Am looking to help my parents purchase a car that will likely be their last one. They’re 65 and 73, retired and need to finally give up their 2004 Toyota corolla which is practically crumbling on them in terms of the paint and interior. They’re not financially able to upgrade themselves so I would be buying it myself and trying to avoid spending more than 25k before taxes. Is that going to be unrealistic?
Any suggestions on which model might be the best for parents who will only be using the car for running small errands in town and don’t need a ton of space that could last them the next 15 or so years?
A brand new Corolla after negotiating should be possible at 25k
A Venza would work. Lower to the ground so it’ll be easy to get in and out of while still having seats that are higher up than a sedan like a Corolla or Camry. Especially as they get older they’ll appreciate that.
Cadillac all the way
Give them your car and invest in a new car for yourself.
I got an 2018 Escape 2yrs ago for 19k, 21k after all the bullshit. It had 17k miles on it.
I was having a hard time finding something because almost every dealer I went to wanted me to finance something more expensive, when all I wanted to do was pay cash. Fuck car loans.
I’d say, look for rental or lease returns for your folks. Depends on miles they put on.
Honda Crv
Scion xb. Easy to get in and out of with plenty of space
I’d recommend a RAV4 so they can get in and out of it easier
not necessarily my elderly mom is complaining about the effort it takes to get in her SUV and has falling once into the street getting out I think she would be better off with a sedan
Sedans are notoriously hard to lift out of for a lot of elderly people. Crossovers were designed for them.
It is unrealistic. The thing has probably gotta last 20 years at least. 25k will not do that.
just get another corolla or a camry… cant go too wrong with them
a self driving car would be easy for them for their age. but they are electric and like most appliances they get obsolete fast.
Or just get them VR so they think they’re driving
The current gen corrolas are pretty nice and u should easily be able to find one 2020 or newer for that price and have enough for an extended warranty if desired.
Have them check with the insurance provider before purchasing new. a Used Honda or Toyota (not a tundra) probably the way to go.
Will make sure to do that!
Miata
Get them a small suv or even a basic mini van. Getting in and out of cars gets harder with age. My parents wrecked their camry and replaced it with a Honda Odyssey. They (both upper 70s at the time) love it for the smooth ride and higher seats.