Buying a vehicle for a senior

[LuvOrlando]

Lifting out of a deep bucket trunk would be impossible for me without constantly hurting myself so a flat trunk like in a SUV would be best. I'm thinking some kind of a ramp like they have for pets would work in that she could slide the walker up and down in and out of the trunk. The best thing would be a hoist system (for groceries too) but I never see anything like this. At any rate sliding and dragging is better than lifting.

 

[clh2]

A dear friend of mine has a walker.

She drives a Ford Focus, and her walker easily slides in the back seat. It is also easily retrieved from the back seat. But in full transparency, she limits her outings to 3 stops. Otherwise she gets exhausted getting the walker in and out.

 

[bcla]

I was going to say this. My husbands rogue has an automatic lift back. You can activate it by holding your foot under the bumper. There is a button to close it so you don’t have to pull down on it either.

My dad drives an older SUV with a manual trunk lid. He's getting older and sometimes asks me to help him with closing it. A few years back he fell working on the roof and his shoulder is still in pain when he has to raise his arms high.

 

[bcla]

Small doesn't mean low. My Ford Focus was the perfect height to get in and out, my Taurus was lower and harder to get in and out and it was much larger.

I wasn't necessarily thinking of height. I was just thinking of the traditional stereotype of older drivers preferring bigger vehicles. I think part of it was the idea that older drivers would need a virtual tank as protection. Seniors also seemed to be the big market for Buicks and large sedans with front bench seats even though they were horribly uncomfortable. I remember getting help when I needed a jump (I just parked at the airport waiting lot where I forgot the lights were on) and an older driver waiting at the airport next let me check in her trunk for jumper cables. But it was a Crown Vic which seemed way big. So the stereotype is that it's a police/taxi/senior vehicle with a massive trunk and tons of room. The first generation Toyota Avalon was an attempt to capture this market.

But these large land yachts are actually quite difficult to drive and park. I think many seniors figured out that something like a Corolla, Civic, or maybe a Chrysler 200 is more practical - especially with high fuel costs.

 

[tvguy]

I wasn't necessarily thinking of height. I was just thinking of the traditional stereotype of older drivers preferring bigger vehicles. I think part of it was the idea that older drivers would need a virtual tank as protection. Seniors also seemed to be the big market for Buicks and large sedans with front bench seats even though they were horribly uncomfortable. I remember getting help when I needed a jump (I just parked at the airport waiting lot where I forgot the lights were on) and an older driver waiting at the airport next let me check in her trunk for jumper cables. But it was a Crown Vic which seemed way big. So the stereotype is that it's a police/taxi/senior vehicle with a massive trunk and tons of room. The first generation Toyota Avalon was an attempt to capture this market.

But these large land yachts are actually quite difficult to drive and park. I think many seniors figured out that something like a Corolla, Civic, or maybe a Chrysler 200 is more practical - especially with high fuel costs.

Times change. 30 years ago I would have predicted I would be driving a Crown Victoria or a Lincoln Town car at age 64 not a Ford Flex and Toyota Camry. They don't make the Crown Vic and Town Car anymore or any bigger vehicles. I disagree about bench seats. I had to shop around to find a Suburban with bench seats. It was a very comfortable vehicle for all 31 years I had it.

 

[bcla]

Times change. 30 years ago I would have predicted I would be driving a Crown Victoria or a Lincoln Town car at age 64 not a Ford Flex and Toyota Camry. They don't make the Crown Vic and Town Car anymore or any bigger vehicles. I disagree about bench seats. I had to shop around to find a Suburban with bench seats. It was a very comfortable vehicle for all 31 years I had it.

Really? I remember bench seats years ago and especially how we would slide across them when making turns - especially without seat belts. I much prefer bucket seats.

 

[tvguy]

Really? I remember bench seats years ago and especially how we would slide across them when making turns - especially without seat belts. I much prefer bucket seats.

Well, I have been at least 200 pounds since I got my Driver's License, so I don't slide much. Even going 100 mph sideways on the skidpad at the Sheriff's Emergency Vehicle Operations Center.

 

[Lilsia]

I don't know how old your mom is or what her mental state is. But I know that many people as they age, struggle with any bit of change. There is no way that my grandmother(when she was still driving) would have been able to drive a modern car. She had a 1972 Buick skylark tank. LOL And the newer cars, with all of the modern buttons and displays would have completely thrown her off. Same with my dad, anything with a screen, would be too much for him. The best thing to do is to take your mom to pick out the car. She will need to sit in it and see if she can get in and out and to take it for a test drive. As others have said, nothing too low or too high.

 

[FigmentSpark]

What is your mom accustomed to driving? a friend's elderly father bought a new car but wrecked it because his reflexes weren't quick enough to adapt to the new car. (Who's to say he wouldn't have wrecked the same car he was used to?) If you buy your mom something new and different, make sure she is able to familiarize herself with it.

FWIW I drive a CRV and DH has an Accord -- both Hondas, but there's definitely a "learning curve" when I switch cars.

She likes her Honda, but I sometimes think she likes the dealership that takes care of it. They've been very good with her and she's confident of their service. That's as important to her as anything else, I think.

