Recommend good car for elderly/ handicapped

We will be buying a new car very shortly. 

My 93 yo father lives with us. He has dementia, and does not drive. He often uses a wheelchair. My wife is his full time caregiver, and chauffeur.

My wife has very basic automotive needs. She wants reliability, and doesn’t care about much else.  She usually drive whatever cheap beater I can find without complaint.  But some recent breakdowns made me aware that she desperately needs reliability, and is terribly stressed when something goes wrong.  She called me in tears at the side of the road, in big distress.  So, we are buying a new car. Perhaps this weekend. 

She is uncomfortable with this. She just can’t stand over-spending. But we have the money, and the right answer to this is not being a cheap-ass.  And  absolutely do not need her stranded at the roadside while my Dad is alone at home, or worse with her.

I think we can probably find something that checks all the boxes for under $25K.

The big issues are these:

   - Seats should be “butt height”.  This makes the easiest transfers from a wheelchair. 

   - Large rear hatch. 

   - Legroom in front. 

   - Easy access through door. 

   - Auto trans. 

   -  Reasonably small and maneuverable. She doesn’t like negotiating big cars through traffic.

She drives a 1st gen CRV right now, and it has been reasonable. The rear seat access is a little tight (wheel well intrudes in the door space and makes entrance hard for my Dad). Leg room at the front door is a little cramped when he is trying to get in and out.

On my radar:

- New CRV

- Subaru Crosstrek

- Most minivans would probably work

I’ll bet there are plenty of vehicles that work. I’m just looking for your feedback. 

Thanks!

I read somewhere that VW Beetles are great for people in wheel chairs. The upright A-pilar and wide door opening make getting in-out easier. Not sure how true this is but may be worth looking into.

Here was my experience with similar...  

My MIL had a 2007 T&C minivan.  They had a earlier T&C w/ leather and when the bought the '07 they cheapened out and got the cloth.  My MIL always heated that '07.  The main reason of her hate was that not only did she have to climb up into the seat a little but the cloth was so "burly" that it had a somewhat velcro affect.  You see, her previous method of egress was to just get up high enough to get one cheek onto the seat and then with the "slippery-ness"  of the leather, slide her full rump in behind the wheel with the help of pulling he hands against the wheel and pressing her feet from the floor.  

So, in 2012 she happened to back into a parking lot pole and this was enough catalyst for her to want to get away from the "large-ness" of the T&C and go to something smaller.  Her daughter has a Ford Edge with a back-up camera.  My MIL liked the size and really liked the "camera with beep".  We set out to look at one of those.  

I was to be the one doing the shopping with her.  Rules were:

• right seat height
• leather
• camera with beep
• new car

I took us to see all the new models in the cute-ute category.  Given her low mile usage per year, any manufacturer was going to be good enough reliability.  Our shopping started often just trying the whole egress.  Ones that I strongly remember was that we eliminated the GMC Traverse and the Mazda CX7 or CX5 while still in the showroom.  You see, though we all like the Mazda products the lower cushion of the seat was highly bolstered.  So high in fact that you could not do that maneuver of the "one cheek-sneek" 

The choices boiled down to 2013 Ford Escape or the 2013 CRV.  I had my biases for which to choose but her deciding factor was that he deceased husband had never bought a Honda but he had had some Fords that he liked.  I kept my biases to myself and knew that either would be good.   She could have done the Edge but she like the egress and the overall smaller size of the Escape even better 

This picture might just highlight how flat the seat cushion is on the 2013 Escape

Compare that to the lower cushion bolstering on the CX5: 

The downfall to the Escape for 2013 was the only way to get the leather seats was to go to the top model called SEL which then required touch screen radio.  In general, my MIL left the radio on one station because she was unsure how to get back to that one station.  

She has since updated to a 2018 Escape.  The seats are just as good for her but the info-tanment had improved (being generally less confusing.)  

karplus2 said:

I read somewhere that VW Beetles are great for people in wheel chairs. The upright A-pilar and wide door opening make getting in-out easier. Not sure how true this is but may be worth looking into.

Beetle would be a bitch for my 5’-0” wife to put a wheelchair in the trunk. 

In reply to John Welsh :

Good word on the bolsters and backup camera.

But don’t all new cars have backup cameras?

In my shopping with MIL I also liked the Kia Soul but she found it too spartan. 

The old Gen2, larger Scion xB has a good reputation for egress also (but no factory leather.)  

They all have back camera now but in 2013 it was an option.  Some only had beep.  Some had camera.  She wanted camera and beep.  

I think she would appreciate a rather seamless technology sync with her phone.  (Though she doesn’t realize it yet)

Our Elantra was quite good at that. 

Even better than backup cameras are the systems where they have four cameras on the car and software that takes the images from them and puts it together to give you an overhead view.  It's like you've got a camera mounted 10 feet above the car pointed down -- it's truly revolutionary for parking lot maneuvering.  Sometimes called "surround" or "360" cameras, I'd recommend looking for one of those.

As for the car recommendation, I'd look at minivans personally.

In reply to SVreX :

I just spent  more than a year doing this. I hated driving the damn thing, but a Ford Flex is pretty good at this sort of stuff. 

Is it maybe worth considering a minivan with wheelchair access, like the ramp that comes out the side or back?  Used Dodge Caravans in good condition will get into the top of your price bracket with the access mods.  You said he's in a wheelchair often so it might be worth it to just go straight to this.

Hyundai and Kia have some very nice cute utes and new models like the Kona.  

