We Picked Up Our Wheelchair Van Today!

We got to pick up our new Toyota Sienna Genesis today!  It’s all shiny, and it looks kinda macho because of the upfit for the power ramp. The beefed up suspension gives it a more muscular appearance, compared to the standard van.

So we are getting it washed up, geared up, inspected and registered!

But first, we had to play with the equipment.

We got out the tie downs to see how they work.  At first we thought they had really messed up placing the tracks for the strap downs. We could not get them to snap in because they seemed to be too close to the front wall of the floor.  We were pretty upset that something was done wrong until we figured out they just had to swivel and then it popped right in just like it was supposed to.  We had a good laugh, imagining how stupid we would have felt had we actually sent off the email I was planning!

It took a couple of tries, (and reading the manual) and we worked out where they go, and how to set it up for the chair to ride shotgun. Unfortunately, we have no chair to test it on, so we dragged out my granny’s old rocker, stuck that in there and strapped it down!

It worked really well as a surrogate wheelchair, and we were able to lock it in so that it was completely immobilized.   The system is really easy to use, and only takes a few moments to adjust to any chair.

Removing and replacing the regular passenger chair is also a simple task.  It just has a latch, then it rolls out and right down the ramp for storage.  When you want to use it, it rolls right into place again.

Day 2

Yesterday, Phil took the van to the safety inspection station to get the first paper you have to get to register a new car in Hawaii.  Today, I spent 4 hours getting the van registered.  First time in, I was missing some paperwork.  Second visit, there is a form I had to sign, giving myself permission as the business owner, to sign the registration forms.  I had to take that to my bank across the street to have that notarized.  Then on the third visit, came the question of whether I had paid the proper sales taxes, and so I had to go do that over in Wailuku at the County building for that.  Finally bearing all of the necessary paperwork, I was able to obtain our new plates! Now Phil has gone back to the safety station for the actual safety inspection sticker.

WHEW!

I can’t make this long story short, but I will say, we are officially off the ground and booking now…  Let’s Boogie On!