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Why should anyone be limited to choices in cars or trucks? The only limit would be in the market and if it is profitable for someone to make the larger cars. The fact is that the market for larger cars is softening. Ford isn't making them anymore. GM is out of the business. Chrysler is making the 300 and the Charger but they are not the traditional large car. Cadillac makes 13 models and only one is considered full size. Four of them are escalades and 1 is a mid size Sedan. One is a crossover and they have 2 wagons. The remaining 4 cars are outselling the full size DTS Sedan. They are sporty and many older people are even buying them. More older people can afford a $65,000 CTS-V Coupe than younger people.
My dad who is 73 prefers his Mustang to anything else. I just don't see that many people heading for larger cars, older or younger.
Im not a old timer (even though i feel it) but i drive a big gas guzzling car. Until i can afford a smaller one (4 cylinder) im stuck with my V-8. I did drive a V-6 1990 Tbird that actually weighs only 60 lbs less then my 85 olds delta 88 but was a lil better on gas. Had a careless senior citizen not hit my Tbird a few yrs ago i would most likely still be driving it. Big car are absolutely more comfortable & ride better then baby cars.
It really comes down to a vehicle by vehicle comparison too. "SUVs" vs "Big Cars" vs smaller cars is a very broad comparison. There are huge differences among the many vehicles in these classes.
vs SUVS: Many large cars are easier to enter and exit (front and rear) than even 'cross-over' SUVs, let alone 'real' SUVs (especially the monsters). Many folks just plain don't like SUVs. Some feel they are excessive and take up too much cubic space, blocking sight lines on the road and in parking areas, yet offering little usable added function, possibly excepting big ones for large groups of agile large people. Some handle poorly. Other use too much fuel. Some are perceived as 'trucks' (even if they aren't). Oh, and finally (?) many cars are easier to aim ....er...drive.... than many "SUVs" for many folks.
vs Small cars: Softer "Boulevard Ride" and perception of safety versus smaller cars (and some SUV like vehicles) and usability for carrying multiple older less agile folks
There are other reasons...just thought I'd throw out a few I've heard to add to the chatter. I see others have hit on some of these and others as well. I do like the bottom line that they should be able to drive what they want to at this stage of their lives.
Why should anyone be limited to choices in cars or trucks? The only limit would be in the market and if it is profitable for someone to make the larger cars.
Nope... Big Brother should make all of our decisions for us. There should be a law that prevents old people from owning big cars. That was clearly my point from the begining.
I don't mean to offend anyone, and there may be no real answer to this, but allow me to vent. Why do old people tend to drive the biggest cars?
You've seen them, waiting to pull out with a foot of the hood hanging out in the right of way, or spending so much of their precious time left in this world trying to get in or out of a parking spot. I mean, when my eyes start to loose depth perception and my reflexes and hand/eye coordination start to fail me, the first thing I'll do is get rid of my Cadillac DTS or my Crown Vic and get something with a better turning radius than the U.S.S. Wisconsin.
I'm just sayin'....
Maybe it makes them feel safer?? I've heard people say they do and don't trust smaller cars in an accident.
I have driven Toyotas and Hondas for the past 20+ years but am now driving a 2005 Buick Century. Not because I 'wanted' a bigger car but because the price, interest, mileage and monthly payments were 'just right' for me. I WILL be going back to a Honda when I can. I am "old" (69) and small so the Honda 'fits' me better. Ever since I bought this Buick I've thought it was 'too big' for me but it's a really nice car so....
I do find it kind of amusing to be following a car that has no obvious driver and it's because that little ol' lady is so short she can barely see over the steering wheel, let alone see her head above the headrest!
seat height and door width
easier access than a mini cooper or 911 Carerra ya know?
Yeah... and I guess it has to do with having older freinds, too. Figure, if you're old, your children are probably grown adults and your freinds are also old, so having a large, comfortable back seat to accomodate a car full of adults would be important.
They aren't any easier to drive, though. That's my point. The sight lines are terrible and turning radius is a joke. And what do you need a big V8 for if you're never going to go over 60 mph? I'm not recommending you get a Ford Fiesta, but mid-sized cars have become very spacious and offer better ergonomics.
It seems like a big car could be stressful in a lot of situations, and older hearts don't need any more stress.
last year i was driving a 77 olds delta 88. now i drive a 98 taurus wagon. i can tell you that the taurus has less room than the olds did, is harder to get in and out of, and while it is easier to park, the olds was just as easy to drive. the reason i got the taurus was to up my fuel economy from 12 to 20 mpg.
as for needing a big V8, you are right, i dont need one, but i like the power they produce, and getting those big lincolns rolling does mean you need the larger engines, as the small ones just dont hack pulling a 5000lb sedan around. perhaps one day i will find a 78 lincoln towncar with the 460 in decent shape, and use that for driving from time to time.
as for a big car being more stressful, not a chance. those thing were designed to be stress free driving.
Nope... Big Brother should make all of our decisions for us. There should be a law that prevents old people from owning big cars. That was clearly my point from the begining.
Then perhaps the government should pass laws preventing people in their twenties and thirties from owning mustangs, and bmw's.
Makes about as much sense.
Bob.
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