Shopping for Cars as a Disabled Person
Submitted by My Garden Spot Blog
It is not fun, at the best of times, to be disabled. It is (literally) a pain in the back/neck/elbow, knee,…. you name it. Believe me, the handicap spots at the store? While they’re nice places to park (when they’ve not been parked in and filled illegally), having a real need…NEED to use them is not nice. Not nice at all.
Here in Houston, the city lets people with handicapped hang tags, and those with handicap/permanent disability licence plates, park on the streets and by the meters for free. I was once told that perk was really cool! The person who told me that wished she could get “free” parking. I then reminded her that it wasn’t really “free”. It came with a need for canes, wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Didn’t look like such a good deal then. I guess things are just a matter of perspective sometimes.
After we were told that the van (with my scooter and crane) was totaled, with no damage to scooter or crane, we went shopping for a new van, or crossover vehicle…something that could have the crane installed.
They aren’t easy to find. Making a car salesman listen to what you need isn’t easy either. They are dedicated to selling you the car their manager has told them to sell, one that offers the greatest amount of commission. I feel for them, I do. It’s not easy at the best of times to make one’s living on commission, and these are NOT the best of times.
Two notable standouts that day illustrate the good and the very very very bad parts of shopping while disabled. One was at a Lincoln/Mercury dealership, part of a complex of dealerships owned by the same company. I’d had pretty good service from the other parts of that massive conglomeration of vehicles and the salesmen attached to them. The Lincoln/Mercury was a glaring exception in all possible ways.
First, we had to get the salesman to listen to ME, not just look at ‘Pup. I do all the talking in situations like looking at cars, especially when we’re seriously considering buying. After he looked at me and half way listened to what we needed, he allowed as he might have a couple of vehicles that would be perfect.
So, up he shows with a HUGE passenger van and a somewhat smaller crossover vehicle. Neither had anything close to the storage area needed for even a disassembled scooter, much less a scooter AND a lift. And, I was quick to tell him, that no, these just wouldn’t work.
“Oh, but ma’am, yes it will!”
“No, it won’t, it’s too small an area…”
“But ma’am, I’m SURE it will work.”
Let me stop here and interject this brief aside. I really don’t like being argued with when I am both the customer and the one who knows how big the item I need to carry is and whether it will fit.
“Young MAN!” says I, in my best/worst teacher voice, “Do NOT argue with me, I KNOW how big an area I need, and that’s NOT IT.”
After a breath I explained again, what I needed and asked to see a Grand Marquis. My mom had owned several and I knew how big a trunk they have. I’ve also seen one with a lift installed and it was, as a friend up northeast would say: “Wicked cool!”
He said they didn’t have any. That they just weren’t made much anymore. So, he showed me ANOTHER suv/crossover vehicle. It wasn’t goint to work either. Suddenly, it seemed, he did, after all, remember that maybe there were a few Grand Marquis and a couple of Towncars in the back of the dealership, and he’d go get one of both.
After he left, I said, to ‘Pup (gritting my teeth), “We’re leaving. Now.”
And we did.
Today, I got a phone call from someone who wanted to follow up our visits to the various dealerships. I told them, in great detail, about my experiences. I also suggested that all the salespeople needed some training in dealing with customers with disablilites. They need to know, for one thing, that under Texas law, individuals with disabilities are exempt from sales tax on a vehicle purchase. In addition, most car manufacturers have a $1000, to $1500 allowance on each purchase, if the vehicle is to have a mobility assist device installed. It would be good not to have to do all the educating.
There’s only ONE dealership who not only knew about both those programs, but also shared their knowlege with me before I asked. It was: Saturn. Kudos to them and their vehicles… more about them later.
