Purchasing a vehicle, new or used, can be very intimidating – from the overwhelming number of different vehicles available to deciding whether to buy new or used to managing the financing. The complexity compounds when looking for a modified vehicle to fit your specific needs.
The staff at PATF pooled their knowledge from years of experience supporting individuals and families in their purchases of adapted vehicles, to provide answers to the most common questions we receive. Hopefully, this will help you in understanding some of your options but always feel free to call PATF if you have questions about purchasing an adapted vehicle.
Where do I start?
There is no one place to start for everyone, but some early steps include:
- If you are the recipient of a waiver, talk to your service coordinator and find out if you are eligible for funding for a modified vehicle and what the steps are
- If you are a customer of PA’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), reach out to the Transportation Services Coordinator in your local OVR district office. All modification services must meet OVR eligibility requirements and require approval prior to purchasing a vehicle
- If you are seeking funding from PATF or a grant program from a source like Achieva Family Trust, reach out to that funder
- It’s usually best to go through the assessment processes these funders have in place early in the process to ensure you are aware what options are available to you.
What other steps should I take?
It’s important to know that not all funders will provide funding for all the options listed below, and it’s important to know what options are available by talking to your funder(s).
- Look for a dealership that might have a used or new vehicle for purchase that is already adapted to fit your needs.
- Look into options to purchase an unmodified vehicle and work with a vehicle modification company to install the modifications you need.
- If you need help identifying these dealerships or companies, reach out to PATF for assistance.
Check to see if the modification requires training and a special designation on your driver’s license prior to the purchase/installation of the AT. If you do need adapted driving lessons, those qualify as assistive technology, and a PATF loan can be used to pay for those lessons!
Buying a car and installing modifications is expensive, and I can’t afford it
Reach out to PATF for assistance. PATF can identify options to combine multiple funding sources (a process we refer to as “braiding funding”) to bring down your costs to purchase a vehicle.
Borrowing Money
- If borrowing money from PATF or another lender is going to be a part of your process, it’s best to know what amount of lending they can provide before you settle on a vehicle or modification process.
- It’s very important to know that you can shop for the lender that is giving you the best deal. Do not settle for someone pushing you to a particular loan or lender without making sure you know it is the best deal for you. Compare your options. Be sure to run the numbers! Call PATF if you need assistance understanding the differences between our loan and another.
- You also want to make sure that the length of any loan you take will not be longer than the useful life of the vehicle. You don’t want to owe money on a vehicle that has rusted out!
- Our Low-Interest Loan Program provides loans from our partner banks. Most loans for modified vehicles fall under this program due to the higher cost of vehicle modifications. If the bank approves the loan, PATF pays the bank a fee to bring the interest rate down to 3.75%. If the bank denies the loan, PATF may decide to guarantee the loan. If the loan requires a guarantee, PATF may decide to guarantee $45,000 of the total loan so that the loan is approved. For specifics on using a PATF loan for modified vehicles, please contact us.
There are other resources available to assist you in the process of purchasing an adapted vehicle. Find more information on our website at Adapted Vehicles Archives | Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation
Your local OVR district office – https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dli/departments-offices/health-and-disabilities/ovr-office-directory
Achieva Family Trust – https://www.achieva.info/charitable-residual