My mother is in the market and I have been helping her. She is 70 years old and is independent. While she has financial means, she has no income, so she needs to be reasonable.

She had a hip replacement this summer and getting in an out of car is complicated. The best thing for her seems to be a small SUV, though she does not need AWD or 4WD. It is much easier for her to slide on leather and the ride height of the small utes seems to be just right.

Fuel economy is a consideration, but she drives about 7k miles per year, so it is not a show stopper.

We are thinking the following:

Honda CRV
Toyota RAV 4
Saturn VUE

She is really partial to a Honda or a Toyota. Anyone have any personal experience with any of these or can think of any other options?

Looking for something in the $25k or less price range for new.

 

get her a stang with leather seats. they dont sit high, they dont have the unneeded awd, they look kickass. you can get one for under 25k. Make it a V6 and the fuel economy is better than an suv...



im sure you will probably take that as a smart *** remark. so id get a honda crv, i hear great things about them.

 

Where does she live? I'm thinking a small front wheel drive that gets about 35 MPG with a auto trans and cloth seats. I can't see an older lady wanting leather,to slick. Lighter color,cooler in the summer and don't show dirt to bad. Hope I helped.

 

I had a class with a girl that had a crv and a guy that had the vue. the guy, being gay, did not like the vue. and the girl loved her crv. For a lady that old the CRV would be better than the RAV 4 just from personal opinions and hearings of others.

 

waterdr - I just traded my wifes 04 eddie bauer expedition in for a 2007 Ford Edge. Here are some pictures. The sticker on her edge was 33k however the dealerships in the ATL area are now offering about 6k off sticker for 07's. It has a 260hp DOHC v6 and gets 18-20 city and 26hwy. We have had my wifes now for 2 months and WE LOVE IT!! It has the full airbag canopy system and received 5 stars for all the crash ratings. I would highly recommend this car as the reviews and maintenance on this car is GREAT!!
Here are some pictures.

 

whatever you do...dont saddle mom with a ford....get her a reliable car...we all know ford kinda sux...cant go wrong with a corolla...cheap and it will run till the sun burns out

 

I had not really thought of an Edge....that is a good thought. Might actually be a bit on the big side for her.

The tough part is that she has this idea that it has to be a Honda or Toyota. She wants leather so she can slide in an out better also because of having heated seats.

Ford quality has improved a ton.

 

Are you kidding me? LMAO; oh well that is your opinion.

 

The edge is smaller then an explorer as well. I would still recommend going to show her one as it might change her mind plus they have 0% financing on them as well if I remember correctly.

 

todd there are some facts of life that are ugly but true....i've owned 3 mustangs and i love them all...but ford sux...i would never allow my mom to drive one...i wouldnt drive one as a daily...my gt is a racer and thats cause i work on it myself...but for mom? never...service sux...reliablity sux...its just a fact...my corolla fuel needle barely moves in a week of going to work...it will never match a stang at a light...and it will never be a beautiful car...but it will be around long after my 8th mustang...just my .02

 

The real truth of the matter is Toyota has always been in the lead for quality at least for the last ten years. BUT, they have lost some ground. In fact, Ford is now ranked #1 in initial build quality OVER Toyota. Not sure how long that will last, but a fact is a fact.

 

where'd those facts come from? heres some:

CR GOOD BETS

These models, listed alphabetically, have performed well in Consumer Reports road tests and have had several years of better-than-average reliability according to our survey respondents.



Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura RSX
(except ‘06)
Acura TL
Acura TSX
Buick Regal
Chevrolet Prizm
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda CR-V
Honda Element
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti FX
Infiniti G20
Infiniti G35
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti QX4
Lexus ES
Lexus GS
Lexus GX
Lexus IS
Lexus LS
Lexus RX
Lexus SC
Lincoln Town Car
Mazda Millenia
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Protegé
Mazda3
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Pathfinder
Pontiac Vibe
Scion xB
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza WRX
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Matrix
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tundra

hmmmm....


The lists on these pages are compiled from overall reliability data covering 1997-2006 models with better-than-average or much-worse-than-average reliability. CR Good Bets and Bad Bets include only the models for which we have sufficient data for at least three model years. Models that were brand-new in 2005 or 2006 do not appear. Problems with the engine, engine cooling, transmission, and drive system were weighted more heavily than other problems.

 

dang. not one Ford on the list.

just get the honda. it will be nice, comfortable, its what SHE wants. which will play a big role in here happiness and how much she complains. and i've never heard anything but good about honda and how they last forever and dont have many problems.

