Spring “Specials” Offer Savings on 30+ Accessible Minivans
The Dodge Grand Caravan is our most popular wheelchair accessible conversion.
Check Out Our Van Specials Page for Super Deals on Wheelchair Vans for Sale
It’s that time of year when people start to bring out their patio furniture, lawn mowers, garden hoses, and my favorite… the barbeque grill! Just as homeowners like to clean out the garage at spring time, so do auto dealers with plenty of used inventory on their lots. They need to move them quickly in order to make room for brand new vans coming in for the busy summer season. Mobility van dealers like MobilityWorks face the same challenge when trying to decide on how many vans to order, which makes and models, and what type of conversions our customers will need. Mobility dealers need to have several options available in order to meet the individual needs of each client – and to match their ramp and color preferences. Yes, color does matter!
Visit our Van Specials page to find reduced price deals on 35 different used wheelchair vans, including: minivans with folding and in-floor ramps, full-size vans with lifts, and even an accessible pickup truck!
White Still Leads as the Auto Industry’s Most Popular Color
Did you know that white was the most popular color selection worldwide for a new car in 2011 and in 2012? According to PPG, the world’s largest supplier of automotive paint products, 22% of buyers selected white for their new vehicle purchase, closely followed by silver at 20% and then black at 19%. Looking at just the United States and Canadian markets, the results were very similar, with white also leading the color face-off with 21% of all new car sales.
We’ve Got Your Color!
In a survey that PPG conducted in 2011, 77% of respondents said that color was one of the factors in their purchase decision. Our clients are no different when it comes to color selection. Everyone has their own personal favorites. 10 of the 35 handicap vans currently listed for sale on our Specials page are white (28.5%) – and 99 of the 420 vehicles listed on our complete Inventory Search page are white (23%). Don’t like white? We’ve got 97 vans that are silver, 52 that are blue, 50 that are either gray, black or charcoal and 36 in various shades of red. We’ve also got plenty of vans with even more creative names, like Polished Metal, Mango Tango, Sandy Beach, Mocha, Magnesium Pearl, and Smoky Topaz!
MobilityWorks can help you find the right conversion van for your needs and one that also matches your preferences for a specific color. Visit with us today at a MobilityWorks showroom location in your area. Call ahead and schedule a personal one-on-0ne consultation with a Certified Mobility Consultant at 1-877-275-4907.
Shepherd Center Spring Fling and Accessible Van Show
MobilityWorks Certified Mobility Consultant Scott Coots demonstrates the use of hand controls installed in his accessible van.
5th Annual Peer Support Event Hosted by MobilityWorks
On April 27th, Shepherd Center held its 5th Annual Peer Support Spring Fling in the Livingston gymnasium, and this year they added a van information show hosted by MobilityWorks of Atlanta. After being treated to a barbeque lunch, attendees were invited to join MobilityWorks on the upper level of the parking deck for a van information show. Guests attending the event learned about wheelchair accessible vans and trucks and were treated to cold watermelon.
MobilityWorks Regional Manager Scott Sorenson (far left) discusses the mobility equipment that's been installed on a client's pickup truck.
A customer of MobilityWorks offered to have his pickup truck on site to demonstrate its accessibility. Staff members from MobilityWorks of Atlanta who participated in the van show include: Tashi Chitolie, Scott Coots, Holly CothranDrake, Scott Creel, Brandon James-Flemister, Robert Harris, Vanessa Lester, Tomeka McCray, Steve Richardson, and Scott Sorenson. Additional fun came in the form of a grand-prize give away of a 39” flat-screen television.
Shepherd Center, located in Atlanta Georgia, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury and brain injury. Founded in 1975, Shepherd Center is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation. To learn more about Shepherd Center, visit their website at www.shepherd.org.
Three Key Factors In Selecting Wheelchair Accessible Vans
GUEST EDITORIAL from our friends at The Mobility Resource
If you’re a first-time buyer in search of accessible wheelchair vans, you might be a bit surprised to find that there are quite a bit of decisions to make. Selecting the best vehicle for your needs requires more thought than a typical car purchase, as it will need to cater to your specific lifestyle.
When looking for the best van, consider the following before making a purchase.
