OT: Suitable small auto car for elderly mother

Hi, all.

My father is unlikely to drive again.

Mother dear passed her test many years ago, but never really did much driving. Dad always did the driving. She's just beginning to come to terms with the fact that dad wn't be around to drive her any more.

She was always nervous about the gears, and never really came to terms with the whole clutch thing. That was the major reason she never really did much driving.

Now, she's a sprightly thing, and has got many good years left in her, and was eyeing up the auto transmission in my Discovery (!). I suspect that when my father passes away ( I'm talikng about weeks here ), She'll want to sell the manual Golf, and will probably want take to the road again in a small auto.

I'll get her hooked up with a driving instructor to take her out for come confidence-building. We're talking about

Reply to
Ron Lowe
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Ron Lowe gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I've copied this reply in to uk.rec.cars.misc, so left your post unsnipped.

Question number 1 has to be the good ol'... WHAT'S THE BUDGET?

Does she have any mobility issues which might make a particular rough shape of car fit best?

If she's looking at short journeys, DO NOT be tempted to go diesel. Don't. Just don't. You'll not save anything worthwhile on fuel, and you'll have a metric truckload of particulate filter problems, since the exhaust'll never get hot enough to burn the trapped particulates off.

Reply to
Adrian

My partner has been very happy with the Ford Ka I bought her for Christmas a few years ago. I chose it because it scored highest for safety in its class at the time.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

On Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:53:57 +0000, Ron Lowe boggled us with:

Secondhand Honda Jazz. For what they are, they're fantastic little cars. Roomy, easy to drive, decent auto box. They're the best of the small autos I've driven.

My Gran's friend who's 82 has a recent automatic car. I've no idea what it is though, not a clue. I thought it was a Nissan of some sort or other, but looking at their website, it's not. It might be a Panda. I know she loves it, so I'll find out what it is tomorrow or Wednesday.

Reply to
Mike P

Small automatics are like hens' teeth - at least at the cheaper end of second-hand they are, anyway.

I suspect it's for exactly the reasons you want one - they're ideal when you want to drive something small that doesn't have to be rowed down the road with the gear-lever.

Beware of auto Clios - the gearboxes are notoriously fragile. Corsa - well, I can't stand them but the wife likes hers.

Reply to
Skipweasel

Depending how old a car you're buying, this won't be a problem as older diesels don't have them!

Reply to
Skipweasel

Have they ever made a Ka with an auto box?

Reply to
Skipweasel

Are there small diesel autos these days? At one time diesel and auto weren't a good match. Although BMW etc seem to have got it sorted on bigger ones.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

If she's not going to do many miles, I'd go for a larger car. Something like 3 series size - so not big. More of those have autos - and are also rather better autos than small car ones. Small car means cheap new - and a cheap and nasty auto.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

A Google search Ford Ka Automatic came up with a number of hits, which is why I suggested it. E.g.

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Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

Another vote for the Jazz. We've got one, although it's petrol and manual. For such a little car, it has remarkable amounts of space if you fold the rear seats (I love the way the seat bases can be folded upwards). Easy to drive, electric power steering remains easy to steer at low engine revs. Good visibility, especially for shorter drivers. Even though ours is a 4 door, the front doors are particularly big and good for loading my wheelchair-bound Dad. Economical too, as it regularly turns in nearly 50mpg.

Downsides? Take the headrests off the back seats if you want to be able to see when parking. Be careful when leaving it parked up in Winter - the battery is _tiny_ and the alarm can flatten it in a couple of weeks. A Civic is bigger inside.

Four years servicing? We've bought it some tyres. Even Honda agent servicing seems reasonable (by the standards of such things).

I wouldn't touch a Ka with a bargepole. Servicing costs of a Bristol, reliability of a Wartburg and the interior trim of a Dacia. The only thing worse than a Ka is a diesel Ka.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Freelander is pretty mice and very all weather, but may be a bit too big. BUT it as a lovely auto box on it, which is more than many a cheap japanese small auto has.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Gets my vote too. I had two autos in the UK and am now in our Flexicar car share scheme which has lots of them in its fleet. My two were bought new and neither needed any warranty work. Annual servicing at Chiswick Honda was around £125 (obviously more now) including a valet clean, much less than I paid for the Suzuki Wagons I had before.

Reply to
Tony Bryer

=A0 London SW

Last year I had a (new) Polo GL automatic - as the loaner for the day whilst my transporter van was being serviced by the local VW agents.

Obviously they hand out nice new models as a marketing exercise - and I've since sung its praises to several people - just delightfully easy to drive.

Although some other friends are happy with theirs - I wasn't too keen on the Polo Blue Motion - astonishingly economical, but they'd gone a bit too far with the compromises with the engine to make it a pleasure to drive.

Reply to
dom

Andy Dingley gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Any diesel Ka would be a new-shape one, so a year or so old at most - and a very different car (Fiat Panda/500-based) to the original one (Mk4 Fiesta-based).

Reply to
Adrian

FWIW that's what Clarkson's mum drives too

David

Reply to
Lobster

What do you call the cheaper end? When I went shopping for a small automatic recently I was surprised how many were going for under £1500. I settled for a Megane (Y reg, 46000 miles).

Reply to
Bob Martin

Odd, 'cos Ford don't list it on their website, and I've looked for one on and off and never found one.

You're right - there are a few listed, but I'll bet if you go and look at it, it won't be an auto.

Reply to
Skipweasel

=A3500.

--=20 Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

Reply to
Skipweasel

Skipweasel gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Parkers seem to agree that there's never been such a beast.

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in the current shape.
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Reply to
Adrian

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