I am currently leasing a 2013 Honda Accord LX. The lease will be up in a year. While I love many of the features of the Honda (backup camera, steering wheel controls, Bluetooth, great mileage, responsive handling, etc.), I do NOT like the noisy, harsh, jangling ‘feel every dent in the road’ ride!! After an hour or so rolling down the freeway, I am exhausted. I’m 70 and can’t handle the stiff/‘sporty’ ride any more. Then there’s the road noise that requires raising your voice - even yelling - just to be heard by your passengers.
When the lease is up, I would like to buy a used car (about $10,000) that is quiet(er), has a softer ride, and is overall more comfortable to drive and ride in. Since I am only putting about 4500-5000 miles a year on the car, super gas mileage is not an issue. Also, while some of bells and whistles in the Accord are lovely to have, none are so necessary I would feel lost without them.
In a word, I need a granny car but would prefer a smaller version I am not a large person, and maneuvering full-sized barges (i.e. Caddies, Town Cars, etc.) would not be fun. A mid-sized or smaller - BUT COMFY - vehicle is my goal. Any suggestions?
I can almost guarantee if you buy something without the bells and whistles that you have now you will regret it. Especially the backup camera. As for the every dent in the road avoid low profile tires and large wheel combinations.
I am a certified geezer at age 73. We own a Toyota 4Runner and a Sienna. I like sitting up so I don’t find many cars very comfortable. The last car I drove any distance and found.comfortable was a 2010 Ford Fusion. I would think a used Fusion might be within your price range.
2009 Buick LaCrosse or 2009 Camry SE just fit in at your $10,000 price point. A six year old car will have around 75,000 miles on it. Even if you don’t intend to buy from a dealer, go drive their used cars for at least 20 minutes to make sure the car is comfortable. Since it is a used car, the dealer shouldn’t object to a 20 minute test drive. Maybe they will let you take it home overnight.
The elast expensive Lexus that meets the price point would be a 2006 Lexus ES330. A nine year old car with over 100,000 miles is well used, but may not have been used well. I think the less expensive Camry would be reliable longer.
Accord and Camry are America’s most popular geezer cars. If you want something a little nicer, I think Toyota still makes the Avalon, you might want give that a test drive. Buick, Lexus, Mercedes, Chrysler makes some nice medium size sedans of that genre too.
You mentioned the ride quality is important, but nothing about reliability. How important is the car’s reliability, repair, & maintenance cost to you? If quite important, that will somewhat narrow the selection.
Except for Buick and Chrysler, I think luxury cars are out of our new friend’s cast range at around $10,000. They have to be at least 3 years older than well equipped family sedans like the Camry, and are likely to have 40,000 more miles on them.
You might want to talk to a reliable tire and wheel shop It could be that you could put a set of tires on it that would soften the ride and run more quietly. If you have high performance tires or extra big rims the car will ride roughly. This is a good car that you know well, it has low miles on it, and maybe the buyout on the lease is reasonable.
A Toyota Avalon would be you best bet; it’s a very comfortable and reliable car and repairs cost no more than on a Camry. In other words, Lexus reliability and comfort without the Lexus price.
Another vote for a Buick LaCrosse or Toyota Avalon. And just for fun go drive a Ford Escape. It’s a good height for easy entry and exit (no climbing up or bending down) and the rear compartment will allow you to load your groceries or bags without bending down into the trunk.
I’m a geezer, with a bad back even, and I’ve been extremely happy with my '05 Scion tC. It’s somewhat sporty, the ride is good, and the engine and a lot of the other parts are right out of the Camry parts bin.
We had new Accords at work, and the tC has a better ride IMHO.
Actually I think anything other than a Honda or Acura would give you a better ride. I’m on my second Acura but the suspension is bone jarring in town. I’ve never rented anything else that is quite as bad as the Honda line from mile 1. One thing I do like about the Acura is the electric steering which provides power steering more like it used to be with less effort. Great especially on a long drive.