Buying second hand for my 80 year old mother-in-law...
Discussion
Hello PH hive mind...
I have been charged with sourcing a replacement car for my 80 year old mother in law.
Here's the brief:
Budget up to £4k
She rarely drives more than 4-5 miles, 50 miles occasionally
Usually just her in the car - 3 door hatch would be fine but 5 doors not a problem
She is a widow so shops for one - massive boot not required
She has no interest in bells and whistles - turning the radio on would be quite racy for her..
She is elderly and uses a stick but still reasonably mobile - something easy to get in and out of would be helpful - she made a bit of a huffling noise when she had to get into my lowered mk1 MX5 :-)
Something reliable but cheap to fix if it comes to it - would a Jap with balance of 5/6 year warranty be in budget?
good mpg
My instinct is simple 1.0l engine and sensible rather than opulent spec in order to get the youngest/lowest mileage for the money
I'm drawn to a late spec Panda, but that may just be because I loved my 100hp so much..
So what are your thoughts? Thanks!
I have been charged with sourcing a replacement car for my 80 year old mother in law.
Here's the brief:
Budget up to £4k
She rarely drives more than 4-5 miles, 50 miles occasionally
Usually just her in the car - 3 door hatch would be fine but 5 doors not a problem
She is a widow so shops for one - massive boot not required
She has no interest in bells and whistles - turning the radio on would be quite racy for her..
She is elderly and uses a stick but still reasonably mobile - something easy to get in and out of would be helpful - she made a bit of a huffling noise when she had to get into my lowered mk1 MX5 :-)
Something reliable but cheap to fix if it comes to it - would a Jap with balance of 5/6 year warranty be in budget?
good mpg
My instinct is simple 1.0l engine and sensible rather than opulent spec in order to get the youngest/lowest mileage for the money
I'm drawn to a late spec Panda, but that may just be because I loved my 100hp so much..
So what are your thoughts? Thanks!
My advice would be don't get involved, you'll get no thanks if you find the perfect car and it'll all be your fault if you end up with an unreliable hunk of junk or she doesn't like something!
She needs to choose the car herself. I'd keep it simple and go for a Fiesta - find 3 or 4 examples locally and take her to see them.
I'd avoid a Jazz because she doesn't need the space and they are a magnet for catalytic converter thefts. The ultimately longevity of some of the Kia/Hyundai stuff is questionable. I'd also be wary of a 3 door with older people because the long doors are more difficult to open in tight spaces.
She needs to choose the car herself. I'd keep it simple and go for a Fiesta - find 3 or 4 examples locally and take her to see them.
I'd avoid a Jazz because she doesn't need the space and they are a magnet for catalytic converter thefts. The ultimately longevity of some of the Kia/Hyundai stuff is questionable. I'd also be wary of a 3 door with older people because the long doors are more difficult to open in tight spaces.
Thanks for the replies. Appreciate that I’m on a hiding to nothing with this mission but needs must.
She currently has a 90s Volvo saloon that is so unremarkable I can’t remember what it is. XC40 maybe? She likes it but it’s too big.
Good point about the longer doors on a 3 door.
I did wonder about a Fiesta. Doesn’t get much more plain vanilla than that.
She currently has a 90s Volvo saloon that is so unremarkable I can’t remember what it is. XC40 maybe? She likes it but it’s too big.
Good point about the longer doors on a 3 door.
I did wonder about a Fiesta. Doesn’t get much more plain vanilla than that.
Quite often people like to just go for a more recent version of what they're used to.
That would be a Volvo S40, it's going to be around 10 years old and a bit leggy for your 4k budget though. XC40 is a nice car but isn't that considerably more money?
For a very low mileage driver on their own I'd be looking at a modern city car with a simple 1.0 engine.
Hyundai i10/Kia Picanto
Suzuki Celerio
VW Up!/Skoda citigo/seat Mii
That way you get as new as possible and cheap to run.
If they're too small for her then yes a fiesta or Corsa would work. Depending on her build and agility you might need to consider something with a fairly high seating position where she doesn't really need to stoop to get in. I think the fiesta is quite high. Or maybe a small mpv?
That would be a Volvo S40, it's going to be around 10 years old and a bit leggy for your 4k budget though. XC40 is a nice car but isn't that considerably more money?
For a very low mileage driver on their own I'd be looking at a modern city car with a simple 1.0 engine.
Hyundai i10/Kia Picanto
Suzuki Celerio
VW Up!/Skoda citigo/seat Mii
That way you get as new as possible and cheap to run.
If they're too small for her then yes a fiesta or Corsa would work. Depending on her build and agility you might need to consider something with a fairly high seating position where she doesn't really need to stoop to get in. I think the fiesta is quite high. Or maybe a small mpv?
I bought a VW up for my daughter, the former owner was an 85+ year-old lady.
2 doors, big wide openings.
All controls are very light.
The driver's seat can be adjusted for height.
Short bonnet and flat back makes parking very easy.
Ultra-reliable and post-2015, low mile, (53 BHP), cars can be had for £4k
2 doors, big wide openings.
All controls are very light.
The driver's seat can be adjusted for height.
Short bonnet and flat back makes parking very easy.
Ultra-reliable and post-2015, low mile, (53 BHP), cars can be had for £4k
I wouldn't go for 3 doors.
I've always had 3 doors because they look cool and con me into thinking I'm not really a grown up!
In reality the long doors make it difficult to get in and out when parked in tight spaces like a garage or most car parks. You also have to reach further back for the seat belt. One feature of my e92 coupe that I like is that a little electronic arm hands you the seat belt. It's annoying when it doesn't work and the belt slips off though.
I've always had 3 doors because they look cool and con me into thinking I'm not really a grown up!
In reality the long doors make it difficult to get in and out when parked in tight spaces like a garage or most car parks. You also have to reach further back for the seat belt. One feature of my e92 coupe that I like is that a little electronic arm hands you the seat belt. It's annoying when it doesn't work and the belt slips off though.
I know someone who is selling a 30k-ish mile 2015 Hyundai i10 1.0. No real bells and whistles, but has everything on it that’s needed and easy to drive and get in and out of. They were considering selling to a webuyanycar or similar, so would be available for a good price. For small, basic transportation and for something relatively new-ish I don’t think you could do wrong with that...
LeoSayer said:
My Mum is approaching that age and loves her Nissan Note 1.6 auto that she has owned for nearly 10 years now.
Easy to get in and out of due to high seating position
Uncomplicated naturally aspirated engine
Uncomplicated and smooth torque converter auto
Plenty of space in a small package
Seconded....Easy to get in and out of due to high seating position
Uncomplicated naturally aspirated engine
Uncomplicated and smooth torque converter auto
Plenty of space in a small package
My mother in law has a Suzuki Splash which is perfect for her needs. 1.0 engine, £20 tax and costs buttons to run. Loads of room with a high driving position and quite nippy round the doors. Hers has done nearly 70k on a 12 plate and never put a foot wrong. For the money I don't think you can do better.
May I suggest the 1007?
Well under budget, so you could put any spare towards contingency (not that there's anything really to go wrong as such, but as it's a Peugeot the parts are likely to be cheap).
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191123468...
The USP is the sliding doors and elevated driving position, which make it very OAP friendly in a small car. £30 RFL too.
Well under budget, so you could put any spare towards contingency (not that there's anything really to go wrong as such, but as it's a Peugeot the parts are likely to be cheap).
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20191123468...
The USP is the sliding doors and elevated driving position, which make it very OAP friendly in a small car. £30 RFL too.
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