Advice please oldies want a new car

[last fairlane]

HI all
My wife and I are in our sixties and we need a new (second hand) car
at the moment I have an AU fairmont and she a BA Ghia
we both have trouble getting in and out of them (they are too low) at our age
we took a Territory for a test drive but for the better half said it was too high
to climb into it didnt bother me though
now can some one point us in the direction of a car that is higher than a BA but not as high as a Territory this is mostly for the better half as I just throw myself out of the AU but she struggles a lot
We got offered 10k as a trade in on a 15k TS Territory so that is about the price range we are looking at
Does any one know anything about
RAV 4s or a Nissan X-trail.Mitsubishi outlander or maybe a Subaru wagon of some sort
must have auto.air.windows and cruise if poss
thanks to all
John

[Geez Louise]

My in-laws have recently bought an X-trail. Before this they had a Nissan Navara and found that way too big. They love the X-trail and find it easy to get in and out of. It is also great on Fuel.

When the mother-in-law came over, she had no issues getting in and out of my RAV4 (she is 69) but in my opinion, the RAV4 is not that good on fuel consumption.

[Iggypoppin']

I am going to suggest a Subaru wagon of some sort, maybe a mid 2000's liberty(not sure of the costs here) as they have a slightly higher ride height than a falcon but not as tall as a territory. I don't think too many 4wds will suit you, as they are all fairly high and similar to the territory. The current(1998+) subarus are all great wagons/sedans from what I've seen and I'm thinking one of these will suit your needs.

[Cooper69S]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

I am going to suggest a Subaru wagon of some sort, maybe a mid 2000's liberty

05-06 Forester would fit the bill too

[Iggypoppin']

That's the model I was thinking of. Thanks mate. (I'm no Subaru expert!)

[MexicanBatman]

Ummmm...... Why not a Terri with lowered springs....

Then it's 2" lower and that's quite a bit...... Try getting in and out of one standing on a 2" bit of wood to simulate...

[FERG_51]

Try a new Freelander.

[Crazy Dazz]

I think what you want is a car with a low floor, but high driving position.
(My mum has the same issues, and wife is going the same way.)
Depending on how SMALL you want to go, Honda Jazz and Suzuki Liana fit the bill.

One other style of car with the high driving position, is the mid-sized “people mover.” Something like a Mitsubishi Nimbus, or the Early Honda Odyssey.
Fold away or simply remove the 3rd row seats, and you have a decent sized station wagon, but one with a high driving position and easy egress.
We owned a Nimbus, and it handled beautifully.

[seduced_xr]

lower a territory?

[mik]

not sure on the height, might be worth a look though , grand cherokee , plenty of gizmo`s by the look.... http://www.jeep.com.au/grand_cherokee/360/index.html

[ZA-289]

X-Trail.

[Mr Hardware]

that's a tough call there john
i know you like your falcons and have had them since day dot
perhaps an escape isn't as high as a territory?

[Brazen]

....or a raised Falcon, $400 or thereabouts at Pedders will get you Country Pack suspension. Save you thousands in changeover and stamp duty costs.

[mik]

i may get flamed for this but , some of the people movers are pretty good entry/exit, one comes to mind the tarago, they drive pretty good too, i drove one a few years ago and it was very car like to drive(weird) .

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Brazen

....or a raised Falcon, $400 or thereabouts at Pedders will get you Country Pack suspension. Save you thousands in changeover and stamp duty costs.

That would give them high entry which is undesirable.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

That would give them high entry which is undesirable.

Would be lower then a Terri which was too high. So about in-between is where the OP was asking.

[TUF_302]

I think a Forester would suit you best, taller than an AU or BA but not as tall as a Terry, have you considered a Ford Escape? Personally don't no anything about them but someone here should be able to help

[buggerlugs]

My Dad had the same problem. He had a Laser but had major problems getting in and out. Because he doesn't go to far these days , we found him a low k's Daihatsu Terrios. It has everything he needs including powersteering and Air Con, it's perfect height for him to slide his bum in and out and he fills it up once every 3-4 weeks as it runs on the smell of an oily rag............ He loves it but still can't figure out how to use the CD player....................

