I’m a senior and that would not work at all for me.
The OP needs to choose what works for him and his. I still believe the CR new car issue is that cost complete and comprehensive reference of new cars and recommend that as a place to start.
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Wow! I expected 1 or 2 replies but 19! I’m amazed. That you everyone for your input. As a note, I already did the Corvette thing. The dream of having a Corvette is better than the reality. There is no place to really drive a car that will do 85 in second gear except on a race course. Incidentally, my 96 year old aunt had no trouble getting in or out of it.
The suggestion to rent a car for an extended test drive is a really good one. I will do my research and go from there.
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Yes, the Accord is reliable and gets good gas mileage, but I seriously question whether it would be comfortable for a senior citizen. The relatively low placement of the seats in those cars makes getting out of the car very difficult if you are no longer extremely agile. Getting in…no problem…more or less. Getting out…potentially problematic to have to lift one’s self up from those low seats.
As was already stated, a small SUV/CUV/Crossover will almost always have seats that are “butt height”, and that makes them very easy for seniors to get in and out.
I drive an Accord and I’m 64 (and a half!). I guess I qualify as a senior. I have no problem getting into or out of the car, even just opening the door to the first detent. For some seniors an Accord might be difficult, but it is a matter of individual preferences. I plan to replace the Accord with another sedan when I don’t have a 100+ mile commute each day.
I always recommend car based medium to compact SUVs for older people. That doesn’ t mean I am right. It just means to me, they seem to fit everyone’s needs other then all out economy.
Test drive at night and find out how well the headlights work - especially if you will be doing much driving at night. There is great variability, and many otherwise fine vehicles are deficient. The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) has researched and reported on this and the results are online.
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Your first bullet point concerns me. You shouldn’t be relying on imperfect automated systems to make up for slow reflexes and bad vision. If your reflexes and vision have deteriorated to the point where you must rely on them, it’s really best to explore alternate means of transportation.
Your fourth point isn’t going to happen. Those pillars are massively wide in part because there are airbags stuffed into them. You’re not going to get a thin A-pillar anymore.
As to the rest, the best practice is to go to dealerships and test drive different cars. What’s comfortable to me, or my elderly mother, is going to be different from what’s comfortable for you.
A Mercury Grand Marquis or Crown Vic with the LX package…
I don’t believe those old Fords have any of the safety features the OP mentioned except for perhaps the back-up camera. How common is the back-up camera on the Crown Victoria?
There are a great many variables in the aging process and I’ll jump in to support trying out everything that appears to be suitable. An individual’s sense of well being is determined by several factors when driving. While I prefer a high sitting position a great many prefer to be somewhat encapsulated in a seemingly invulnerable but unassuming shell. And there’s no getting around the fact that often image trumps reality. I kept my mother’s old Cadillac maintained like Air Force One because she felt safe driving it. How she dealt with parking lots is beyond me.
Caddyman seems to recommend Crown Vic and Grand Marquis no matter what type of person is looking for a vehicle. I know it is not completely across the board but we all have seen an elderly person in such vehicles with dented corners or damage to the bumper covers. Also I would never put an elderly person in a large rear wheel drive vehicle.
I agree with Nevada
Even the newest Crown Vic or Grand Marquis will be several years old by now, and therefore lacking several of the safety features common and/or standard on your typical new large car
I mentioned large car, because I feel we should be making valid comparisons. The Crown Vic was classified as a full size car, so the modern comparable car would probably be an Impala or maybe a Taurus, if they’re still being sold
Uber is best for old people going back and forth to the eye doctor. If you must drive your own car stay off the road during rush hour. Also don’t cut in front of Semi trucks.
I drive my mom to the eye doctor
Better than getting into a stranger’s car
At least that’s how I see it
Uber is best for people out on the town. My daughter and her friends live in downtown Baltimore and use Uber to get to and from the clubs. There are no parking problems on either end and with door to door service, they are always safe. They would probably have to pay for parking near the clubs anyway.
None of the Panther cars had a backup camera available. Not even the last Town Cars they made had navigation available. 2006 was the last year for any noteworthy changes with these cars (they got new dashboards), and 2003 was the last time any major mechanical changes were made.
With that said my grandparents on both sides of my family drove Crown Vics and Grand Marquis almost exclusively. One grandfather had a 79, an 83, two 87’s a 92, a 97, an 04, and an 07, he didn’t care for the Taurus and disliked front wheel drive cars in general, so he kept the 07 unitil he decided that he didn’t need to drive anymore. He willingly gave up the keys,which is a rarity apparently. My grandfather on my father’s side was a Mercury man, and that I can remember had a 83 GM, an 88, then got a 1992 Sable, which it turns out he didn’t care for, a 94 Grand Marquis, a 98 Grand Marquis, and finally a 2003 Grand Marquis, he passed away in 2005, and my grandmother drove the 2005 until we had to take the keys away amidst strong protest.
Growing up, I thought that you were automatically issued a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis upon retirement.
The auctions here are full of ex-PD crown vics
It seems a huge percentage of taxi cabs here are crown vics, with the “police interceptor” logo on the lower left
Yup!
That is what I have observed, as well.
And, because the local taxi company uses a black and white color scheme, they don’t even need to do much in the way of repainting their ex-police cars. Except for the Taxi sign on the roof, the local taxis look–at first glance–like police patrol cars.
So many new vehicles now have very hard, stiff riding qualities. I suggest that you go to a Buick dealer to ask which of their models rides the smoothest.