What car for 80 year old?

Baldytyke88

sandyman80 said:

Even the mechanic who has looked after it for the past 14 years says that it is not worth spending any more money on it.

I only drive about 4000 miles a year, I wouldn't bother with a car but where I live public transport is practically non-existent. 

So what to buy?

Keep fixing your old car if being 80 is an issue. What type of car do you have, just get a newer model?

Frozen_up_north

Another vote for a second hand VW group petrol car, VW Polo, Skoda Fabia or Seat Ibiza (all the same, just slightly different trim).

We have a 6 year old manual gearbox Ibiza, it’s very straightforward to drive and has a nice instrument cluster.

We also have a new Seat Leon with a touch screen, terrible speedo/rev counter, auto braking when manoeuvring, steering wobble when crossing a white line, a flashing symbol and beeping warning me that I am speeding due to the camera picking up a 20mph sign on a side road when I am on a 30mph road doing 29mph 😡 etc. these “safety” features and displays were designed by a group of primary school kids that have not driven a car before. Sadly all new cars are mandated to have several “safety” features built-in that you cannot fully turn off.

Mildly_Miffed

cantbelieveit23 said:

I'm surprised that so many have assumed you have particular reason to want hybrid or electric.

Perhaps you just didn't read all the way to the end of the original post?

Herzlos

cantbelieveit23 said:

I'm surprised that so many have assumed you have particular reason to want hybrid or electric.  Unless you have either at present, I would suggest a petrol version, avoiding the need for a home charger.

I think given the super low mileages being covered, assuming home charging is an option, then a cheap EV fits the bill pretty well and will result in lower maintenance than even a petrol car that's not used often. 

sandyman80

I've decided to buy a new car probably hybrid electric, no worries about MOT's or servicing.

What would £10,000 and £500 a month get me, if I can buy a car on finance at my age?

The money is just wallowing in a couple of ISAs

fatbelly

sandyman80 said:

I've decided to buy a new car probably hybrid electric, no worries about MOT's or servicing.

What would £10,000 and £500 a month get me, if I can buy a car on finance at my age?

The money is just wallowing in a couple of ISAs

Honda Jazz

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/honda/jazz/

Goudy

I think you might struggle to get finance. 80 tends to be the upper limit for most companies.

If you could stretch your budget a few grand to say 12K to 13K, that would get you into a nice low mileage 2020 onwards Toyota Yaris Hybrid.

Keep servicing it at your local Toyota dealer and they will warranty it for another year, each year up to 100,000 miles or ten years.
So you could keep a 2020 car in manufacturers warranty up to 2030 and they aren't expensive or overly complicated to service.

They have pretty bombproof engines and drivetrains with very few known faults. (electric water pumps can go around 150k but the car will tell you it's on it's way out)

The hybrid system and battery is well developed and really reliable, many clocking up mega miles in mini cabbed Prius which use the same hybrid system and engines.

The latest version of the e-CVT "auto" gearbox drives better than ever these days and are a doddle to drive.

These models use Li-on batteries rather then the old NiMH batteries of the pre 2020 models. 
(and those NiMH batteries used to do 150k no bother) 

Even a base model Icon model will come with all the safety bells and whistles as standard and the most useful options like auto handbrake and reversing camera, yet aren't overly complicated to use.


For a little less and without the hybrid system, a Suzuki Swift might be worth considering.
You'll not get the extendable warranty, but they are reliable and if you fancy an automatic, it's a good choice.

daveyjp

You will get the extendable warranty on a Swift as Suzuki now offer the same 10 year warranty as Toyota.

Goudy

daveyjp said:

You will get the extendable warranty on a Swift as Suzuki now offer the same 10 year warranty as Toyota.

Yes, you're right. I forgot about that.

So there are a couple of cars that you could buy used at 5 years old but still have 5 years manufacturers warranty on.

in_my_wellies

Honda Jazz if you need to cart stuff about. I just collected a double divan bed with storage drawers, headboard and mattress in mine. The Ebay seller was rather surprised it fitted!
The fold down seats mean I can sleep flat in the back too and if I need to spend a penny in the night the 'magic' seats give enough space for my fold up portaloo!
I'm on my 3rd Jazz and I'm not 70 yet