Motoring Discussion > Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! Miscellaneous
Thread Author: legacylad Replies: 31
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 07:42 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - legacylad
My old mum lives one mile away. Close enough to keep an eye on but not too close!
I recently took her to visit my 95yo Aunt some 25 miles away. They enjoyed the drive, lunch, 2 hours in Asda/Aldi, then exchanged the 95yo for a different 87yo Aunt who is staying a week with Mum.Watching/helping the oldies get in/out of my 3 series ragtop really should be on YouTube. Especially trying to 'reverse' out of the back seat. Never before has beer tasted so good at days end.
As i am their primary source of getting out it made me realise I really should get something with easier entry & exit.
So, should I keep the 330 and buy a cheapo practical estate (i could probably buy a friends A4 Tdi sub £!k) or go the whole hog, sell the 330 privately and get an MX5/Boxster + practical estate? Decisions decisions.
Will ask my colleagues at work today for their tuppence worth.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 08:08 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - sherlock47
I would rate the most important requirement as good headroom when getting in - whilst a 2 door roofless car meets the criterium for the front seat passenger, I can imagine the back being a little difficult.

It is surprising that some obvious choices do not make it easy - from history the Volvo 240 estate was difficult, but a mini GT (old) was easy! My TR7 is easy when the roof is off, but even I cannot get in when roofed.

find somebody with a bad back to do test runs for you.

More modern cars that are easy are the Picasso, Berlingo and surprisingly the Fiat Panda.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 08:41 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - sherlock47
I should have said the old Picasso, not sure about the new variants.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 09:15 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Old Navy
Mrs ON transports a gaggle of elderly ladies who are not too good at mobility on a weekly basis, there have been favourable comments about the ease of access to, and leg room in the rear of our Ceed estate. I am 6' tall and can sit behind the drivers seat set for me without my knees touching the back of the seat.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 30 Mar 13 at 09:18
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 09:21 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Skip
I bought a Xsara Picasso back in 2007 when I had injured my back badly and was finding it difficult getting in and out f the Megane. I also used to ferry elderly relations about then & it must be one of the most user friendly cars for anyone with mobility problems. Had zero image though, not a problem for me as neither have I !
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 09:33 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - R.P.
My mother in law and my dad loved the CRV for the ease of access - despite its apparent loftiness.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 09:45 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Robbie34
This reminds me of when I was a teenager. My Dad had an Austin A35 four door of which he was very proud. We were out one day and my father saw his elderly uncle, and offered him a lift. Great Uncle Jim was quite a big man and had difficulty getting into the car. He sat in the back seat with me.

When we arrived at his house my Dad got out and opened the back door for Gt Uncle Jim. The doors on this model of the A35 were very narrow, and he couldn't get out. I was pushing and my Dad was pulling. I couldn't help it, but found this situation hilarious and couldn't stop laughing. Of course, this didn't go down well with my parents. It took a good twenty minutes to extricate my Dad's uncle, and my poor Dad was in a right state, as was Uncle Jim. He had had visions of having to call out the fire brigade and wrecking his car in the process. Needless to say, he was wary about offering lifts in the future.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 09:48 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Runfer D'Hills
PT Cruiser convertible. Sorted.

:-)
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      4  
 Sat 30 Mar 13 12:10 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - bathtub tom
>>My Dad had an Austin A35 four door

Has a car ever been made with smaller doors than the back ones on them? I got my foot wedged in the gap at the bottom of one and it took some time to extricate it.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 10:58 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Dutchie
@ Skip >:)
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 17:01 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Avant
Take your mum with you to some dealers or a car supermarket and let her have some fun trying out which cars are easier to get in and out of. A cheap older Jazz (high doors) or 201-07 Civic (lots of rear legroom) would be worth a look. The A4 isn't all that room in the back.

Some MPVs have to be climbed up into and this isn't any easier than climbing up out: the Verso and C-Max are good because they're on the level - neither up nor down to get in and out.

If you love your 330 ragtop you'll no doubt go the cheap practical car route: if you want a change, old but sound MX-5s can be had quite cheaply.
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 17:19 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Bromptonaut
Our Berlingo, a 2005 facelift version, is not as easy as it looks.

Mum walks with a frame (hip replacement) and gets into a car by lowering herself onto the seat and then swivelling to get her legs/feet in. Similar to the style used by young ladies in her youth for dignified entry to a low slung sports car. In the 'lingo the rear sets are aft of the sliding door and innaccessible as the step over the cill is more than she can manage. She has to ride in the front.

She can manage the Xantia, front or rear, at its normal suspension height. Surprisingly, raising it makes matters worse.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 30 Mar 13 at 17:22
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 17:24 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - -
Keep the BMW, you may not find a car you enjoy as much.

