My 82 year old mother in Florida has recently had her wonderful 1993 Buick Roadmaster 9-passenger wagon totaled in an accident. She loves having that “Detroit iron” around her and, her love is certainly justified since she wasn’t hurt. My question is “What would be a good choice for a replacement vehicle for her?” She doesn’t like the new cars because they are all too light and made out of plastic. She especially wants a substantial frame for safety. If she could, she would buy her car by the pound so she could be sure it was substantial! Thanks for your help.
Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car are just about all there are that meet her specifications.
Make this a second vote for the Grand Marquis or the Town Car.
In addition to having the type of construction that she wants, they are both rear wheel drive cars, which is the same type of drive system that she has probably driven for her entire life. These cars will seem comfortably familiar to her in many ways.
The Ford panther cars are about the only body on frame cars left. Also, who was at fault in her accident? At 82 years old most people’s reaction times ,cordination and eye sight aren’t what they used to be.
There are still a lot of Crown Victorias around for sale. They are virtually identical to the other 2, which I agree are good choices.
I just passed a Chevy Caprice, similar to the Buick Roadmaster. These are similar tanks to the Ford products. But less plentiful.
There are plenty of ex-police Crown Victorias for sale.
I think that an ex-police vehicle, with its special heavy-duty suspension, would not ride the way that an 82 year old woman would like. Additionally, she may not like the upholstery of those cars and the lack of some consumer-type options.
Agree that the barf-proof upholstery and rubber floor mats may not meet with a senior’s approval. The ride will also be “firm” to say the least. Yet, this is the safest car in the big car category.
Having said that, my 92 year old mother in law drives her Pontiac Sunbird with gay abandon, and keeps passing her driver’s test. She has not had an accident for over 30 years.
What about a 2007 Cadillac STS? She can get one for the low $20,000s. It has bucket seats; she might prefer something else if she wants a bench seat. If she prefers a more traditional car, the Cadillac DTS might work for her. It would cost around $20,000 too.
"She especially wants a substantial frame for safety. If she could, she would buy her car by the pound so she could be sure it was substantial! "
Another, the older we are, the better we were when in reality, the unibody construction of today can be much safer than the old “Detroit iron” body on frame of yesteryear. She may prefer older designed cars for a lot of reasons, but safety isn’t one of them. This is the same faulty mind set of the Old Volvo mentality. Big, heavy but modern designed is the way to go. Being higher helps some in a collision, being low with better handling helps avoid them. A bigger Lexus RWD sedan or modern RWD Cadillac would be my suggestions, along with a little straight talk. Realistically, any modern large car filled with all the air bag and other active safety options should work.
If I make it to 82 (and I am 14 years away) and am free of the responsibility of taking musical instruments and musicians all over the place, I hope I can buy a Mazda Miata or its equivalent. I’ll get one even if I have to have a resident chiropractor adjust my back every time I get in and out.
I had a widowed aunt that had a 1948 Buick convertible back in the mid 1950’s. She was scared of to death to drive or ride in other cars because the traffic seemed so close (she never put the top down). In reality, it was hard to see out of the Buick, so she didn’t notice the other cars around her. This aunt visited us when I was in high school. The hydraulic cylinder on the power window failed. You could operate the switch and the window would go up, but it would gradually sink back down. I was elected to take it to the Buick dealer for repair. After the car was fixed, I took it out on the highway for some much needed exercise. My aunt raved about our Buick shop. “They not only repaired the window, but did something to put more pep in the engine and didn’t even charge me”, she said. I don’t think she ever drove over 45, so the Buick really needed some good exercise. At any rate, I hope I am not afraid of something new when I reach 82.
Triedaq talks big, but even right now I have a terrible time getting him into new clothes.
Mrs. Triedaq
Those bell bottom pants are becoming collector items! Just saw a re-run of John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever”, and much of this stuff is coming back. Tell Triedaq to hang on to his Mr. T neckchain set too!
Unfortunately, I go back to the pegged pants days of the 1950’s. I would still be wearing these clothes, but our old washing machine stopped working. Before I could get replacement parts, Mrs. Triedaq went out and bought a new machine of a different make. After she started washing my clothes in the new machine, my clothes all shrank–particularly the waist on my pants. I was forced to buy new threads.
Triedaq; it’s a common problem these days; when we get older, our clothes shrink! One thing I used to wear, were flannel lined jeans; it’s cold where we live and they were great. Now I have to wear longjohns under them.
We have some frugal members in our ski club; one member just got rid of his WOODEN cross country skis. They were made in Norway and required 3 different kinds of wax, expertly applied depending on the snow conditions.
We still have a 35 year old Coleman (the greatest name in the great outdoors)naptha lantern; these are normally handed down from father to son. As is the naptha stove from Coleman. Our birch bark canoe packed it in long ago I’m sad to report.
“Those bell bottom pants are becoming collector items! Just saw a re-run of John Travolta’s “Saturday Night Fever”, and much of this stuff is coming back. Tell Triedaq to hang on to his Mr. T neckchain set too!”
I pity the fool who would give that gear away!
My first instinct is to ask about the accident, and whether you are sure she should be driving. My second instinct is to say today’s new cars, even with their plastic parts and light weight, are safer than old “Detroit iron” cars. However, you didn’t ask about any of those topics, so my recommendation is a Cadillac Escalade. It’s big and smooth enough that she should like it. It’s also so large, that if she can’t safely handle a large car, you will find out sooner than later.