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Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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We have two cars. The oldest, and the one I drive most, is a 2007 Toyota Prius. It currently has 234,000 miles on it and it still gets 47 mpg. I absolutely LOVE this car. It is extremely comfortable for long trips, and the visibility in it is great. My kids laugh at my car and call it my "Jetson-mobile", but it gets me where I want to go comfortably and inexpensively.
Our other car is a Mercedes E350 4matic. It is a beautiful car, but I almost never drive it. It uses premium fuel, it is bigger to park, etc. We use it when we go out together (my partner isn't crazy about the Prius. He loves the MB)
To me, this preference shows that you don't have to get the most expensive car to love it. Find one that fits YOU and enjoy it.
I am looking to 'upgrade' to stowaway seat version. I do lots of building projects and haul cabinets, toilets, and lumber home from my city trips to Habitat ReStore.
I have a trailer hitch that gets a lot of use with my faithful 'Snowbear' utility trailer.
I used it (Snowbear and minivan) to tow 'dad' 2500 miles for burial. Rented a backhoe and planted him with military honors.
My rented minivan campers in NZ had pull out cooking range, cooler, and sink; plus elevated bed and lots of storage below. Tasteful curtains, lots of acc outlets for 12V.
If only I could get a diesel minivan in USA (all my other vehicles are diesel and LOVE running on free waste cooking oil.). I have a friiend that transplants diesel engines into minivans, but too much trouble for me. They only get 35 mpg, and my Passat Diesel wagons get 50 - 52mpg, so it is not worth the bother to convert. I will try to buy a diesel VW Transporter out of Canada. (I have only seen a few imported to USA, it is not 'free' either). The only issue with burning waste cooking oil, is the line of people following you looking for Donuts / fish & chips. There is no 'smoke', so emission tests are a problem if DEQ is looking for smoke. / soot.
My Caravan runs very well on corn squeezin's. They were as cheap as $1.09 a gallon last year. With seats all buried I can carry just as much in there as in a full size p/u only difference is, it's enclosed - no rain damage. 12 foot boards can be loaded in there - dashboard to tail. Can't do that with a p/u if it's a rainy day. They've had completely buriable seats in Caravans for at least 5 years, probably longer.
If a sedan will do a Ford Taurus might fill your needs. For the last several years the re-designed Taurus has a lot to offer and ease of entry is a plus. Reasonable MPG, a very comfortable ride, a high safety rating and a huge trunk for storage. This car drives very well and has a lot of "senior" appeal. A highway cruiser is a good description. This car is not a roller skate.
My FIL with limited mobility has one and is impressed. He says it reminds him a bit of the Lincolns he once owned but with more ease of entry and exit.
The Taurus is a bit lower priced than some in the same sedan class but higher rated overall. A certified "13 or "14 with low mileage should be possible for $20K or less.
I'm checking back, cause I said I would. After checking out many different brands of car, we expect to get a VW Jetta tomorrow.
It is sporty, has all the modern technology, and has plenty of comfort and leg room for we two creaky oldies. We were this close to getting either a Passat or a Sonata, but the hipness factor tilted the decision. Under $20k, as we had hoped.
Hubby and I are retired and we need to buy a car. As many of you, we have arthritis and a hip replacement, so cannot be twisting ourselves into pretzels getting in and out. This car will be for trips, so needs to be comfortable, with plenty of legroom. We are keeping an SUV, so this car will be a regular 4door.
We are on a very tight budget, so would like under $20k, if possible.
What car do you have like this that you are happy with?
As you can imagine, we are looking at cars like, Camry, Jetta, Accord, Malibu, Fusion. We're trading an Altima, which has been less than stellar.
We bought a sporty 2012 Impala that makes my husband feel young again. When he gets behind the wheel, he thinks he is Jimmy Johnson. It really handles well, has good leg room in front but forget about that back seat for anything but babies. Back seats fold down to allow for long items to be transported. Right now it has about 36,000 miles on it so we are already looking for a new one but we will keep this one as long as it runs for around town driving. It's a keeper when comfort and ease of getting in and out is considered.
A decent choice IMHO. What engine option, what transmission?
Serious props if you got a manual.
In general, Germans are not small people, most German cars work well for large people and/or long-legged people.
No manual this time. We both enjoy driving a stick, but we do mostly city driving now, and a stick shift in traffic is a pain. We just got the basic, 1.4L engine, which has plenty of zip. Looking forward to making friends with the technology, like backup camera, Bluetooth and apps from the phone in the car.
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Rented a backhoe and planted him with military honors.
(all my other vehicles are diesel and LOVE running on free waste cooking oil.). I have a friiend that transplants diesel engines into minivans, but too much trouble for me. They only get 35 mpg, and my Passat Diesel wagons get 50 - 52mpg, so it is not worth the bother to convert. I will try to buy a diesel VW Transporter out of Canada. (I have only seen a few imported to USA, it is not 'free' either). The only issue with burning waste cooking oil, is the line of people following you looking for Donuts / fish & chips. There is no 'smoke', so emission tests are a problem if DEQ is looking for smoke. / soot.