[T3man]

Ford Escapes are actually a good reliable bit of kit. They don't have any issues and just keep going and going. The only thing you may have against them is their age but seriously if you got a low km one you'd have 10 years or more of very easy motoring ahead of you. And economical to boot.

My second choice would be a Nissan Xtrail - quite econmical and very well equipped and easy to drive.

Third choice Subaru Forester. Only down side to these is fuel economy.

[Mr Hardware]

Originally Posted by T3man

The only thing you may have against them is their age

You are aware you can buy them brand new aren't you?

Originally Posted by T3man

Third choice Subaru Forester. Only down side to these is fuel economy.

Not only that, terrible automatic transmissions too.

[bingoTE50]

Escape/Tribute for mine . They go well and the Tribute can be had with leather ,sunroof etc.

[munkky]

my grandperents have a crv that they love

[Jeddak]

After having just fitted a windscreen to a new Escape I could not think of a better car in that price range
In many ways a Baby Territory ,the Escape has the japanese standard of fit and finish and being a Mazda in disguise I reckon you cant go wrong

the only reason we did not get one when we bought the Terri listed below
was that the Escape then had only a coloumm shift and my SHMBO said that more space was needed , so the Terri got the nod ( and I love THAT engine!)

tha RAV 4 in my opinion ,mind you, used to have the goods but the new one has grown ugly as have all Toyota SUVs currently (reread "opinion"before flame is applied!)

from what I understand the Escape only comes with a four cylinder engine now ,but there is no problems with that

any Subi has to be a good choice if it fits your requiremets

( notice ..no Holden s?)

[T3man]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

You are aware you can buy them brand new aren't you?

I don't think the design or any of the specs has changed though for several years - in my mind I perceive them as an "older" car. I'm probably wrong in holding that perception. In any event they are a pretty honest car from all reports from people I know who have owned them.

[jaydee]

My uncle who is in his late 60's likes something that he can get and out of easily and settled on a 2 wheel drive Rav 4

[CODSASR]

ok im going to suggest the dark side. What about a holden cruze not the new ones but the wagon looking ones I just dont know what the hight is like here is a link to the ones I am thinking about.

http://tinyurl.com/2e8ofdp

Let me know if these are no good

[fords35to75]

Originally Posted by jaydee

My uncle who is in his late 60's likes something that he can get and out of easily and settled on a 2 wheel drive Rav 4

RAV4 2 wheel drive was only released early this year so won't ft the budget but i know a number of older people who have bought 2002 - 2005 RAVs for the reason the OP is looking for. Pre 2003 (I think) were 2.0lt and we had one which was very economical. Later ones have the 2.4 which goes well but a bit thirstier.

[Ben73]

I'd say take a territory and take it to a Ricer garage.

[Fiesta God]

Would stay away from the old Holden Cruze's/Suzuki Lianas/Daihatsu Terrios etc.

Safety lacking, all were relatively small model runs in Australia and had reasonable flaws. Build quality not up to the standard of many of the other vehicles mentioned.

2002-05 Rav4 as has been mentioned ... reliable and servicing costs pretty reasonable being a Toyota. Plenty sold, plenty of parts available and a good all-round package.

2000-05 CRV also a very good vehicle. Honda build quality excellent, and since the CRV was released it's been consistently a top 3 seller in it's class.

Escape might be a bit tall, but if you are after a Ford then that's going to be your best bet I reckon.


The automatic transmission in the Forrester is bad by today's standards ... but comparing against vehicles from late 90's/early 2000's, it stacks up as pretty standard. They are a great sized vehicle, exactly the sort of height and space you are looking for. Have had a couple in the family which have put on 200,000kms with no trouble.

[naddis01]

If it is just the two of you, what about an RTV? Higher than a Falcon sedan without feeling like a truck and with a massive boot.