Best New Car For Arthritic Senior

I am having difficulty entering, exiting and getting comfortable in my 05 Subaru Forester. I have had both hips and both shoulders replaced and have increasingly painful episodes using my car which seems too low and cramped for me lately. AWD is good to have here in Alaska and I think a small SUV or crossover would be good perhaps a little bigger than my Forester. Does anyone have some suggestions based on similar needs. Thanks.

Small SUVs might work for you. We have a friend with arthritic knees and she finds that a Honda CRV works very well for her. She slides into and out of the car with few problems. Other, similar SUVs are: Toyota Rav-4, Chevy Equinox, and Ford Escape. Go sit in them and see if they work for you. There are other small SUVs, too. Just look for ones that are competition for the short list above.

Take the cars you’re considering on extended test drives before you buy. You might be comfortable for the first 5 minutes around the block, but after 20 minutes, you’re knotted up in a ball in pain.

I had an 05 Forester. I found on long trips my right hip got sore. I concluded it was due to not enough leg room. I’m 6 ft tall. Tried a 06 Outback and didn’t have the problem. Now I have a 2010 Forester and it’s quite comfortable on long trips. Subaru incerased the overall size for the 2010 model. Easy to get in and out of. Sufficent leg room for me and a dependable car.

Nissan Juke.

AWD - about 61 inches tall. Might be small compared to your current vehicle needs.

Having struggled with the issue of crippling disability and the car’s effect on it, the on;y suggestion I can offer is to look carefully, take any one that seems comfortable on a long test drive, and buy what works for you.

I have degenerative disc disease and artritis. In 2005 I bought a brand new Corolla LE. The car was crippling me. I had to trade it after only two months. I traded it for a Scion tC, and with my back pad I can drive for hours without any signs of discomfort. You have to find exactly what will work for you specifically.

Sincere best in your hunt.

I’d look at the CRV, the Rav4, the Ford Escape and Ford Edge, the Chevy Equinox, to name a few. Also buy this month’s Consumer Reports (the car issue), it might have info you find worthwhile.

But as the others have said, the proof is in the driving.