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I know, you are all tired of me writing about the great car hunt. But it is over and I don’t want to leave you hanging….
Not exactly a thing of beauty in my eyes. It is one of those car styles that you either love or hate. I happen to not be super crazy about the boxy style but I am super crazy about how well this fits a wheelchair user with little to no modifications. We will be installing a flip down transfer seat like this just to make it as safe as possible. We don’t have a cost yet on the transfer board but I am pretty confident it will fit in the $1200 budget Ford gives for after market mobility aids.
I was completely in love with the Buick Enclave but after talking with after market mobility specialists found that it would be impossible to convert to a drop out, swivel seat which Carter would need due to seat height. One person thought they might be able to but it would be more than the typical $8,000 cost to modify a seat to turn and come out of the car.The Flex seating is 6 inches lower than the Buick. It doesn’t sound like much to non wheelchair users but when you are transferring you really want to not have any height difference. There is only an 1 1/2 inch difference from his wheelchair.What the Flex lacks in outer beauty, it more than makes up for inside.
Not exactly roughing itI am really liking the Ford My Touch Navigation with Sync. It is similar to the Yukon we already own On-Star system. There are things I like about both. I think On Star makes me feel safer with the installed satellite phone but the My Touch has some pretty nifty features, like the ability to recognize up to 5 phones through Bluetooth and sync them all with the car.I think I will miss driving my Yukon but it is still in the family here with a teenage driver about to hit the roads (dear lord help us all) and I do wish that the Enclave would have worked because it really is a sexy beast of a car. But this car is all about making life easier and safer for Carter and the Flex does that in amazing comfort at a great price.If you are in CO and looking for a car, both MedVed in Castle Rock and Groove on Arapahoe were extremely helpful to us. GM was more than generous in offering us special pricing but ultimately the Flex and Groove won out because they were just better fits for us personally. I would recommend dealing with Keith or Kyle at MedVed and Jon at Groove.I am grateful this is done. I did a ton of research online to make this decision and talked to lots of owners which is why I want to share our choice. I have never found anyone that actually owns one that doesn’t love either the Flex, the Traverse, or the Enclave. A lot of people in the disability community are looking more to the Flex for good reason. It is a good option for people that have the ability to level transfer. It has huge doors and low seats but doesn’t have that ‘adapted’ feel.
If you would like to look at other car reviews I have done you can check out what I think of wheelchair accessibility of the Chevy Traverse and the Nissan Armada for a wheelchair user.
Sounds like a great fit for your needs & your family. Its a great looking car, I would be happy to have one- I think it is cute!
I am happy about it and I don’t mean to not sound so grateful that we were able to get this but it just is one of those cars I keep thinking a team of hamsters is going to crawl out of 🙂
I keep telling you if you don’t like it I’LL TAKE IT want you to be happy .
Hi I just came across this– how is it working out- would love more info in the seat. Do you know how far from the ground the flex seat is when at its lowest setting (without adaptation)? Thanks for sharing!!
My son loves this car. It has given him a ton of independence in transferring. I, on the other hand, am not such a fan. We have had to have the brakes completely replaced twice now. The car has 20,000 miles on it! I can’t trust it to drive into the Rocky Mountains given the problems with the brakes heating up and since we live in Denver that is sort of a problem for me.
I don’t have the specs but sure the Ford site does.
I am REALLY loving this car http://www.vpgautos.com/ I see it at Children’s all the time. When we can afford it I think I will look into trading the Flex in.
What modifications did you have done? I’m a disabled person and I love this style of car but I’m not sure if I can get it modified to work how I ne d it. Was the only thing you added was a transfer seat item was there other things. Thanks!
The transfer seat was all we needed and now we don’t even use that. It is easy enough for him to get into.
Hi, Just found you while researching a SUV ADA compliant vehicle for my Dad who has Parkinsons. He has a wheel chair and can’t walk, He can stand, assisted, but just to get up from bed and into his wheelchair. Mom has set me out on doing research and GOLLY the prices are steep. Mom and Dad said NO VANS!!! AND NO SUBURBANS. They mentioned Ford Escape, Flex. I went on Ford Website for Braun-ability and saw a SUV that rolls out from the side a ramp and that a person in a wheel chair can sit in driver position or front passenger slot. But they can’t afford it. So after hours and hours…I stumbled on to you. The FORD braun-ability SUV is perfect…but way to steep a price tag. My Mom and Sister will be the drivers, so the vehicle has to have space to put him in to the SUV..and given that Ma is 80, a strong 80, the days of lifting him are over. I would love any advice you can give.
They, with all of us pitching in, can afford $21,000. I do not know where to begin as the salesmen are a bit too aggressive and do not respect our limitations. They are pushing the most options, features to get the vehicle at a scary price. I do not even know what customer reviews are, what is the best liked converted SUVs, which is most dependable ADA compliant SUVs or which SUVs are rated the highest by users, care givers, safety and highway insurance companies, etc… Well thank you for posting your info on your website. It is great to have some where to go when overwhelmed by all the bits and parts to looking for a ADA SUV for my parents. Thank you and Happy Holidays. God Bless K. Williams
We bought a Ford Flex a few months ago, I’m happy with it, the kids love it. We’re actually getting our Flex modified for my husband, were at the ability place right now waiting for our car to get done, we had a Milford Lift installed, because apparently there wasn’t anything else we could do on the Flex.