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I recently bought a Nissan Versa Hatchback. It is undoubtedly the best of the small vehicles on the road, has exceptional visibility, great mileage, rates highly in safety, and maneuvers well. I love it. We did the research, and it has been exceeded by the vehicle.
Why has everyone gotten so shrill about this? What if she said she wanted to adopt a baby, on the assumption that she will still be able to raise a child when she is in her 90s? Would you say "Aww, How sweet!" and encourage her to do it?
You directly compare caring for a child to caring for a car and you expect people to take your opinions seriously?
Why has everyone gotten so shrill about this? What if she said she wanted to adopt a baby, on the assumption that she will still be able to raise a child when she is in her 90s? Would you say "Aww, How sweet!" and encourage her to do it?
She is PROBABLY going to decline in health, energy and mobility over the life of a brand spanking new automobile (or a baby), and therefore, a new car will outlast her, with the added cost being wasted.
Even the average driver in the USA drives only 12,000 miles a year, and she is not likely to be doing average driving mileage from the age of 75 to 90. Any new car that is not abused will last for 180,000 miles with good service, and that's outer limit tops. She just totaled a 3-year old car. Did it have more than 30K on the clock?
Buying a car is never a sure thing. It is a wager, of many thousands of dollars. If you were to place a $20K bet right now on the age at which she will no longer be able to drive, what would your over-under be? When your money is on the table, you had better make prudent judgments, and to bet that at age 90 she'll still need a car would be a really scary wager. "Aww, How sweet!" is not a rational consideration.
No matter how spry she seems to be today, her bones are fragile, her memory is beginning to decline, her eyesight is declining. Unrealistic optimism will not serve you well when you are talking about 5-figure outlays. It's not your decision to make, it's hers, but if you advise her, you had better be realistic, and not just politically correct. $10K seems like a lot of money to me, but if she wants to spend hers on a new car, that's her business. But realistically, it's not yours to encourage her to do it.
Yes, be realistic... she has a license, the desire and the funds to make a purchase.
Please don't be Politically Correct and tell her she is too old and her best days are behind her.
By the way... Tony Randall fathered a child in his mid 70's and my neighbors at 51 are parents of 2 year old triplets... they will be in their 70's with 3 kids in college...
It doesn't matter if she only drives a 1,000 miles a year... you can't put a price on independence... period.
on my dad for a lot, something that I know bothered her in a way and played a part in the bad part of their relationship, and now that he passed she's actively working on being more independent.
i will send her e mails assisting her with a decision but she's one step ahead of me all the time
and tennesee good to hear from you. is a CR V a Toyota? She just told me she doesn't want a used car
The CR-V is the small Honda SUV. If she's open to a new brand, however, I would suggest a Subaru Forester because the rollover ratings/roof strength are very well rated by IIHS. The Subaru is also a relatively simple vehicle design, in terms of controls, and has AWD. While the AWD might not be necessary for winter driving in the South, it can aid traction in wet conditions. The Forester is a little more expensive, however, around $21-$22k new for a 4-cylinder model. If you could find a closeout on a 2010, you still get the full warranty, and you would be able to save a bit.
One dealer I know of, where people I know buy Subarus, in Maryland, has no-haggle pricing, and their Foresters start right around $20-$21k, just over invoice price. With options, the prices are around $23-$27k, for leather, larger engine, etc.
The nice thing about the RAV, CR-V, and the Forester is that while they are small SUVs, they are car-based crossovers, not truck-based vehicles that are scaled down. For purposes of somoene who likes the higher ride height and driving position afforded by them, combined with light utility, they are good vehicles to meet those needs.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Yes, be realistic... she has a license, the desire and the funds to make a purchase.
Please don't be Politically Correct and tell her she is too old and her best days are behind her.
By the way... Tony Randall fathered a child in his mid 70's and my neighbors at 51 are parents of 2 year old triplets... they will be in their 70's with 3 kids in college...
It doesn't matter if she only drives a 1,000 miles a year... you can't put a price on independence... period.
I never felt that I was giving up independence by buying a used car, but I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.
"Political correctness" is coddling a target group of people, not correctly characterizing them. Old people die sooner than young people do, and become infirm and incapacitated before young people do.
Do you know what "anecdotal evidence" is? It's when you prove that smoking is not harmful to your health by finding one old guy who smoked and lived to be 90. Or that 70 is a perfectly reasonable age to father children because Tony Randall did it.
I have to agree that another 2007 or near MY Rav-4 would be a decent choice.
Also agree that she could keep some of the money and buy a cheaper (older) car.
She should get checked out medically. Just because you feel fine right after a crash does not mean you are OK.
Agree all around here.
ALWAYS get a medical eval after a crash. You never know what hidden damage might have occurred. At 75, the bones, tendons, muscles and general structure are not as robust as they were at 35.
Otherwise, a similar vehicle sounds logical. Not a bunch of new stuff to learn.
Age 75 is age 75. Some people shouldn't be driving at 21, others do fine at age 90.
There is no cookie-cutter formula on when to "let her know" what she should be doing. Bugger off, all you do-gooder busybodies!
You just made me feel FABULOUS about my own Rav-4. Thank you!
BTW: My MIL (age 86 last week) still drives. Her car was hit while it was parked at the local Target a couple of years ago. She noticed a few miscellaneous car parts and a trail of oil leading away from her car. So she followed the oil trail to a house a couple of miles away. There, in the driveway, was a car with the front end all smashed in with a couple of guys standing looking at it. She got out of her car and called them every filthy name in the book while she called the cops. You do not mess with my MIL.
I dont understand this talk about 76 being to old to drive. My dad is 76 years young and he still drives from Virginia to Florida twice a year. He runs his own business and claims he is going to work untill he dies. Trying to take his driving privileges away would kill him, i think.
This is why the choice to drive or not due to age must include mom........
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she was dependent
