penalties and no minimum
finance charges.
Like
many accessible vehicle dealers, Ramaker said, “We’ve had very good
success with his [Matson’s] company in the past, even with people who have
a poor credit rating because of their medical expenses.” The company,
which has provided loans for assistive technology for eight years, will
refinance a client’s loan at a lower rate when his or her credit rating
improves.
 “We work hard
to try to help everybody,” Matson said. “We work closely with the consumer
and the [mobility] dealer to create a loan package that will fit into
their budget.”
Larry
Finman, owner of Special-Needs Vehicles — Adapt Mobility of Tucson, Ariz.,
has been equally im-pressed with Access & Mobility’s flexibility
because it finances the overall cost of the vehicle and mobility
equipment. Some lending institutions only lend against the vehicle’s
chassis.
Matson urges consumers to go through an established dealer that belongs to
the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA), in order to
get “the appropriate product for their circumstances.” For more about
NMEDA, see “Eye on the Industry.”
While 10-year financing reduces your monthly payment,
Matson cautions consumers that an extended term means “you’re going to be
paying for that vehicle a long time. So you need to take care of it, and
try to pay it off early to reduce the amount of interest you pay.”
Mike Harris, president of
Rollx Vans, said that longer financing terms are becoming more popular in
the auto industry (see “Resources for Modified Vehicles”).
For example, Ford’s Mobility
Motoring Program offers extended-term financing for new, modified
vehicles, with the loan period determined by the vehicle’s price. For
those who qualify, Ford offers a nine-year term for a vehicle that exceeds
$40,000.
Harris noted that extended-term financing “can lower your monthly
payment by as much as $200,” though you’ll pay more interest in the long
run. |
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NMEDA:
EYE ON THE INDUSTRY |
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 The National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) is a
nonprofit organization that can provide guidance as you select a
mobility vehicle dealer.
NMEDA recognizes that consumers who purchase
adapted vehicles and mobility equipment literally put themselves in
the hands of the dealers, trusting dealers to help them make the
right purchases.
NMEDA protects consumers
by ensuring “quality and professionalism in the manufacturing and
installation of safe and reliable mobility equipment.”
NMEDA’s 650-plus
members are mobility equipment dealers, driver rehabilitation
specialists and other professionals who promote “quality, safety and
reliability within the industry.” You can check with NMEDA to find
out which dealers in your area are members.
As the voice of the
mobility equipment industry, NMEDA requires that its member-dealers
adhere to the safety standards established by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration as well as NMEDA’s own stringent
guidelines.
Quality
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Hand
controls, such as these from Automobility, should be installed
by a qualified mobility dealer. This system can be used with
almost any vehicle.
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Several NMEDA dealers also are enrolled in NMEDA’s
Quality Assurance Program (QAP). Executive
Director Dana Roeling said QAP certification
helps enhance the accountability of NMEDA
dealers.
Rex Bradbury, owner of Crescent Industries and a NMEDA board
member, added, “We’re always promoting the Quality Assurance
Program. That’s an ongoing, top priority. We’re trying to ensure
quality work throughout the country so that when a person takes his
van to a shop, he can pretty much depend that he’s getting
consistent work and a good, quality product.”
The QAP designation forces dealers to adhere to
NMEDA guidelines that are based on national safety standards,
an in-house crash-testing program, and proven shop practices focused
on performance and safety.
To earn QAP certification, dealers are required
to meet the following criteria:
- Maintain four types of insurance for
liability purposes.
- Have certified welders if they make
structural modifications to a vehicle.
- Employ technicians certified in the
equipment they sell, install and service.
- Keep records of all modifications
performed.
- Submit to annual or semi-annual audits by
an independent engineering firm to ensure compliance with NMEDA
guidelines.
“As a QAP dealer, we are trained to sell
people the vehicle that fits them the best, that’s safe and that’s
built by the best standards in the industry,” said Marcus Smith,
owner of Access Vans of Louisiana and a NMEDA board member.
Keeping records of all
vehicle modifications “gives us a tracking method if there’s a
problem with any item on the vehicle,” Smith said. Since Access Vans
of Louisiana fits into three NMEDA membership categories — modified
equipment installer, structural modifier and high-tech driving
equipment installer — the dealership is audited twice a year to
maintain its QAP certification.
Terry Miller, senior product manager for
Vantage Mobility International in Phoenix, added, “Most of our
full-line dealers are members of NMEDA and QAP certified. We want to
make sure that the consumers get the best possible experience with
VMI products, so the better our dealers are trained, the better
experience the customer is going to have.”