Possibly a Hyundai Sonata Kia Magentis or similar for ferrying the oldies about, you'll get a big and decent car for your money and should prove reliable enough.

I notice that many Korean and Japanese cars have thin and light doors and the springing effect of the door stays isn't as strong as some of the others, which should help with access.

just remembered, in my previous life i drove taxis sat and sun nights to bring a few extra quid in, seniors were always thankful when a Landcrab or Princess turned up for them, plenty of leg room and a smooth ride.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sat 30 Mar 13 at 17:27
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 20:54 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - MD
Smooth Driver more like GB?
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 Sat 30 Mar 13 21:15 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - -
Martin, the company i worked for still operates exactly the same way they never wanted or employed fly by nights, their cars are still spotlessly clean can be seen approaching from miles away when on the open road, always travelling smoothly with good lane discipline long braking distance correct signalling and courtesy, always a pleasure to see them about.

My DiL uses them for business trips, only taxi company she feels happy just to go to sleep during the journey.

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 Sat 30 Mar 13 21:50 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - legacylad
Humph's kind consideration inspired me to investigate further.
Sadly it was negative because
a) I cannot afford a face transplant
b) the PT Cruiser ragtop is not available with a 3litre straight six.

Maybe the newer 335i ragtop has easier ingress? Now there's a thought.
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 08:23 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - WillDeBeest
...the Verso and C-Max are good because they're on the level - neither up nor down to get in and out.

Sound stuff from Avant. This was certainly my experience in four years with a Verso. I don't have mobility problems but being a Person of Respectable Elongation I have some of the same concerns. I also have one aged r that is less than mobile and the Verso was at just the right, neutral height for easy loading of both types.

Must find a picture of one of those A35s. Before my time but the worst recent example I can think of is a friend's 1998 Discovery: back doors on that are narrower than a size 13 foot, so egress requires an undignified lie-back-and-post-feet-out-horizontally manoeuvre. Horrid thing.
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 12:21 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - henry k
>>Must find a picture of one of those A35s.
>>
Google has lots but search for Austin a35 4 door if you want a side view.
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 17:15 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - WillDeBeest
Ah yes, I see. So, class, which is better: a piece of slow, cramped, unreliable junk like that, but being in a fortunate minority to have a car at all; or one of today's climate-controlled, satellite-misguided marvels but stuck in endless queues because everyone else has one too?

Of course, those who opt for the worst of both worlds by driving ancient machinery in modern traffic need not apply.
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 17:40 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Armel Coussine
>> So, class, which is better: a piece of slow, cramped, unreliable junk like that, but being in a fortunate minority to have a car at all; or one of today's climate-controlled, satellite-misguided marvels but stuck in endless queues because everyone else has one too?

>> Of course, those who opt for the worst of both worlds by driving ancient machinery in modern traffic need not apply.

Sir, sir! What about people in well-tuned Skoda Estelles who blow off nine-tenths of the waddling home counties mimsers in their posh Euroboxes uphill, going faster, having three times the fun and spending a third of the money, sir? What about them sir? Eh? Eh?

You don't know what you're talking about sir, do you?

Ow! But you don't.
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 22:21 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - WillDeBeest
Not pretending to know anything, Coussine, just posing the question. Now stop talking at the back or I'll send you to see Mr d'Bout.

I remember a few A35s still on the roads in the 1970s. (I think my dad may have had one when he was single. He called it a Somerset - is that the same thing?) By then we had something approaching modern traffic but still had the reliability of the points-and-carbs era. My own driving dates back to 1989, so my only experience has been in the stuff-that-works age.

But I remember a rain-sodden holiday in Devon in 1978, when the family Renault had to be dried out before it would start. And wasting a day of holiday going to Aberystwyth to have the same car's exhaust replaced two years earlier. All without the compensation of the truly open road, so I'm curious how far back you have to go to find that.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Sun 31 Mar 13 at 22:22
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 22:33 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - CGNorwich
A Somerset was different - like an A35 on steroids.

My father had an A35. Remember going driving down to holiday to Devon with my two brothers. Dad would always point out the overheating Fords as we crawled along in the the traffic jam outside Okehampton. He had wanted a Morris Minor but there was a huge waiting list in 1959.
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 Sun 31 Mar 13 23:21 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Armel Coussine
Somerset was an A40 WdB, next size up.

The reliability of the points-and-carb era was often dire, but it was mainly because people couldn't grasp the principles of tuning and adjustment. Professional mechanics routinely 'tuned' cars so that they would start reliably and run smoothly, then left it at that. As a result most cars spent most of their road time more or less radically out of tune. Sooty plugs etc often resulted. Cars that idled smoothly often had retarded ignition and might eventually burn their exhaust valves. Sometimes a slightly rough, crunchy idle was more correct. Differences could be very subtle.