 

[cvjw]

Just went thru this with husbands 80+ year old parents who live in the city and still drive quite a bit. He had a fancy Lexus sedan and she had an Acura MDX. Both were too large for the very small streets where they live. FIL always has a walker with him - you should have seen the back seat of that Lexus. It was shredded from ramming that walker in and out!

We researched and decided on a top of the line Subaru Forester for them. Small size for the narrow city streets. Sits up high for great visibility. Amazing safety features - Subaru uses eyesight, which is very easy to use for older folks. Easy for them to get in and out of. And easy to get the walker in and out of the back seat.

They love it.

 

[bcla]

I don't know how old your mom is or what her mental state is. But I know that many people as they age, struggle with any bit of change. There is no way that my grandmother(when she was still driving) would have been able to drive a modern car. She had a 1972 Buick skylark tank. LOL And the newer cars, with all of the modern buttons and displays would have completely thrown her off. Same with my dad, anything with a screen, would be too much for him. The best thing to do is to take your mom to pick out the car. She will need to sit in it and see if she can get in and out and to take it for a test drive. As others have said, nothing too low or too high.

Older people are using smartphones these days, although the ability to access everything quickly is going to be the primary issue.

 

[Lilsia]

Older people are using smartphones these days, although the ability to access everything quickly is going to be the primary issue.

That is why I said some. It all depends on their mental capacities and what they were willing to learn. I know plenty of older people that embrace technology and plenty that refuse to or just can't wrap their head around it.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I have a Camry and love the comfort and the large trunk!

TC

 

[tvguy]

I have a Camry and love the comfort and the large trunk!

TC

We have a 2020 Camry, not sure if it is a good fit for someone with mobility issues. It is low, and the front doors are a LONG LONG reach to close if fully open. And we find the trunk small at 14 cubic feet. Our Taurus, which is marketed as a similar sized car had a 17 cubic foot trunk

 

[tvguy]

She had a 1972 Buick skylark tank. LOL

LOL, a Skylark was a midsized car. My mom had a LeSabre, that was huge. And the Electra, THAT was a tank.

 

[JBRB828]

Im a senior and I drive a 2021 Honda CRV Touring model. This is my second one and I love them. I have the automatic liftgate that is so easy to open, just push a button. They are easy to get into because they are not that high and getting out is a breeze.
I use to have a car and it was too low getting out of it.

 

[bcla]

That is why I said some. It all depends on their mental capacities and what they were willing to learn. I know plenty of older people that embrace technology and plenty that refuse to or just can't wrap their head around it.

My dad is interesting. He uses his smart phone and tablet all the time. However, when he can't get something to work he gets extremely frustrated. I end up helping him all the time. There was one time when he got mad at me because he asked me to help install something and there were literally about 40 updates to be applied. He got angry when I approved them because he didn't want to re-learn the new functionality of some of the apps. He gets used to operation and simply doesn't want to figure out how things work when they change.

I'm not sure he would be able to handle a car touch screen with tons of menus. I'm not even sure if he could manage one of the new automatic transmission selectors that only go up and down and go sequentially through the modes.

 

[sam_gordon]

Lifting out of a deep bucket trunk would be impossible for me without constantly hurting myself so a flat trunk like in a SUV would be best. I'm thinking some kind of a ramp like they have for pets would work in that she could slide the walker up and down in and out of the trunk. The best thing would be a hoist system (for groceries too) but I never see anything like this. At any rate sliding and dragging is better than lifting.

A ramp or a hoist? Aren't we talking about one of these?

 

[Lilsia]

My dad is interesting. He uses his smart phone and tablet all the time. However, when he can't get something to work he gets extremely frustrated. I end up helping him all the time. There was one time when he got mad at me because he asked me to help install something and there were literally about 40 updates to be applied. He got angry when I approved them because he didn't want to re-learn the new functionality of some of the apps. He gets used to operation and simply doesn't want to figure out how things work when they change.

I'm not sure he would be able to handle a car touch screen with tons of menus. I'm not even sure if he could manage one of the new automatic transmission selectors that only go up and down and go sequentially through the modes.

My dad has my husband come over to "fix" the TV remote every few months because he keeps accidentally hitting the input button. Yet he thinks that we are "young" morons. ( I am 48 and my husband is 51).

 

[bcla]

My dad has my husband come over to "fix" the TV remote every few months because he keeps accidentally hitting the input button. Yet he thinks that we are "young" morons. ( I am 48 and my husband is 51).

It's weird because my dad had audio and selections going through a receiver. He could figure out all those buttons and could cycle through all the inputs. Once he has something down pat, he's happy and doesn't need help. But if the littlest thing changes he gets ticked off.

The one weird thing he kept on asking me for help with was his computer (which I bought for him) and a printer. As long as the printer is set up properly he can load the printer and even change the cartridge or toner. However, he would call me when the drop down menu was inadvertently changed (or switched to the default option) to something different, such as print to FAX or print to Microsoft OneNote. Now it was kind of an odd, inscrutable printer name, but he couldn't figure it out or even just go through all the options (there were only six or so at the time). I had to go there about every two weeks because he couldn't figure out what to select from a drop down menu.