SVreX said:We will be buying a new car very shortly.
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.
Dead serious here... you are a good husband. Kudos.
I will mention that SWMBO has a new beetle. I am 46 and perfectly "abled" and I find it to be a pain in the tookus. The windshield comes back so far that half the time it catches my cheek or temple when I'm getting in.
I will echo the mini-ute recommendations. xB, Kia Soul, etc are marvels of accesibility, reliability, and not soul-sucking to drive. Another CR-V or a similar RAV4 might fit the bill. Hard to beat the reliability.
I bought my ex (well, she was my wife at the time) an xB. As much as I like to keep up with maintenance, it is sometimes hard to keep track of things. For that reason, I liked the timing chain. We bought it with 30k and I must admit, I was seriously failing in the maintenance department. Things like... "It's 4th of July. The last time I remember changing her oil was last 4th of July." Or, "hey, look at that, steel belts showing on her front tires."
After we split, she went on to drive it up to 200k, and I'm sure the maintenance was even worse. It got a hole in the muffler, the rear hatch latch broke because she pulled on it too hard when it was frozen, and one of the door switches for the interior light broke. The only reason it's off the road now is because she wrecked it. I have had some amazingly reliable cars, but that one took the cake.
Note (because of its boxy shape) that the A pillar has zero intrusion on entry/exit. Cavernous access.