I have no idea about the lower seat bolsters in any of them.  

I do remember that on some models when you went to leather, then you got into a sport-seat which meant to get the good of the leather you also got the bad of the increased lower cushion bolstering.  

My Gen2 Prius are not leather, though they offer it.  They are only slightly low and generally pretty good for egress.  

Amazing for egress was my old Saturn Vue.  Hard to recommend but it remonds me of another issue with some cars.  Aside for a near perfect seat heigh and no lower cushion bolstering the Vue had a flat floor.  What I am getting at here is that in some cars, when you are exiting the car, the first thing you have to do is raise your leg so damn high to get over the door sill combined with a sunken floor.  The Vues floor was flat.  You could just slide the leg over and the leg would eventually find the ground.  Easy.  

I had trouble finding a classified ad that highlighted this feature but this might help.  

My F250 truck is also good at this with no step-over to get out.  

Heck, I am home so I just went out front and took some pics of cars in my driveway.  

The Prius requires a 5 inches of step-over to get your leg out of the car.  

The '06 F250 and this '06 Dodge Caravan require no step-over to get your leg out of the car. 

So, lower seat bolsters for getting in and leg lift amount needed for getting out.   

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

Thats a good thought, but residing permanently in the chair is not a good game plan. 

My father’s dignity is tied up in NOT being viewed as an invalid. He will ALWAYS want to transition out of the chair whenever he can. 

A vehicle with full ramp, lift, etc is too compromised for daily use for my wife. It is likely my father will not be with us in 5 years, and that my wife will drive this car for 10 years or more. 

My 80 YO father has mobility issues, sometimes uses a cane or walker, a large part of the time in a wheelchair.  My mother has had an Outback, it was too low, her next car a Forester was little better, I think she's driving a 2016-17ish Cherokee and it's much easier for my father to get in and out of.

Regarding budget...

Im not locked into $25K. We could spend more.  It’s just if we go much past that, I think my wife would start feeling guilty like she overspent. 

In reply to John Welsh :

Absolutely correct on the door sill. Ford Fusions are horrible. 

Interestingly, my Dad’s favorite vehicle to ride in is my F-150 4x4. I was surprised he could get into it at all. He thinks it’s because of the good hand holds on the A-pillar.  The truck is a Platinum, so it also has a really nice automatic flip-down running board (an easy step). 

But it also has a flat door sill, and leather seats. I think all of these contribute to the ease of use for him.

No way in hell my wife is gonna drive a truck!

Wally likes this and brings a chair for his wife often...  

My MIL has MS, and is basically in a wheelchair or electric scooter full time now. She CLAIMS that her Lexus RX is the easiest car for her to get in and out of. That may be, but our Kia minivan takes less time for her to get in and out of, although the seats do have a bit of a bolster that makes it difficult - so look for the flattest seats. I think she likes the RX better because, aside from the image of being in a Lexus, the grab bar is in a familiar place for her. 

The RX has a gigantic issue from my perspective: Not enough room for the wheelchair and any other people. So make sure that whatever you get, if it ever has to transport more than just your father that the wheelchair fits in there. The minivan can fit the wheelchair and 4 or 5 extra people, or else the scooter, the wheelchair, and 3 extra people. The minivan also has the added benefit of a gigantic opening if she'll ride in the back - it really makes a difference if you literally have to lift her into it. 

When I was the primary driver for my great aunt with Parkinsons, initially a 4Runner was easier for her to get in and out of. She was able to pull herself up into it and kind of "fall" out of it. Eventually, the crossover that my cousin had was easier. Then, eventually, a sedan was the easiest. Why? She could "fall" into the seat, and then I pulled/lifted her out of it. Your wife may not be able to do that. 

So with that in mind, my recommendations are minivan first, after that I don't know enough about the current crop of CUV's to really make an educated opinion.

Im not as much recommending a truck as I am recommending to look for the right combination of these features.  

John Welsh said:

Wally likes this and brings a chair for his wife often...  

The only issue with it is the rear seat is a bit cramped, not a problem for us but if you plan to put people back there it can be. My mother in law has a previous generation Forester and  the rear seat/door is pretty roomy and it also has a good sized trunk without as high a lift as most suvs. 

It may be worth taking everyone down to a good sized auto mall and trying a bunch on for size. Having been through this with my grandmother, father in law and now wife what is comfortable and easy to get in and out of is highly subjective and doesn't always make sense. Be sure to bring anything you're planing to use regularly. I was shocked at how useless the trunk of the Kia Soul was when I tried to put a wheelchair in it. 

In reply to Wally :

That’s definitely my plan. 

My wife and I will pre-shop. Once we have identified 1 or 2 that we think might work, we will take my Dad and try it before purchase.

He wont be able to do multiple hours of car shopping. 

Dodge Grand Caravan.  /end thread.

The Pacifica is also great, but a bit out of your budget (the Hybrid is nice with the tax credits and the eventual gas savings).

well known and developed chassis and drivetrain.  Upright driving position.  Apple Carplay/Android Auto, backup cameras, stow and go seats, etc.

Grand Caravan seems like a smart choice.   Maybe a 4ish year old Volvo XC60?  I've never been in one... but this kind of screams "nicer soft-roader" to me.

In reply to SVreX :

We use my wife's CRV to handle her wheel chair bound mother at 87. 

it's not only easier to get into than anything else that has been tried,  it accepts a wheel chair and a walker in the back. Leaving the back seats empty or they. Can be used.