As some have already suggested, a van of some sorts.

Believe it or not, I negotiated the purchase of a Kia Soul for an elderly friend.

She said she loved that it was the perfect height for sliding in and sliding out of. She doesn't have to bend down or step up.

Large 4-door sedan or minivan. The Mercury Grand Marquis/Lincoln Town Car would fit the sedan bill, but would be a minimum of 6 years old. As would the Buick LeSabre/Park Avenue (a modern-day classic old fart's car), but IIRC they stopped making these in 2005. Possibly a Dodge Charger. Otherwise I can only think of a minivan.

A 2018 Equinox LS is in the budget, rear leg room is phenomenal and I believe the seats are the right height.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
A 2018 Equinox LS is in the budget, rear leg room is phenomenal and I believe the seats are the right height.

My wife's terrain (same platform) also has a comfy back seat & good leg room for a smaller vehicle. Rides/drives good. Sits low, but has the upright seating position of a SUV/truck, so you don't 'fall into' it too far (my opinion coming from a 4x4 truck). rear doors are big enough that my size 12 doesn't have to do the hokey pokey to get a leg in.

some mini vans have captain chairs in the back that swivel, I'm admittedly no expert on mini-vans (or older people), but that sounds like it would come in handy.

how about that Honda Crosstour? I know they discontinued it but I wonder if there is some new/old stock sitting around that they'll sell for a song?

I had good luck with the VW Passat recently in Surprise, AZ. I was visiting my mother, who uses a walker/wheelchair thing. She was able to get in and out of both the front and back seats, and the equipment fit easily into the trunk. I don't know what they cost.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Ford Flex?

That would be perfect since they sit quite low but have a roomy cargo area if a walker or wheelchair needs to be brought along. I'm not sure the price criteria could be met though. I imagine some of the Subaru's would have some of the same benefits.

The Ford Taurus might be worth looking into also. I remember when it first came out that they raised the seat height because so many older people liked the old Lincoln for that reason.

Some of the older people don't have the leg power to step up into an SUV and many cars sit to low for them to easily get out of.

The Taurus was meant to have the seats right at the proper height for ease of entry. I believe you can also get it in AWD if need be. Not sure where the OP lives.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
What you should do is take a field trip to the dealers with those you'll be transporting and let them try and get in and out of the vehicles.

Might make getting a better deal easier too. Pull on the heart strings and all, if they have those.

I had suggested that as well. I'm sure she could find a cooperating soul or two who would love to take that kind of a field trip.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

The Ford Taurus might be worth looking into also. I remember when it first came out that they raised the seat height because so many older people liked the old Lincoln for that reason.

Some of the older people don't have the leg power to step up into an SUV and many cars sit to low for them to easily get out of.

The Taurus was meant to have the seats right at the proper height for ease of entry. I believe you can also get it in AWD if need be. Not sure where the OP lives.

That was the first car that came to mind, as my daily is a 2016 SHO, the problem is that even the base models are out of the budget.

I appreciate all of the suggestions guys, you've definitely added a few vehicles to the list of things to check out this weekend.

Odyssey.

Easy to get in & out of, yet seat is high enough to be comfortable & see the road ahead. I've had four and still have two. No repair cost on any of them, just routine maintenance. I get combined 23mpg on the '06 & 26mpg on the '16.

Unless you are running a bus service taking 10 people at a time a small SUV may work.

Look at the Kia Soul, it has a low egress/exit point, wide open doors. flat wide seats, plenty of room to get between seats. They are inexpensive to buy ($16K starting MSRP) and operate, with 10 year warranty it protects your purchase, and some dealers offer lifetime oil changes etc.

They also have large rear cargo for wheel chair, walkers etc.

In the villages a mega retirement community it's one the of top vehicles purchased, mainly for those reasons, you don't need a fully loaded model, I know its marketed to youth with the crazy music, lights, etc but the fact is one of it's largest purchasing blocks is the over 60 crowd.

SIL sells them and most of the buyers for the Soul are older, why, because they are easy to get in and out of, cheap to buy, and have a long warranty, plus they all want the stuffed hamster dolls when they get one.

https://www.kia.com/us/en/vehi...AvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Plus they have great commercials




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miC1VZ9UVCQ

My Dad had a PT job after he retired at a retirement community doing exactly this and I'm pretty certain it was some sort of minivan.

SUV's are too high and hard to get up into and a lot of cars are just too low for older people to get down into. You need something that they can step into, not up into or down into.

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
I'm admittedly no expert on mini-vans (or older people)

Yes, but could you install a custom Titanium exhaust on a mini-van?.... Why do I think Black92LX has already asked you this question??

Like has been mentioned, the Ford Flex may fit the bill perfectly.
Our 2013 SEL has been perfect & has good room inside.

My 81 yr old grandmother had no problem getting in/out of it.

A 2013-2015 should be able to be had for under $20k. Less if you go for a base SE model, more for a loaded Limited.

Subaru Forester might work. You can get a lower end model new for under $25K.

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:
Lot of older people use the Toyota Camry around here. The 2018 Camry is even larger. I would be cautious about many SUV because of the step up off the ground.

The minivans all have to be stepped into. Less of a step up than a SUV, but if the "fall into place" requirement is firm, minivans aren't the good choice.

Camry, Accord, Focus - something mid size? Probably used, as $25K is tough for a new one.

So, looking for a people mover, low floor space, has some trunk space for wheelchairs/mobility assist?

After two weeks with a Kia Carnival, I was impressed by the features for shuttling people.

Think about trying out rentals from Enterprise/Hertz/etc ...

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Unless you are running a bus service taking 10 people at a time a small SUV may work.

Look at the Kia Soul, it has a low egress/exit point, wide open doors. flat wide seats, plenty of room to get between seats. They are inexpensive to buy ($16K starting MSRP) and operate, with 10 year warranty it protects your purchase, and some dealers offer lifetime oil changes etc.

They also have large rear cargo for wheel chair, walkers etc.

In the villages a mega retirement community it's one the of top vehicles purchased, mainly for those reasons, you don't need a fully loaded model, I know its marketed to youth with the crazy music, lights, etc but the fact is one of it's largest purchasing blocks is the over 60 crowd.

SIL sells them and most of the buyers for the Soul are older, why, because they are easy to get in and out of, cheap to buy, and have a long warranty, plus they all want the stuffed hamster dolls when they get one.

That would probably be a great choice, one I didn't think of.

Wide doors are a must for those with joint/mobility issues.