My parents are thinking of changing their car from a Honda Accord 1997 which they bought new. My Father is 83 and my Mother will be 80 shortly. My Father is now having difficulty walking and recently borrowed an electric scooter - which he loved. So he is now thinking of buying a light electric scooter to aid his mobility. The problem is the Accord has a high sill so it will mean changing the car as well.
As my Father rarely drives, leaving it to my Mother, so the choice of car must satisfy her needs. Being retired they still like to travel around England, Wales and Scotland, although their mileage is below average as there are many short local journeys.
Their requirements are it should be shorter, but no wider than the Accord (15' 4" x 5' 8"), have a low sill, 5 doors, good luggage area, look stylish and be a quality car. My Mother has already ruled out Focus, Astra, all French cars, and the Pruis.
At present the new Honda Civic is top of their list, with the Toyota Corolla and Honda Jazz there as well. I have also suggested the Volvo V50, Alfa 157, BMW 1 series and the VW Golf. What other cars do you think they should look at that would meet their needs?
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
|
The new Civic has a poor reputation for rear visibility so it may be difficult for older people to see out of.
The Jazz may be perfect though. Nice upright driving position and plenty glass.
Other cars that might appeal are the like of new Nissan Note, Renault Modus, Vx Meriva etc.
Golf is also a good choice, much better luggage space than that ugly 1-series.
|
|
Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla - I'd stick with japanese, preferably made in japan. Neither has great showroom appeal, but are easy to live with. Both are very reliable cars, and you should get a good deal on the 3. I'd pick the 3 for accessability.
|
|
|
|
Don't rule out the Astra (unless it's the latest shape one). My dad has a 51 reg, and has no problems getting his small mobility scooter (Go-Go) in the boot.
I think however if they are considering a new Astra, rather than second hand, then the boot opening is smaller, and they will have trouble getting the scooter in.
|
|
I don't know what kind of budget you're looking at but, what about a Corolla Verso, or an Almera Tino? The latter ought to be available with some favourable deals now...
|
|
|
|
Roger, I think a Jazz is ideal for them.
- Built in Japan
- Reliable (SWMBO had one of the first in the UK and it never faltered)
- Very easy to get in and out of as it's tall
- Quite powerful enough (1,339 cc called a 1.4)
- Automatic option if that's what they're used to (if not, probably better to stick with the manual, which has a very easy, light gearchange)
- Light steering
- Lots of luggage space and versatility with the seats.
- It's another Honda, which is presumably a good thing.
I think it ticks all their boxes.
|
|
gotta be a corolla, proper auto box not bits of string like in the honda, plus much cheaper in practise, plus dealers are good
|
The new Civic is very hard to get into the rear of (mind your head), has enormous blind spots and a very claustrophobic feel, despite being spacious on paper.
The Jazz is certainly one suggestion, but I too think the Corolla will fit the bill.
Woody
|
|
|
|
I am an absolute Honda fan - but recently bought my wife a Polo.
Much more comfortable (Jazz is hard) and incredibly easy to drive. Good value at the moment as well.
|
|
|
Thank you for your suggestions, but my parents have now ordered a new Honda Civic for delivery in May. They seem to think it was best for them. The local dealer let them borrow one for a day so they could see what it was like to drive and park, and whether it would fit in their garage.
Their comments about the car were that they liked the styling (so much for appealing to youngsters only), the performance of the 1.8 petrol engine, and the position of the speedo in a low pod on top the main instrument panel. They found the automatic windscreen wipers and electric folding mirrors wonderful. They did have a problem finding the rear door handles - they are mounted in the plastic triangle just behind the glass.
Personally I thought the Volvo V50 would have been best for them, but they thought it was too long, besides they did not like the attitude of the salesman. The dealer's web site showed they had cars in stock with a discount of £2,210. But surprisingly they would only allow a £500 discount for cash. They explained this discount was only available to those using Volvo finance, as was the promotional free servicing for 3 years. All a bit of misleading sales promotion in my opinion. Abiding by the naming and shaming policy I am not going to say which dealer it was, but I am tempted to contact Volvo Cars with a complaint.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
|
Their comments about the car were . . .
Nothing about the view out the back window then.
I'm going to try hard not to say something horrible and ageist about older drivers. :-)
|
Nothing about the view out the back window then.
They did not find the back window a problem, partly because they both are used to reversing using mirrors (they used to have a caravan). Besides the Civic is fitted with reversing sensors as an aid.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
|
|
|
|
"The dealer's web site showed they had cars in stock with a discount of £2,210. But surprisingly they would only allow a £500 discount for cash. They explained this discount was only available to those using Volvo finance, as was the promotional free servicing for 3 years"
This is getting commoner - and the opposite to what used to be the case. I am no expert but I think dealers' margins are lower than they were on the selling price of a new car, and they make much more on finance deals.
|
I agree that margins on new cars are tighter than in the past, but offers with large discounts should be available to all if there are no conditions.
The exact wording on the company's web site (directed from the Volvo site) directing customers to the discounts is
Don't Miss Our Fantastic Savings on New Volvo V50 Sportwagon's at ******.
Hurry our offer is only available for a limited period only. Dont miss out, click here for further details now.
On the pdf page they mention that the £2,210 discount was available on selected V50 models in stock. The cars were available for immediate delivery anywhere in the UK and there were no conditions mentioned on the page. There were certainly no conditions that refered to Volvo Finance being a requisite for the discount to apply.
Also on the Volvo website there is mention that there is 3 years free servicing on the V50, but upon checking the page, this page was part of the Volvo Finance part of the site and was probably only available with a finance package.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
|
|
|
|
