“H doesn’t think he wants a van or SUV. He was 19 years younger when we bought the van. It is tough for the elders. They do seem to do better entering and exiting the sedan”
That is actually not true. A sedan requires a passenger to hoist oneself up a bit from sitting. Tests have show that a slightly raised vehicle like the CRV that is nowhere near as high as the step-up SUVs are the easiest for people to get in and out of. You simply turn to sit and turn to get out. Many older people don’t know this though wrongly believing that all non sedans are equal. Our friend who is a dr with a practice focused on the elderly urges his patients to look into vehicles that ride higher than a sedan but much lower than a step up. He says many are caught up in worry based on large SUVs that require you to step up and don’t realize what a boon a small SUV would be for them. As Consuner Reports recently noted “You have to duck to enter sedans and climb up to get into old-school SUVs. But the seat height and tall roofline of small SUVs make them easy to slide in and out of, which is one reason they’re a hit with seniors who are willing to actually try them.”
We have had a Camry and RAV4 and love them! Never an issue with either besides basic maintenance. Kept the Camry 200k miles and the RAV4 currently has 145k. If the 2010 Subaru is ever out of the mechanics long enough we are dumping it ASAP for a Corolla for our son.
If you are looking for a reliable sedan, I’m not sure how you could go wrong with a Camry.
Do you really need the all wheel drive option on the Impreza and Rav?
I also drove a van for years…and jettisoned anything bigger than a sedan when I got rid of that last van. There are plenty of comfortable and easy to get into sedans out there. I mean really…lots of folks with mobility issues drive sedans.
I’m assuming your husband is coming along to see the ease of getting in and out of your choices.
Actually we found all the vehicles easy to get in and out. Prius Prime doesn’t have enough space in the trunk for wheelchair or walkers, when the folks start needing those, which could be sooner than later.
If putting a wheelchair in the trunk/back is a criteria…take something with you that is that size…maybe even a real wheelchair…and make sure you can get it in…and out.
Friend had a smaller Lincoln with a huge trunk. Problem was…it was easy to “drop things” in but very hard to get heavy things out especially since she was a shorter person. She couldn’t even put grocery bags in the trunk…because she couldn’t reach in and hoist them out.
Probably depends on how tall the person is. Shorter versus taller people may have different preferences with respect to the height of the vehicle’s floor, seat, and ceiling.
The reason folks are giving you wheelchair suggestions is that upstream, you said this could be a consideration.
My husband needs a car that his bicycle will fit in…and when the time comes…we will take the bike with us. That’s why I suggested taking a wheelchair with you…if you think you need a back side large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Otherwise, there is no way to know if it will fit.
The reason folks are giving you suggestions regarding ease of entry is that you mentioned this as a concern as well. I belueve you have solved this issue by taking your husband with you…and he hasn’t had trouble getting in and out of the cars you are driving.
Yes, thanks @thumper1 & everyone. As neither of my elders currently use a wheelchair and the folks we know who ARE using wheelchairs have them in use, we have no “spares” to bring around while car shopping. I did understand you and will keep those thoughts in mind. We were NOT particularly interested in purchasing a wheelchair just to see how well/poorly it will fit in prospective vehicles at this time. When we are doing final choices, we may re-visit this issue. Thanks for raising it.
When I was killing time at Honda oil change with my Dad, a salesman pointed out that many senior find it easiest to load into minivans. He showed the method to back into Odyssey sideways to sit, then swing legs in. The higher seat really was easier.
OK, it looks like I’m probably going to buy a Toyota Prius Prime. H did drive a Prius once, when we rented a car once in the past two years but has absolutely no memory of it. That’s a good thing that he didn’t HATE it (he only remembers the rentals that he hates). I like that it has electric and gas and we probably won’t need to use gas much at all, since we do a lot of driving near our home. Since it has gas, there should be no range anxiety.
Found this interesting article about how to negotiate with a car sales person. I find the suggestions interesting and something I can do. I’ve decided I’m broadening my search because Toyota is being unresponsive (not even giving me a quote when they have two cars meeting my specifications on their lot).
When we want to buy a car, we go in with checkbook in hand…find the car, and don’t leave until we know if we are buying it…or not.
We have found that car dealers don’t need to haggle with us over email or the phone. They have plenty of in person buyers, especially for popular cars.
If you really want that car…drive on over…and either seal the deal…or walk away.
