Topic: Mom in her 50's looking for suggestions

[safristi]

..well we haven't had a COUGAR suggested..........so i'll post it on Avt/Mr.T & Ovr's behalf....

[Leviathan]

A Chevy HHR is in the price range and has a long warranty. Should be good on the hip point and comes with a manual.

[gottarondo]

Sir A, that is an excellent list of assessments with strengths and weaknesses. 

I'll add my vote to the idea of going out and sitting in some cars rather than trying to make a decision sitting at the computer.  You can certainly make your list at the computer, of course... but then you will be able to start crossing things off of it just by sitting in them in the showroom.  For us, the Element was crossed off when we realized it has only four seats, and the HHR has a wide running board that makes the step into and out of the driver's seat less hip-friendly than I needed it to be. 

The point about leather seats being easier to slide into, made by Saf and TPL, is well worth noting.

[safristi]

..and as a rider....that is an adjunctive thought !!!!..Must be the Cabarnet  dear friends.... .... The Local Detroit & Toronto AUTO SHOWS are just around the corner....get ta sit inna Lambo and take 30 minutes ta gettoutoffit!!!! ...and to Try the more mainstream boriiing crap....

[dorin]

Well that's new to me -  rear doors that open the other way. Certainly makes getting in the rear easier. But the name? Are they less safe as you drive or more vulnerable roadside when the doors are open?

I'm sure they're completely safe. They are, however, not very practical if you have a lot of rear seat only passengers since the front door has to open before the rear door can. DrivingTV showed an example of a mom dropping kids of at school. Mom gets out and walks around to passenger side, opens front door then rear door, kid(s) gets out, rear door closes then front door and finally mom gets to walk back to the drivers side and back in to the car. That would get old in a hurry in good weather and be even less fun in rain/snow.

It sounds really inconvenient, but wouldn't said mom have had to go around and open a regular rear door as well?  So this way she has to open both the front and rear door.  It's not appreciably more inconvenient.

[DockMan]

It sounds really inconvenient, but wouldn't said mom have had to go around and open a regular rear door as well?  So this way she has to open both the front and rear door.  It's not appreciably more inconvenient.

My 4 year old can open the door by himself if required, on our van and car. It would be a pain, trust a parent with three. Any extra step that you need to perform getting the children in and out of the vehicle is a pain, and gets more annoying as time goes on. Regardless of age or kids though, that reminds me of all the pickups with the same kind of half rear door arrangement. Everyone I knew that had them called them a PITA and wished they just would have ponied up the extra cake for 4 doors.

[random006]

I'm sure they're completely safe. They are, however, not very practical if you have a lot of rear seat only passengers since the front door has to open before the rear door can. DrivingTV showed an example of a mom dropping kids of at school. Mom gets out and walks around to passenger side, opens front door then rear door, kid(s) gets out, rear door closes then front door and finally mom gets to walk back to the drivers side and back in to the car. That would get old in a hurry in good weather and be even less fun in rain/snow.

It sounds really inconvenient, but wouldn't said mom have had to go around and open a regular rear door as well?  So this way she has to open both the front and rear door.  It's not appreciably more inconvenient.

No, not necessarily.  Depends on the age of the kids and whether the safety door lock has been engaged.

[AAJA]

Well thank goodness my "kids" are grown - but they keep coming home!! (And with patient instruction x 20 or so years, they did learn how to get in all by themselves.)So if we want to go somewhere together all 3 have to jam in the back seat together. We usually have to take two vehicles to events if we all go to a family event.

So it would be nice to be able to fit 5 adults, but it's a pretty tall order,  I know, without getting into the minivan size. Which I don't want particularly. But not something that looks like a Jeep either.

We have a Saris bike rack for up to 3 bikes that is a bit troublesome putting on our Honda coupe - it has a spoiler so it's fiddly; the bikes angle in to the car and have to be tied. I'm thinking a flat rear end of the vehicle would be easier to attach the rack.

[DockMan]

So if we want to go somewhere together all 3 have to jam in the back seat together. We usually have to take two vehicles to events if we all go to a family event. So it would be nice to be able to fit 5 adults, but it's a pretty tall order,  I know, without getting into the minivan size. Which I don't want particularly.

It really does sound like the Kia Rondo or Mazda5 would be the solution to all your issues. You would have the flexibility to seat six very comfortably should you require it, with the rear seats down you would have great cargo capacity and both are not huge vehicles and are fairly thrifty on fuel.