I need to pick a car for my mother. Small, easy to drive, comfortable, not a grandma-mobile. Any ideas?

Question

My mom's old car is just about worn out, its a Cadillac Catera we bought used. Great car, but the parts are just too expensive. She wants a car that's small and comfortable, but kind of sporty. She doesn't like to drive, so she wants it to be as easy as possible. We've had good luck picking cars that are almost new, but were returned to the dealer with 700-6000 miles on em. I'd like a price range from about 23-30k or so. Right now we're looking at Grand Prix GXPs and Impala SS and such, but nothing really... pops... for her. Any ideas? Thanks, in advance.

Answer 1

Honda
Best car built
Reliable
Best resale value

Answer 2

I'm going to jump on my soap box for a few minutes, because you have penned what I have seen to be a major problem on the roads. It is not the car. It is the driver that determines safety. A motor vehicle is a machine that only does what it's told to do. I would suggest that you check your local area for a driving school that offers a precision or performance driver training course. One thing they will teach is distance estimation. It is a skill that anyone can learn. The biggest problems with drivers are: 1. Lack of attention to their driving, (when behind the wheel, all of your attention should be on your driving, not your sound system, friends, nor CELL PHONE!) and 2. Lack of proper training. (most driver training programs teach minimal skills at best and unsafe techniques at worst. I.E. using the left foot for the brake in an automatic transmission equipped car is an accident waiting to happen.) Some of the dangerous things that I see people do on a daily basis are speeding, tail gating, not signaling turns and lane changes, cutting in too close after passing, not using mirrors, braking at the last moment for stopped traffic and not watching the traffic around them. A safe driver drives in a safe manner and watches for others NOT driving safely. Accident avoidance is primarily spotting POTENTIAL accident situations BEFORE they happen and doing a minor correction in YOUR driving so that the accident is avoided. I.E. 1. Seeing someone approaching an intersection fast and adjusting your speed slightly so that you don't arrive at the intersection at the same time. 2. Slowing down smoothly and early when approaching stopped traffic. NEVER run up on stopped traffic expecting your brakes to stop you at the last moment. A slick spot on the road, or a brake malfunction in your vehicle will ruin your day. You won't get there any faster speeding up to stopped traffic and braking at the last moment. You can't go before they do anyway! NEVER ASSUME that another driver will do the right thing!! When they prove you wrong it will get messy. A good driver must know AND USE safe driving techniques!!!

Answer 3

I think your mom needs a car that's easy to drive and inexpensive to maintain, like you have said, but also one that will give her some umph on the road. That said, you might need to take her parallel parking so she can get used to the new dynamic.
My personal choice is a Honda Element, A Scion XB, or lastly a Prius (I say lastly because Prius drivers bite boot, ((they think they own the road)))
So, my options certainly fit within your budget, are from reputable companies, and offer comparable gas mileage.
The only draw back is worrying about if Mom could handle the larger vehicle.
Please stay away from the Chevy's (unless yer buying a VINTAGE Impala)
GL

Answer 4

Use Consumer Reports for some recommendations. We love our Toyota Solara SLE but it's a bit sporty. It's priced less than your price range if you stick with the 4 cyl. gets around 30 mpg, too. Also have a Corolla LE and it gets 36 mpg and is easy to park. Check out the Scions, too. The xB is not as boxy as before and has a unique look.

Answer 5

Do you want American made or a Foreign car? If foreign, the Toyota Prius is small economical easy on gas an a little sporty www.toyota.com/prius
If American made, I would go with the new Malibu by GM. It has rave reviews, smaller scale (mid size); good gas mileage and has a contemporary feel. www.chevrolet.com/malibu

Answer 6

You might want to steer away from the Grand Prix. I had one and it seemed like every little thing was going wrong with it. Mazda 6 are nice cars or an Acura TL. They are reliable as well as sporty. Good Luck on your search.

Answer 7

I would get a dodge srt 4 or a cobalt ss, but if it's reliability, safety, good fuel comsumption, cost of parts etc, etc then get a european or japenese car below are some suggestions:
Audi
>A2
>A3
>A4
Chevrolet
>Lacetti
>Matiz
Dodge

>caliber
Fiat
>Brava
>Bravo
>punto
>panda
Ford
>focus
>fiesta
>mondeo
Honda
>civic
>accord
Lexus
>IS
Mazda
>Mazda 2
>Mazda 3
>CX-7
Mini
>club man
>one
>cooper/cooper s
Mitsubishi
>colt
Nissan
>note
>Quasqai
Peugeot
>1007
>107
>206
>207
>307
>407
Renault
>twingo
>modus
>megane
>clio
Seat
>ibeza
>toledo
>leon
Toyota
>yaris
>yaris verso
>Corola
>corola verso
Vauxhall
>corsa
>astra
>vectra
>meriva
>zafira
VW
>golf
>polo
>fox
>golf plus
>new beetle

Answer 8

The new 2008 honda accords are very nice these days. They are reliable, actually sporty, and cheap on gas. here is a pic of the new one:
http://crave.cnet.com/i/bto/20070821/2008HondaAccordEX-L_V-6_6-spped_manual_transmission.jpg

2nd choice is toyota corolla, it is a gas saver and again not really sporty, but just enough to call it that. It is pretty reliable if you don't drive it too hard.
Here is a pic:
http://www.autospies.com/images/users/JCF110/Corolla.jpg

Answer 9

You could try a Honda Accord. They are all pretty affordable, great looking, comfortable, and very safe. One of those cars saved my life :)

Or the step up from Honda, an Acura. Same great features and a little nicer.

Answer 10

Toyota Corolla. Can be sporty with a spoiler or something. But easy to maintain and no recalls ever. And cheap. Can't kill a Toyota.