Dropped $1,800 on a used wheelchair van lift and it saved my back, not my wallet
I finally bought a used Bruno lift for my minivan about 8 months ago, paid $1,800 cash to a guy in Fresno off Craigslist, and I have such mixed feelings about it. Getting my mom in and out of the car used to wreck me, like 20 minutes of lifting and her chair barely fits through the side door of a stock van. The lift itself works fine, it does what it says, but nobody warned me what it would cost to keep it legal and running here. I had to get the van inspected through DMV, the lift needed a $400 service in month two, and my insurance would not touch any of it because it was not bought through a dealer. Last month the wiring shorted and a shop in Modesto quoted me $650 just to look at it, which is almost what I paid for the thing. I'm not saying don't buy used, but if you go this route, budget double what you pay upfront or you will be stuck like me. Has anyone here bought a used lift and actually kept it running cheap, or did you just go new through Regional Center funding?