Hi All,
No not a swap??
My 75 year old mother wants a new car. Sadly she is insistent that is should be New rather than nearly new.
Her current car is a W reg low spec petrol Golf (in white). She is able to get in and out no problem but she gives lifts to fellow retired teachers who are of more advanced ages so as time goes on something slightly higher would be better. Must be 4/5 doors and for short journeys able to take three on the rear seat,
Most driving will be local. I?ve persuaded her against her original idea of changing to an automatic as it has been 35 years since she has driven one but that may come back as we go round dealers. Also because of misfueling and DPFs I?m tending to advise against diesels.
I?ve suggested a C-Max or a Golf Plus. She said she really fancied that Volvo from the new adverts which I think she means is the XC60 which is too expensive as is the Kuga and probably not what she wants when she sees or drives one in the flesh. I?ve printed CbyC and Road tests from here for her for the C-Max and Golf+. A good NCAP rating for all would be good - this will be carrying my 7-10 year old nephews.
I think the price to change may be as much as 17k but 15k would be a better starting point as ?it must have a sunroof? and I see parking sensors and comfort extras as essential. A good working DAB radio for BBC R7 plays whilst driving from Southend to Oxford the long way on local roads would be welcome.
Any other suggestions or thoughts?
Thanks,
Simon
Edited by Pugugly on 08/03/2009 at 23:14
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There ya go: tinyurl.com/azreev
Totally ignores your no autos and no diesels, but fufils the rest of the criteria and probably a lot more reliable than the Ford or VW.
Petrol manual with lesser spec under £13k from same site - would require less of the "inheritance" ;-)
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Or how about: tinyurl.com/cdsdnp
Under £15k, good spec petrol manual, decent size also.
p.s. can't link direct from drivethedeal.com (the 'HAT' trader equivalent)
Edited by Lygonos on 09/03/2009 at 00:19
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"Sadly she is insistent that is should be New rather than nearly new."
Not sad at all - if she wants a new car and can afford it, good luck to her. With nearly-new there's always a risk that it's been caned by a hirer, or it's been turned in because it gave trouble.
Are you sure a Honda Jazz is too small? Taller than the Golf and lots of room inside, and very easy to drive - perhaps a factor if she's going to keep this one for 9 years as well. If she likes her Golf, as you say a Golf + will also do the job.
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i went with someone the other day to buy a Vauxhall Meriva...wouldn't be for me, but it had a lot of room in it, was very easy to drive with light power steering etc..yet isn't a big car
the Ford Fusion is similar as well isn't it
what about them
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Are Citroen still offering the old-shape Picasso?
Friend of mine had good service from a 1.6 diesel, might be a bit lighter and easier to handle than a CMax.
Probably cheaper, too.
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I would second the 'old' Picasso for ease of entry and exit. Buy a 1.6 petrol one through a broker for about £8.5k. The only hesitation would be the A- pillar blindspots.
For a small car, I am surprised at the ease of entry and headroom in my new Panda. She could have 3 for £15k! But 3 in the back would a little challenging.
p
Edited by pmh2 on 09/03/2009 at 09:01
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Thanks for the suggestions. Sorry for the slow feedback loop but I had to chat about them over the phone in the evenings and allowing her time to search the internet the following day.
Roughly working from the top: -
Not sure about the semi 4x4s - they look what she would want but she "doesn't want a 4x4" or I guess anything that would look like one. Which confuses me but it seems that the Volvo ad doesn't show people in the same shot as the car so she didn't realise how large it was.
I'm more than happy for her to get a new car - she will spend what she thinks she can afford (I think she can afford more) but I think she would get better value with a newly new.
The Jazz was an idea I had discounted as I wasn't sure that you could get 3 elderly ladies across the back - my gf's (ex obviously)MIL has a 3 or 4 year old one and that looked good so I've added it to the list.
Hmm the Meriva. "That's the one with the children isn't it" so it shows that the power of advertising isn't lost. Gone into the pot but I feel that may be a slow starter. The Fusion has been added as well.