Stephen Estes, NorCal
Mobility’s sales manager, explained, “For a long time, our industry
had no guidelines as far as procedures on how things are supposed to
be done. The QAP program was initiated to come up with guidelines as
far as what is right and what is wrong,
and to make sure that the consumer is being taken
care of.”
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Bruno’s
Turning Automotive Seating products can be installed in a
variety of vehicles, including minivans, full-size vans, SUVs,
sedans, wagons and pickup trucks. The Turny Orbit rotates and
moves with the touch of a button.
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Van dealer Larry
Finman said, “QAP certification forces installers to follow proper
procedures, and there’s a paper trail for how that works.”
The bottom line, Smith
said, is that “doing business locally with a QAP dealer is a win-win
situation for everyone.” Smith noted that QAP dealers not only work
with the client to build a vehicle that fits the person’s needs, but
that the dealer also will “take care” of the vehicle after it’s
driven off the lot.
Safety
NMEDA is investigating safety issues regarding Internet sales of
adapted vehicles and mobility equipment. Manufacturers or consumers
selling directly to the end user online causes some concern, members
said.
For example, Smith said a client in
his area purchased a modified vehicle on the Internet. He’d
requested a new vehicle, but when it arrived at his home, he
realized the van had 17,000 miles. Although it had a new conversion,
it wasn’t what he’d requested. The manufacturer refused to take back
the van.
When Quest
searched eBay for modified vehicles and equipment, we found two used
vans with wheelchair lifts and hand controls — 1994 and 2003
Ford E-150 vans. We also found a used wheelchair lift made by Braun
and a set of used hand controls made by Drive-Master for sale by the
owners.
 Although
NMEDA can’t stop these items from being put up for sale on the
Internet, Smith said that NMEDA monitors eBay because it’s a “huge
safety issue.”
Recently, when NMEDA noticed that someone had
placed a set of hand controls for sale on eBay, the organization
contacted the equipment’s manufacturer. The manufacturer then
instructed the person to remove the hand controls from the site.
“Those need to be
installed by qualified, trained technicians,” Smith emphasized.
“They’re not just made to be put in by the nearest gas station.”
Peter Hilcoff, owner of Automobility, a hand
controls manufacturer, said that some portable hand control systems
for sale on the Internet don’t meet safety standards.
“People should be very
careful,” Hilcoff said. “They’re dangerous, and there’s a reason you
can’t go to our Web site and hit a button to buy our hand controls
on the Internet.”
In addition, mobility
equipment such as hand controls can’t simply be switched from one
vehicle to another.
“We’re worried about the
end user getting what they paid for and safely being placed in a
vehicle,” Smith said. “We’re trying to find a solution to this
problem by educating people and telling them that they’re buying
something special that’s tailored to fit one individual’s specific
needs.” |
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Tech Loans
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Freedom Motors
offers the Honda Element X-WAV, which is available with either a
passenger-side or driver-side conversion for wheelchair users who
want to drive. Consumers can choose an automatic remote-controlled
door or a manual, spring-assisted system for the side-entry
ramp.
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Along similar lines, the federal/state Alternative
Financing Program (AFP) grants low-interest loans to people with
dis-abilities, their parents, relatives or advocates in order to purchase
assistive technology or services, including big-ticket items like adapted
vehicles. AFPs operate in 33 states and U.S. territories (see “Resources
for Modified Vehicles”).
AFP loans feature low interest rates, loan
guarantees, extended repayment periods, support services to keep payments
cur-rent, and the opportunity to build credit or improve a low credit
rating.
Many AFPs make
allowances for bad credit, especially if the credit issues are related to
a person’s disability. People who don’t qualify for traditional bank loans
may find AFPs more receptive to their applications.
Used Vehicles
 Another way to
reduce the overall cost of a van is by buying a one- or two-year-old used
(“pre-owned”) vehicle with a new modification. Finman urges consumers to
focus on vehicles that have less than 30,000 miles and are no more than
two or three years old.
Stephen Estes, sales manager for Nor-Cal Mobility
in Chico, Calif., said that purchasing a used year-old van with a new
conversion can cut the cost by $4,000 or $5,000. Or, you can get a
quality, used van with a used conversion by working with the NMEDA QAP
dealer in your area.
Leasing
Rather than buying a van, consider
leasing or renting (see “Van Rentals”).
Caraleasing, a nationwide
company co-owned by Caral and Hal Masback in White Plains, N.Y., offers
three- to seven-year leases for new wheelchair-accessible vans and other
terms for used vans. You choose the vehicle and the conversion, and
Caraleasing will custom-build your lease.