Not all cars were easy to tune (Estelles were, once you knew their ways). Strobe light, dwell meter and sometimes vacuum gauge were the essential tools. Those and a brain, and a Haynes manual (they were much better for primitive cars than they are for this modern stuff). And a bit of practice and a few balls-ups.

Naturally I love this modern reliability and these modern manufacturing tolerances and this modern absence of need for adjustment. Who wouldn't?

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      1  
 Sun 31 Mar 13 23:54 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - -
''Strobe light, dwell meter and sometimes vacuum gauge were the essential tools. ''

and a well tuned ear 'ole.

90% of getting the things running right was using your ears nose and loaf combined.
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 Mon 1 Apr 13 00:45 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Armel Coussine
Yup. And seat of the pants, general road feel and so on. No two were ever quite the same, there were good ones and bad ones. Small differences in valve timing, differences of wear in the distributor in particular, what the bobweight springs were like... it all made a difference.

Good fun it could be. As well as a bit of a nightmare sometimes.
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 Mon 1 Apr 13 11:43 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Dutchie
I used to set the timing static on the Beetle.A bulb, wire and a couple of contacts.New points and condenser, found it easier to take the distribitor out the car to replace the points and condenser.Adjusted the valves.One of the easiest exhaust I ever replaced was on the Hillman Imp.I had a blue one lovely little car a shame the engine kept overheating also very economical to run.
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 Mon 1 Apr 13 12:44 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - madf
We have a Mark 1 Yaris and a 2012 Honda Jazz.

We regularly transport elderly (>80 yrs old) passengers in both no issues at all due to headroom. The Jazz has greater rear foot space so better than the Yaris for passengers with hip/knee/mobility issues.

Mrs madf walks with a stick - one hip replaced, another due this year - and gets in and out of both with the same difficulty/ease as a friend's Honda CRV... which is rather larger...
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 Thu 4 Apr 13 08:28 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - IJWS14
You missed the obvious, drop the roof and getting in and out is much easier.
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      1  
 Wed 1 May 13 13:12 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - legacylad
Still not made a decision.
I took the old girl to Grange over mud yesterday afternoon, roof down, and a very windswept terrier on the back seat, safely secured in his harness.
We took the opportunity to try out various models at a local garage. SUV was ruled out (Q5) as she simply could not get in without a stool. Surprising how many Audis/VWs have coalmine like interiors.
My criteria is FUN to drive, practical and plenty of ooomph. The 330 is very practical with the trailer, but a nuisance at times loading all the kit in,(pressure washer, petrol mower, gardening gear, tools) and when hitched up it negates the fun element. A pal of mine is selling his P reg MX5 (import) and, given my low mileage, a Spec B estate would be a good compromise if I could find a good 'un. Selling it on could be a problem in future, and as for the ongoing depreciation...
Forester's just dont do it for me, even the 2.5 turbo, yet I really like the previous model Outback in manual form. A shame it was not available with the turbo.
The search goes on.
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 Wed 1 May 13 16:32 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - -
>> Forester's just dont do it for me, even the 2.5 turbo, yet I really like
>> the previous model Outback in manual form. A shame it was not available with the
>> turbo.

No blown grey imports, as with model up to 04?

If not have you considered an import blown Galant estate?

There's always something unusual tasty and numbling powerful lurking about in the grey import arena.
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 Wed 1 May 13 16:37 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Alanovich
Nissan Stagea (Skyline Estate):

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201231480661345/

Not many around.

(Yes, I've been watching Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up.)
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 Thu 2 May 13 14:13 
 Elderly relatives & my car don't mix! - Gromit
"Spec B estate would be a good compromise"

Get your intended passengers to try one first. My mother, who is slightly arthritic but not at the point where she needs a stick, always remarks on how she has to "sit a long way down into" my standard spec Legacy estate, and I think the Spec B has lowered and stiffer suspension. She does like the smooth ride, though, whereas she used to remark on the firmness of my father's Mk 1 Octavia.

She was quite a fan of my old Forester and Mk 1 Scenics - she sat across into them, not having to climb up or drop down, and also has praise for my Mk 1 Panda.

So, would a 2.5 Forester XT do the job better than a Legacy Spec B? But even then, if passenger comfort is important, do get them to try it too - both for access and ride comfort on the road.

Edit: Just noticed your remark about the Forester not doing it for you. Outback as you mentioned has ride height close to the Forester and was also offered in 3 or 3.6 litre 6 cylinder depending on year. Auto only though with that engine...
Last edited by: Gromit on Thu 2 May 13 at 14:14
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