Suggest a car for my father?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Thu 20 Jun 2013 14:16
Suggest a car for my father? - Happy Blue!

Dad is a fit, healthly and very active 79 year old with a long history of driving decent cars and driving well. Before his recent car he drove a Subaru Forester Turbo which was a lovely car and he only changed becuase my recently deceased mother found it hard to get into and out of. He bought a new Daihatsu Sirion which is now three years old.

He likes the Sirion as it is very easy to drive, extremely reliable and in essence the perfect car for him. However he has a hankering to go back to the days when he drove cars with loads of toys and like the Forester, were a little bit higher, and good to drive.

So, please suggest a modest sized, slightly higher than normal car with the ability to order things like in built satnav, leather seats, petrol, automatic, good visibilty etc. Sounds like a job for a Juke as SWMBO has, but I'm sure its the right car for him. Something like the Honda CRV is probably unnecessarily big.

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 15:28
Suggest a car for my father? - unthrottled

Probably a mini SUV/crossover. Hyundai Ix35 (too big?) VW Tiguan, Ford Kuga...

This sector of the market is huge. Loads of choices!

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 17:47
Suggest a car for my father? - gordonbennet

You don't give a budget HB, but regrdless of that unless he wants a change he could do far worse than slip himself back into another Forester, if regd after Mar 23rd 06 remember an XT will attract £470 VED.

The trouble with many of the newer designs in this segment they are gaining high waists and less windows, though thankfully not as bad the Evoque with its horizontal arrow slits...whats all that about might as well have a van.

Condolences for the loss of your Mother.

Edited by gordonbennet on 20/06/2013 at 17:48

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 17:52
Suggest a car for my father? - unthrottled

they are gaining high waists and less windows, though thankfully not as bad the Evoque with its horizontal arrow slits...

Ugh! Hate this trend. Nowhere to rest your right arm while ambling along. The slitty windows also have less than optimum visibility and a sort of "siege" mentality.

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 20:44
Suggest a car for my father? - Avant

In his position - assuming that he wants the high driving position - I think I'd look at the Skoda Yeti and Ford C-Max. I'd be wary of Subaru as they seem to have 'lost it' recently and I can't believe the importwer is making money: they could go the same way as Daihatsu, which will be a pity.

The Honda Jazz has quite a high driving position and its tall doors make it easy to get in and out of - but I get the impression that he isn't ready for a 'old man's car' quite yet.

If a high driving position isn't essential, then some form of VW Golf or Ford Focus should suit.

The C-Max is on a short-list that I'm starting for myself, and I'm trying one tomorrow. I'll report back.

Edited by Avant on 20/06/2013 at 20:45

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 21:29
Suggest a car for my father? - jamie745

remember an XT will attract £470 VED

£475 actually. I can upload a photocopy if you don't believe me!

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 21:58
Suggest a car for my father? - gordonbennet

Oh i believe you Jamie (i forgot there'd been another rise designed purely to cure global warming), hence my cut off point for car ownership if fitted with a proper engine is pre Mar 23rd 06...or go hybrid.

Edited by gordonbennet on 20/06/2013 at 21:59

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Thu 20 Jun 2013 22:59
Suggest a car for my father? - Avant

Now there's a thought for Happy Blue Snr - an Auris hybrid. Not that high off the ground, but Toyotas are easy to get in and out of. He'll either love it or loathe it.

Has he told you what his budget is, HB?

Edited by Avant on 20/06/2013 at 22:59

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Fri 21 Jun 2013 07:19
Suggest a car for my father? - Happy Blue!
Thanks for the condolences GB.

No budget has been specified but I would imagine up to say £20,000 and may look for nearly new rather than factory fresh.

I like the idea of the Yeti. Having sat in a C-max myself, it's not as nice inside as my S-max and Dad likes the touch screen DVD SatNav which also controls other aspects of the car`s configuration. Auris hybrid....hmmmm not sure, but interesting idea though. How does that differ from a CT-200h?

Keep them coming.....
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Fri 21 Jun 2013 07:19
Suggest a car for my father? - Happy Blue!

(Duplicate post)

Edited by Avant on 21/06/2013 at 22:29

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Fri 21 Jun 2013 10:25
Suggest a car for my father? - Falkirk Bairn

Suzuki Vitara 3-door - petrol, auto, 4wd, - £18K list top of range with lots of bells and whistles and there is always a deal to be done, pre-reg/demo etc

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Fri 21 Jun 2013 12:34
Suggest a car for my father? - oldtoffee

The Yeti is a good shout, not too big and with the 1.8TSi engine good fun to drive - see HJ's road test.

I test drove a few SUVs before choosing mine and I found the VW Tiguan the best to drive, comfy, nice interior, very refined at al speeds and a fair bit of go with the 2.0TDi engine. Not big enough for me so I bought a Santa Fe (for less money) but would probably go for the Yeti or Tiguan if space wasn't an issue. I might also be tempted by a top spec Dacia Duster with the 5 year warranty option if my mileage dropped and I could put up with the relative lack of refinement.

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Fri 21 Jun 2013 23:01
Suggest a car for my father? - Avant

"I like the idea of the Yeti. Having sat in a C-max myself, it's not as nice inside as my S-max and Dad likes the touch screen DVD SatNav which also controls other aspects of the car`s configuration. Auris hybrid....hmmmm not sure, but interesting idea though. How does that differ from a CT-200h? "

I think the magazines' verdict on the CT-200h is that it isn't worth the extra over a Prius. The Auris is cheaper still, with the same mechanicals - and lighter, so potentially more lively than either the Prius or CT..

I had a run in a C-Max this morning. It was a 1.0 Ecobost petrol: it was interesting to try that much-praised engine, but if I were to go for a C-Max I'd have the 2.0 diesel. Annoyingly, to get the more powerful 2.0 diesel you have to have Titanium X trim. The 1.0 was lively and very quiet, but I felt that the C-Max was a little too big a car for it. It would be brilliant in a Fiesta and still very good in a Focus.

If you specify the top-of-the-range Sony system I think you can get the bells and whistles- but I don't like Ford's insistence that we all want to pretend our dashboard is a mobile phone, with umpteen fiddly little buttons.

I was expecting a plus-point of the C-Max to be the high driving position - but it didn't feel very high, or very special. It's a good car but it didn't bowl me over. I really shouldn't have test-driven a Golf GTI last week.....

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Sat 22 Jun 2013 01:11
Suggest a car for my father? - SteveLee

KIA Sportage, Leather interior from the "3" upwards - dripping with kit and cheaper model for model than the mechanically identical Hyundai ix35 but it is probably slightly on the large side.

A fully configured Fiat 500 trekking will probably be right up his street but they are pricey for what you get and they won't be available for a little while yet.

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Sun 23 Jun 2013 00:35
Suggest a car for my father? - Happy Blue!

I drove a Fiat 500 last week for a few miles. A basic 1.2 petrol I think. I found it rather dull and the steering wheel was too large. A disappointment considering I was looking forward to driving it. Not sure if the trekking version will do it for Dad.

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