“Leasing will always be less expensive than
financing,” Caral Masback explained. “When you finance a vehicle, you pay
for the entire life of the car. When you lease it, you pay for what you
use.”
At
the end of a lease, you have a purchase option or you can return the
vehicle to the dealer. Clients also can buy the vehicle at any point
during the lease.
Caraleasing’s terms cover the cost of the vehicle and
the conversion, but not all leasing companies include the cost of the
adaptive equipment.
Masback said that the company takes an individual’s
poor credit rating into consideration, especially when it’s affected by
mounting medical costs related to a disability. “We really work hard to
get people into a vehicle that’s going to be within their means,” she
said.
Additionally, the
company offers a special five-year lease that can be canceled if you no
longer
need the van. The arrangement requires a
down payment of $2,000 and at least 15 payments.
If the vehicle is returned
before the five years are up, you pay an early cancellation charge equal
to five months’ payments.
“We’ve had a number of
people take advantage of the early cancellation program, and it saves them
thousands,” Masback said.
Reimbursement Programs
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Rollx Vans has
an extensive inventory of new and used minivans and full-size vans,
including the Chrysler Town & Country, the Dodge Grand Caravan
(pictured) and the Ford E-250. The Rollx conversion is offered with
either a standard folding ramp (pictured) or an in-floor ramp that
lifts the wheelchair and
user.
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Through their mobility programs, some major car manufacturers offer
reimbursement for the installation of adaptive equipment when you buy or
lease a new vehicle.
For example, Daimler-Chrysler’s Automobility program will provide a
maximum $1,000 reimbursement for conversions made to new Dodge Caravan,
Dodge Grand Caravan, and Chrysler Town & Country models.
Consumers can receive up to $1,000
reimbursements for vehicle conversions from Acura, Ford, General Motors,
Honda, Lexus, Saturn, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.
Some programs, like Mobility by Volvo, cover the cost
of transferring mobility equipment from an old vehicle to a new one.
If you’d like to receive a mobility reimbursement on a leased vehicle,
most carmakers advise that you receive written permission from the leasing
company. |
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 Accessible
van rentals are handy on vacation, when you need a vehicle for only
a few weeks or months, or for occasional medical visits. It’s good
to know you can rent a modified van if yours breaks down, is damaged
in an accident, or if you’d like to try out a model before you buy.
Wheelchair
Getaways, based in Versailles, Ky., has helped spearhead the
accessible van rental industry’s growth for more than a decade. Its
nationwide fleet boasts about 400 full-size vans and minivans, and
the company serves more than 450 U.S. cities. The rates vary by
location, but a van rental typically costs $100 per day.
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Through Liberty Motor Co., consumers can find the new Ford
Windstar with rear-entry for scooters and wheelchairs. Liberty
offers Captain’s Chair seating and performs new modifications
on the Dodge Grand Caravan and Ford Windstar/Freestar
minivans.
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Owner Richard Gatewood explained that
Wheelchair Getaways rents accessible vehicles in the same way other
companies rent conventional vehicles. A renter must be 23 and have a
valid driver’s license and auto insurance. Accessible van rentals,
however, are more expensive than conventional car rentals, Gatewood
added.
“Many
wheelchair/scooter users are not accepting limits on their daily
lives and are demanding better transportation solutions,” Gatewood
said. “The van rental concept is growing and expanding because it
allows wheelchair users to travel on their own terms with freedom
and independence.”
Gatewood said rental vehicles have become more
reliable over the years, with more service facilities, largely due
to the expansion of NMEDA and the QAP program.
Accessible
Vans of America, based in Phoenix, is a member-owned organization of
mobility dealers, with 33 locations nationwide. Executive Director
Paula Nystrom said that member-dealers must meet two requirements:
They must service and sell wheelchair-accessible vehicles and
mobility equipment, and be NMEDA members. Some 95 percent of AVA’s
member-dealers also are QAP accredited.
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“Our rental locations are the ‘specialists’
in the industry,” Nystrom said. “It’s
a specialized industry, and you can be assured
that the dealers know what your needs are
as an individual in a wheelchair.”
In order to rent an accessible vehicle from
an AVA member, an individual must be 21 with
a valid driver’s license, and must have
personal automobile comprehensive, collision
and liability insurance.
Nystrom, who is based
at AVA Wheelchair Van Rentals of Phoenix, said her dealership’s five
vehicles are booked 98 percent of the time.
“It’s great,
because you couldn’t rent a vehicle like this 20 years
ago.” |
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