need to buy used car that’s a comfortable ride due to arthritis. currently have a buick la sabre, 03. are there any other models or new models that would fill the bill?
Toyota Avalon along with several of the current Buick models. You’ll want to take a test drive, comfort is a very individual thing.
What’s The Matter With The Current Buick That You’re Driving ?
CSA
If you are looking for a budget car to replace the buick, consider an old ford taurus. not beautiful by any means, but cheap and reliable.
Cars are like shoes – what’s comfortable for me, may not be for you. No one can recommend a car that will be comfortable for you. Go to as many new and used dealerships as you can and try them on. When you find the best fit, start looking for the nicest used one you can find. Best if bought from the original owner with all service records. Get a PPI before buying.
As Texases has said," comfort is a very individual thing". You may want to consider a small or midsized SUV. We replaced a 1993 Oldsmobile 88 with a 2003 Toyota 4Runner. We find the 4Runner much more comfortable on long drives. The higher seating position and the firm seats are much more comfortable for us than the soft seats and low seating position of the Oldsmobile. I was assigned a Ford Escape Hybrid from my institution’s fleet for a 300 mile round trip to a conference. I found the Escape quite comfortable.
Few cars have been as consistently good performers as Buick in this area. The Enclave might be a good place to start. With very easy entrance and exit as an SUV, it has been consistenly rated as having a luxurious, quiet and comfortable ride. A Lexus ls 400 used and the ls460 new is another check out.
Just to add a comment about the 4Runner; I completely agree with Triedaq about it’s ride and performance, but my 5’3" wife finds she has to do a chin up on the entrance door handle to get inside. Unlike the lower slung, almost slide in entrance of the Enclave,As an off roader, the 4 runner sits pretty high on the frame and requires ocupants to climb up in with ropes and carabiners and belaying equipment to get out.
@dagosa. We keep a pole in the 4Runner and vault into the 4Runner. We then slide down the pole to exit the vehicle. This has saved us the expense of ropes, carabiners and belaying equipment and also keeps us in good shape.
My wife, after testing vehicles and reading reviews was the one who chose the 4Runner–it’s her baby. I’m confined to minivans because I have to move my fellow musicians and their instruments. I have had people comment on the Toyota Sienna that I drive how easy it is to get in and out of–it sits lower than my previous minivan, a Chevrolet Uplander. I personally preferred the higher seating position of the Uplander, but I must have been in the minority, because GM doesn’t make minivans any more.
I had a ride in my neighbor’s 08 Buick and was surprised how stiff the suspension rode. That makes me think that advice that I have seen here based on your question is based on history rather than reality as it is now. Buicks used to have a very soft ride. Even some Cadillacs such as the CTS have a very hard ride now. The Cadillac ATS that we test drove had a softer ride. You must do more than to ask here as some people here have opinions based on the desire to supply an answer. I say that after being here for several years. I suggest that you go to various dealers to drive some cars to learn for yourself. It might be possible to buy the brand that you want and then investigate having looser shock absorbers installed. Current cars ride hard now for the sake of agile and therefore safe maneuverability.
As texases stated, “comfort is a very individual thing”, and relying on another person’s opinion regarding which car is comfortable is very similar to asking someone else what I would enjoy for dinner.
;-))
The OP really needs to do A LOT of test driving of potential vehicles in order to find out which ones meet his criteria for comfort. However, starting with a list of luxury vehicles and/or vehicles that appeal to older drivers is a good place to start. The OP should consider Buicks, Cadillacs, Lincolns, Lexuses, and Toyota Avalons, but since some later-model cars have tightened-up their suspensions and/or begun to use hard-riding low-profile tires, only personal test drives will yield an accurate impression for the OP.
We keep a pole in the 4Runner and vault into the 4Runner. We then slide down the pole to exit the vehicle.
You must be real short…my 4runner is at butt level. I just slide over. I find getting in and out of my wifes Lexus to be annoying after driving my 4runner.
Triedaq…my wife likes to climb; the 4runner was her choice too. She “handed” it to me, only to use on loan, according to her, when we traded my truck for “her” RAV. Technically she says’ she owns both vehicles. When I ask what car is mine to use as I see fit, the response is, “you have a heated cab on your tractor, that should suffice”. GM, you are right, doesn’t make a true minivan, but they sell the excellent Enclave by Buick and Chevy/GMC equivalent. Neighbor has one and it appears every bit as big as my daughter’s minivan, minus the side sliding doors.
So, who hangs out the window and straps the pole to the roof rack ? It does eat up interior space.
MikeInNh…when I drive my wife’s 4Runner, I too have no problem sliding into the seat. But, probably like you, I’m a foot taller then my wife. Buttocks elevation has a lot to do with the need for climbing ropes and Triedaq’s pole. OP’s comment about arthritis leads me to think that using the running boards all the time, may be uncomfortable.
One thing I do to make it easier for my wife to get in and out of the 4Runner is that I let the air out of the tires. She then is able to get in very easily. I then go around with a hand tire pump and pump the tires back up, get the pole and vault into the 4Runner. When we arrive at our destination, I then slide down the pole, and then let the air out of the tires so she can exit the vehicle. All this exercise has helped me drop from 235 pounds a year ago to 211 pounds presently. I am trying to get my weight down below 200 pounds so I can reward myself with a Mazda Miata. I’ll then have a vehicle that I can put on like a coat instead of climbing into a vehicle.
“You must be real short”–actually, MikeInNH I am 6’2" tall and Mrs. Triedaq is 5’6" tall. Neither of us have any problems getting in and out of the 4Runner and actually find it easier to get in the 4Runner than most conventional automobiles. Dagosa started this discussion about having to “climb up in with ropes and carabiners and belaying equipment to get out”, and I wanted him to know that there were alternative methods for getting in and out of a 4Runner.
Triedaq…I fully agree with your alternatives to the purchase of climbing equipment. I’m just looking for an easier way out ( and in ) for a person like OP who has arthritis. If riding in a car is uncomfortable, scaling the Alps and pole vaulting might be uncomfortable too, though I may be reading too much into it.
Even though I also think this generation 4Runner is an easy rider, I subscribe to the “theory of auto ride comfort relativity” in that others may have a different opinion of a truck meant for off road. A Lexus ls460 and many Buicks would make my 4Runner seem like a buckboard to some one where every bump elicits pain instead squeals of enjoyment…as they do for you or I.