The ladies that lunch (without booze) are meeting tomorrow and she will be dropping off at various dealerships to pick up brochures based on your suggestions. That will help narrow out the contenders. She still remembers a poor reception from the local Ford dealer the last time round.
I've explained "price to change" so I'll feedback n a week or so how we are getting on,
Thanks,
Simon
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Renault Modus should fit the bill. Or if not big enough, how about a Nissan Qashqai?
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I have a very elderly customer with a Golf Plus diesel auto which she seems to love and it is a very well thought out car. Nice family car too I would have thought without being too big.
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My first thoughts would be that your Mum is your only Mum and at 75, by no means 'old' today, a main concern should be getting her a safe car - something with 5 NCAP stars, something with plenty of side impact protection and lots of air-bags. No doubt, from your OP, this is top of your list.
But do not underestimate your Mum mentioning a possible auto - when we get old the small things begin to become a nuisance and we are often embarassed to mention it to our kids, partly because we do not want them to worry and partly because we are worried ourselves that we are getting old. Nobody gives children lessons on what happens in the relationship between parent and child when the parent becomes elderly.
You Mum may well have noticed that she is having difficulty with a manual box now and hence why she has mentioned the auto - don't dismiss this as it might sound just like a passing comment to you but it might just actually be very important to your Mum. Have you been out in the car with her and noticed any problems that she might have with the gear-stick - imagine that car full of gassing passengers in their 70s and your Mum turning left at a busy junction whilst listening to Doris tell her about her Bill's prostate on the way to M&S.
A friend of mine has a Mum in her 70s who had no end of trouble with a manual box and now drives an auto and loves it. I think if you do a bit of googling for things that happen to us when we get older that you will find several of the charities and organisations that deal with 'getting old' recommend changing to an auto.
From what you have said - the safety, the high seats being easy to get in and out, etc - have your considered the Verso? People like carfile have new ones for 14 to 15 K now and you can pick up used 2008 petrol ones - which all seem to look immaculate - for as low as 10K. There is a new one out next month also.
If you opted for a 2008 petrol you probably could find an immaculate looking T3 SR model 1.8 petrol - this comes with parking sensors at the rear and some have front and rear sensors - for 11K. I have looked at several and all have looked brand new.
Hope this helps.
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I have a very elderly customer with a Golf Plus diesel auto which she seems to love and it is a very well thought out car. Nice family car too I would have thought without being too big.
I really liked the space in the Golf Plus and it was number 3 on my short-list for a car for sometime. It feels a very solid and safe car.
The seats are, like the Verso, just the right height to slide your bottom in and out so you are not straining to get in and out of the car. Plenty of rear leg and head-room in the back also even when a tall sod like me pushed the driver's seat all the way back.
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>>Or if not big enough how about a NissanQashqai?
The rear footwell space is tiny on these and I suspect it would be a nightmare to get in and out of. It is for several adults I have seen trying to get/out of one and expect it to be worse for older people.
Being able to step sure-footed out of a car onto the ground is vitally important as we get older - and doubly so for elderly ladies who still feel like 20 year olds and who wear high-heels.
There is no manual for this, as I mentioned in another post, but there should be. There are things you would not think about needing in a car when you are 65 that you would require when you are 70 or 75.
Oh, back to the Verso - there is a good thing about the new Verso coming out in that the speedometer is off-set to the steering wheel. Toyota first launched this in the Yaris and few people realise that it was for the benefit of older people re how how eye-sight works as we age - i.e. a bi-focal vision in effect between the longer distance of where we are going and the close-upness of the dials.
I forget the details - info is probably online somewhere - but it as prooved a big hit with Yaris owners of a certain age.
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i went with someone the other day to buy a Vauxhall Meriva...wouldn't be for me but it had a lot of room in it was very easy to drive with light power steering etc..yet isn't a big car
A friend of mine downgraded from a Zaifira to a Meriva and regrets it. Having been out in it it feels under-powered when full, has no space around you between your flesh and metal and is notiecably less roomy.
I have posted in the past how important it is to have space between your frail flesh and blood and the metal and plastic of your car. Most of us do not have this. All the Doctors I know drive cars with loads of this space because they have all worked in A&E.
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