Hi- I am trying to find an alternative vehicle to use as a hearse. No, I am not crazy-I am totally serious. My husband died unexpectedly this week, and I do not want to put him in a hearse. The funeral home has given their OK, but they say it can’t stick out of the car any more than 6 inches. I plan on renting an SUV, but I am having a hard time finding specs that do not come in cubic feet. I was thinking a Mercedes GL450, or a Lincoln Navigator. The casket is about 80 inches long. The height and width will not be a problem. I just don’t want to have to tie a rag on the end of it, like a pile of 2x4s from Home Depot.
It doesn’t have to be closed. I just want his last ride to be in style! If I can’t find anything that will work, I will rent a truck. I’m having to plan this from across the country, so I can’t go to the rental place and measure the vehicle. Besides, I am not about to go to Hertz and tell them I want to measure for a casket!
I had two distant relatives that died in Minnesota and had very little money. Their bodies were brought to northern Indiana for burial in a rented U-Haul van.
Um, as president of our little local cemetery, you can’t just transport bodies around the country without the proper permits. Cremation has become much more popular and all that is required for transportation is the Certificate of Cremation. Then you can do what you want in whatever vehicle you want.
Sorry for any confusion, I live in the East, but we are from the Western part of the U.S. My husband died here, and we flew his body to our home state in the West. My plan is actually to transport him in the “Not-A-Hearse” vehicle from the funeral home to the cemetery. This is legal, and has been cleared with the mortuary. My sisters are going to put some fuzzy dice in the vehicle. He was actually hit and killed in a car accident, (not his fault), so we are all in shock. My sweetheart was only 47, and his Scion was totaled, so we just thought this was a good sendoff, and kind of a way for us to deal with the grief and pain. You know what they say-If you don’t laugh, you cry. (I think a U-Haul would have been cheaper than the cargo hold at Delta was. The guy at the mortuary said that they have had someone use an 18-wheeler for a hearse.!)
Thanks for all the suggestions.
Around here they have places that rent ice cream trucks. I think too much of the back of them are taken up by freezers to fit, but I like the idea of being taken to the cemetery in an ice cream truck with the music playing…
Are there any luxury car rentals near where you live? You could call them up and tell them you have some skis, a mattress, or something, that’s over 80 inches long, and need something big enough to haul them in. They should be able to help you decide what will hold the item(s); you don’t have to tell them you’re hauling a casket, they’d probably hang up the phone if you told them that.
When/if they come up with something that’ll hold it, thank them for their time(reserve it if you have to), then head to the agency and pick it. Take the vehicle to pick up the casket and be on your way.
Any decently sized SUV will hold a 4x8 sheet of plywood flat inside and thus your casket. Escalade, Suburban, Expedition, Excursion or Navigator and the like will handle it if the seats are folded flat. I’d go for the Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator since they are very big, classy last rides. Sorry for your loss but you can transport him in style in an American luxury SUV.
What was his vocation, occupation , or hobby ?
A vehicle relative to that might be fitting.
ie;
if he was an avid boater, put it on a boat trailer.
if he was a carpenter, the Home Depot red flag might be just the ticket.
etc.