 

i should say i am not bashin my mustang...i love it to death...but lets be honest...the mustang was made a legend by US...not by ford...it was guys like US in the back yards...guys like shelby and rousch and saleen and foose and all the rest of the 3rd party guys like US who made the car...i love mine cause of the backyard time me and the crew put in and not cause ford made a great out the box racer....ford as a company sux...i hate their service ...i hate their salespeople...it just so happens that they own the rights to an icon....buy mom a toyota

 

Cause we all know consumer reports is nothing but a bunch of gearheards right? They live, breathe, and sleep cars. Which washing machine do they say I should get? How about digital cameras, which one did they rank the best? For reports on cars, I try to stick with organizations who only do cars, not CR which tries to test every single thing made.











If ford vehicles are so bad why does my mom have 190,000 miles on her expedition that's lucky if she changes the oil twice a year? She went 30,000 miles without an oil change once and that beast still runs strong

 

Still got a '94 taurus, 3.0 v6; 254,584 miles on it at this exact moment. All i've done is change the tranny about 100,000 miles ago.

 

I put 100,000 miles on my Suburban and it never was in for a single repair. My neighbors Accord is being Lemon-Lawed.

I don't doubt that Honda and Toyota lead the way, but I also think a lot of Honda and Toyota owners are in denial.

This is NOT the article I was looking for, but interesting non the less:

http://www.autoobserver.com/2007/10/...er-report.html

BTW, which auto maker has the largest recall in history? Toyota that's who! So, before anyone is harsh on the Big Three, don't let Honda and Toyota pull the wool over your eyes. The gap is clasing and closing fast.

 

street racer - you keep bringing up the point about your mustang or mustangs in general. That is not the only car ford builds by the way. I am referring to the Edge and its build quality and service reliability thus far. I have talked to 3 service managers up and down the east coast that I know before I bought this for my wife an they HARDLY ever get any in for service of any kind. This Edge also tested very high or highest in their category for 5 star crash ratings so I feel very safe putting my family or recommending to others as a daily driver. As waterdr said the trends are a changing with build quality etc. Believe what you want and I believe Ford is a great vehicle to drive no matter the reason. I can speak alot about fords as I have owned many over the past 20years.

 

i only bring up the mustang because i said its the only one in fords stable i like...i've owned 3 mustangs so far....i've owned a chrysler, a chevy, a bmw, 3 fords...i speak from my own experiance..i think ford has a legend in the mustang and the rest of the company is crap...i've driven almost all of fords fleet...yeah trends are changing but only just recently and we'll have to wait to see the proof of that...but for now its a fact that there are many more reliable cars for a mom...that is the point of this thread isnt it? i dont think his mom wants to smoke a ricer at the light and in my opinion thats all ford is good for....and then only with one model

 

let me drop a little info as a former car salesman. I know you said you want to buy a car, I would look into leasing and here is why. 1st, payments are way less than buying, buying a 20k car is a $400 payment, leasing a 20k car is about $250-$270 depending on the residual of the car. You said she only drives 7k a year...prefect..many companies have low mileage leases...10k and under with cheaper payments. The biggest thing....she will ALWAYS be under warranty....always. Now I understand that most people dont like leasing for some reason or another, in this case its a good choice. low payments, she wont go over in mileage, warranty protection. Now you could buy the car outright, but i would crunch the numbers...the one time cost of the car with a limited warranty time. Or the leasing every 2-3 years always having warranty protection. see which is actually the better buy over the long term.

some quick numbers...you plant to spend 25k...now how far can 25k go in leasing....lets divide 25k buy, lets say $285 (example lease payment)

25000/ 285 per month = 87.72 months ok....so lets figure how many years that is....87.72/12= 7.31 years......thats 7.31 years of lease payments, thats also 7.31 years of constant warranty coverage....

this just an example, just use different numbers to fit your situation.

 

with leasing the only thing you'd own at the end of that 25K is a lighter wallet. At least with the purchase you have some asset you can sell and recoup a small but very real part of the equation. So with leasing at the end of the 7 years you can walk to a corner and beg for a ride, or you can buy it and own your car for 2 or more of those 7 years and still have warranty coverage if you want it (aftermarket warranties are available from elsewhere but a dealer as well as from a dealer).

I'd buy her a Escape Hybrid. Best thing you can do for someone with a fixed income is reduce one of their inconsistent monthly expenses. In this case, gas. every bit of fuel she doesn't put in the car is more she can heat her house or her tummy with.

