Your elderly mother’s 10-year-old car has seen better days, and it’s going to take some costly repairs to keep it running. Mom’s reflexes aren’t what they used to be, and she has trouble checking her blind spots due to some chronic neck pain. As a result, you think replacing her vehicle with a safer and more reliable one might be wise. Where should you start? Helping an elderly driver find a safe and reliable car will go more smoothly when you use these tips from the pros.
What Can She Afford?
First, you’ll need to sit down with mom to determine what she can afford. Newer vehicles have more safety features, but also come with heftier payments and insurance premiums. Unless mom has a large retirement nest egg, it’s probably best to find her a reliable used car with low mileage that’s under five years old.
Safety Features
Many seniors have health issues that make driving more dangerous, like poor eyesight, slow reaction times, neck pain and trouble gripping the wheel because of arthritic hands. Vehicle safety advancements have come a long way in the past five years, so look for a car with some of these options:
- Back up camera. This helps when the driver’s range-of-movement is limited.
- Automatic braking. The car will stop itself when it’s approaching an object too quickly.
- Lane change warning. An audible warning sounds when the car drifts into another lane.
- Brake locking system. The vehicle will brake automatically if the driver’s foot accidently comes off the pedal, like at a stop light.
- All-around airbags. Newer cars come with front, side, knee and even rollover airbags to protect the occupants.
- Field-of-vision. Can mom see easily all around the car when sitting behind the wheel? This makes a big difference when backing out of parking spaces or merging onto the highway. Does she feel comfortable while sitting in the driver’s seat, including distance from the steering wheel and seat height? Can she easily adjust the mirrors?
- Collision protection. To find out how well a car withstands an impact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA; www.nhtsa.gov) maintains a crash test database for most vehicles.
Some vehicles have too many bells and whistles that could distract elderly drivers, like movie
screens and fancy navigation systems. Those are probably options your mom should avoid.
Reliability
Whether it’s looking at a car from a private seller, dealer or online, it’s natural to have some reservations about its reliability. To help you decide if it’s wise choice, use these steps:
- Do an inspection. Walk around the car and check the tires, body for signs of collision repairs, and underneath for suspicious fluid stains on the pavement. Pop the hood and inspect the engine for signs of leaks and excessive wear-and-tear. If your initial inspection goes well, pay your mechanic to give it a “once-over” just to be sure.
- Pull up the VHR. Many sellers provide free Carfax or AutoCheck vehicle history reports (VHR), but if they don’t you can purchase one for a small fee. The VHR will reveal if the car was involved in any serious accidents, if the title contains any salvage records, number of past owners, and even maintenance records if it was taken to the dealership.
- Consult online sources. Consumer Reports and J.D. Power provide reliability data and average annual operating costs based on a vehicle’s make, model and year. You can also read online consumer reviews to learn what drivers of a specific car, or the mechanics that work on them, have to say.
- Take it for a test drive. With you in the passenger seat, have mom take the car out for a test drive. Choose a route that offers a little bit of everything, like hills, curves, rough pavement and even a wide-open stretch of highway. Turn off the radio and listen for any strange sounds. Does it shift, ride and handle smoothly?
Promptly Find a Good Body Shop Nearby Using Carwise
No matter how safe and reliable an elderly driver’s car is, accidents still happen. When their car needs some collision repairs, use the nationwide Carwise referral network to help them promptly find an auto body shop nearby. I-CAR and ASE-certified technicians there will have the training, equipment and experience to restore their vehicle like-new again promptly and reliably. You can also conveniently track your vehicle’s repair status by downloading the Carwise app to a mobile device.
Search your zip code now for a customer-reviewed auto body or glass repair shop nearby: www.carwise.com.