1. Safety First.
If you have concerns about the safety of the van, move on to another; driving a wheelchair van that is unsafe in anyway jeopardizes everyone on the road, including yourself. At MobilityWorks, we are recognized by NMEDA as a QAP-certified dealer network. All of our vehicles meet stringent safety and reliability standards set by the industry.
2. Know Your Needs
There is nothing worse than going through the process of buying a car (or anything, for that matter) only to find shortly afterwards that it does not meet all of your needs. Before buying an accessible vehicle, make sure you have all of your needs covered. Some things to consider would be:
- Type of wheelchair the van will be transporting
- Total number of wheelchair and able-bodied passengers
- Type of entry
3. Test Drive
Taking your potential new van out for a test drive is very important. If possible, take the test drive with the wheelchair and the individual that will be using it. Make sure you are comfortable not only with the van’s performance, but with the space and accessibility of the van before making any final decisions.
Considering these three factors will hel you when choosing from a selection of wheelchair accessible vans. And of course, our Certified Mobility Consultants are here to help.
New Rear Entry Ramp Toyotas Are Here!
They're brand new, they're sleek, they're practical... and they are here!
2013 Toyota Sienna with the MobilityWorks rear access wheelchair ramp conversion.
Introducing the 2013 Toyota rear entry minivan conversion...
For those who want a low cost conversion on a brand new minivan, a sporty looking model with all of the amenities, 2nd row seating that doesn't have to be removed or folded forward, and low maintenance, than we've got your ticket.
This is a manual fold-out wheelchair ramp, requiring very little maintenance.
The rear accessibility of this Toyota Sienna conversion makes it easier to park in tight spaces or in areas, such as apartment building garages, that may not have enough handicapped parking spaces for side entry loading vans. Rear entry handicap vans are typically driven by a care-giver that can fold out the ramp, assist with tie-downs and open/close the vehicle's rear hatch. For those who only take occasional trips with an elderly mother or father, they can be the perfect solution.
For families on the go, 2nd row seating allows for convenient entry and exit of able-bodied passengers.
Check out more of this hot looking black 2013 Toyota Sienna Sports Van with the MobilityWorks rear entry wheelchair ramp conversion.
Just for fun...
Remember the "Swagger Wagon" video Toyota produced in 2011 with the rap singing Sienna Family? It changed the persona of minivans everywhere. The viral YouTube video now has over 11.5 million views. Check it out...
Bi-Fuel “Eco-Taxi” Introduced to Market
New Rear Entry “Eco-Taxi” being produced by MobilityWorks is the First Bi-Fuel Wheelchair Van in the Industry
There’s been a lot of talk and legislation over the last year regarding wheelchair accessible taxis in several major cities, with a high degree of publicity focusing on the New York City market. There simply isn’t enough wheelchair taxis to go around – and that’s about to change thanks to the efforts of several advocacy groups, including Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). There’ also been a lot of buzz in the industry regarding compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles because they are eco-friendly and more economical to run.
The problem for businesses that run a fleet of vans in smaller mid-size cities and rural areas, however, is that they don’t always have ready-access to a CNG filling station. If the vehicle runs solely on compressed natural gas, which is where the cost-savings come in, they are in a world of trouble if they can’t refill before running out. A taxi driver (or consumer with a personal-use wheelchair van) can’t just call AAA to bring a gallon of gasoline. The answer to solve this dilemma for those who want to be green is bi-fuel vehicles.
A converted 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan nicknamed the “Eco-Taxi”.
MobilityWorks Commercial has responded to the demand by partnering with NatGasCar, a recognized leader in the alternative fuel industry. Their proprietary system uses a sleek injection device to provide a cost effective and reliable conversion system that allows for a vehicle to run on both CNG and readily available unleaded gasoline. Their patent-pending process allow for the MobilityWorks Eco-Taxi to have a range of over 600 miles. That’s more than any other commercial van in the industry today.
We are proud to be a part of the solution that not only helps to put more accessible taxis on the road, but also with helping our clients to be more environmentally-friendly. We look forward to the day when our Eco-Taxi is available in every city where wheelchair accessible taxis are needed. Stay tuned!