 

I get that, but we talking about a 70 year person most likely on an extremely fixed income. So dropping 25k all at once is prolly not the best idea. Aftermarket warranties dont cover as much as people would like or what think they cover, but dealership extended warranties do (most of the time). Along with ownership comes maintaining the car, with a leased car most of that comes with the contract. I'm looking at from a convenience stand point. Mom would have less hassles with a lease than out right ownership. Oil changes would be handled, a car always under factory warranty (which is the best), no need for new tires. Granted, you dont own a lease car, but you dont own a financed one either, not until after the contract anyways. I'm just giving a different perspective on this topic, most people say leasing is the worst thing you could do. I say its all dependent on the situation, in this situation....I wold go with leasing because the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

 

i had heard somewhere that noone leased a car under 25000...kinda pointless like r3d said isnt it? i get the rest of what you are saying but i'm thinking that would apply to a more expensive car...like leasing a jag or a benz or bmw

 

people lease sub 25k cars all the time....how much you think a focus, liberty, sebring, vibe, jetta, 300, escape, camry, civic all cost. everyone of those car I listed are under 25k, sure you can go over with some depending on trim, but all of them plus more i didn't list can all be had for under 25k

 

yeah...i know that there are cars under 25000..lol...my question was why would anyone lease a car that cheap? like r3d said, what would be the point?
as opposed to a more expensive car....my mom leased a top end volvo...i get that...but why lease a such an inexpensive car...sounds like an easy way to get fleeced

 

where in live, in detroit, leasing is HUGE. when I sold chryslers I would say my sales ratio was 85% leasing and 15% buying. Many people lease sub-25k cars because the payments are really cheap. A rule of thumb to go by is $20 for every $1000 you finance. So at 20k, you are already at a $400 payment, but leasing a car around that price would cost about $250-280. Another thing is many people dont want a car for 5 years, after 2-3 years they want a new one. I've had people come in, trade in a car that had the last three cars rolled into the current payment and roll it into then next new car. These people do nothing but **** themselves in the end. For example, a guys wants to trade in his F-150. He paid 35k and owes 28k, but its only worth 24k in trade. so thats 4k to the bad or "upside down". We will have to roll that 4k into the new car, so his new car is now 4k over sticker to satisfy the old contract (which adds $80 to the payment). the roll over number will only get bigger every time you dont ride a contract all the way out. People do this **** all the time and they dont realize how much it hurts them. I would always tell someone, if you cant keep a car at least 4 years (the time when you most likely owe less than it worth) start leasing cars. Because you are just ******* yourself in the *** buying a new car every 2 years.

Edit: the numbers i used are real mild, I've seen people be 10k upsidedown and not heed good advice and still buy that new car they just "had to have".

 

I have leased and I have bought cars. There are both good and bad leases. From my experience, a "good" lease should have a payment around 1 - 1.5% of the MSRP with minimal money down. If you don't drive a lot and like to change cars every 2 - 3 years, then leasing is really the best option. It really does not matter how much the car costs.

I also think that most people just don't get it.....they use leasing as a way to get car that they should not afford to be driving in the first place.

Salesmen see it all the time......people trying to get out of a lease and they are stuck.

My Mom may actually be too good of a lease candidate. If she gets a 10k per year lease, but only drives 6-7k a year, then she is paying for miles that she will never use. Also, she is "lease adverse". My dad leased a car and it was a real mess. It really was not the fault of the car, but the situation changed and they piled-on a lot of miles.....long story. That is all she remembers. Regardless, it is an option I will continue to consider.

My Mom owns her house outright and has money in the bank....no debt. She is far from rich, but in reasonabley good shape. She gets SS, but it is pretty minimal. It pays her bills and groceries. Her Mom is 104 and still ticking, so my Mom's life expectancy could be high. As such, she really needs a car that will be able to take her 10 solid years. In 10 years, the car should still have value due to the low miles. I don't think she can afford to enter into a situation where she will always have a payment which is what a lease will do. I think I would prefer her to buy something either very reliable and/or with a great warranty.

Chrysler actually has a lifetime, bumper to bumper warranty. It costs money, sure, but could be the last and only car she might ever need to own. They can also include all your oil changes. As crazy as it sounds, that might be worth a look as well.

I would love for her to get into something like a Pacifica with a warranty like that if she could afford it. You can buy brand-new lightly equipped, 2007 Pacificas for $19k with AWD right now.....toss in a lifetime warranty and she is still under her budget and can drive it as long as she wants.