We are having a Happy Happy Dance tonight in WV. Husband agreed (somewhat reluctantly, and with suggestion of upgrading our car) to my selling his truck. YaHoooooo. Immediately I got in it and took off to town without title, registration and second remote. Gotta strike when the iron is hot or something like that. I know the dealership owners and they gave me a check for $11,000 (dh wanted 18,000). and as far as he knows with my little fiblet, when he asks I will tell him $13,000. Champagne for everybody!!!!!!!!!
Lois--So glad for you. Why not tell him you got the $18.000--make him happy too? MY DH has no real concept of money anymore--I knock off a zero when he asks what something costs--he always says "That's a good price." This from the former CPA.
Marilyn, that is a good one and so encouraging. I'm going to follow your lead in this matter of prices. Actually DH thinks most things are free nowadays. When a crew of workmen arrived to repave our driveway (oh yes, he had been around when they came out to make an estimate) he wondered whether we might get a bill for it. And he's still wondering about it occasionally.
Marilyn, he is still with it enough part of the time to maybe see through that. I told him before I took it $13,000 and he hasn't asked me a thing about it since. I think fudging on prices works well because they just do not understand. 2 dealers offered me $11,000 2 months ago and we both got a good deal. I just didn't want to deal with it myself.
Isn't it funny/strange the various ways our spice react to the driving and/or selling vehicles? Mine decided on his own to sell his precious red truck - before he even stopped driving. Took it down to the dealer and sold it. Then a little later, told me his reflexes weren't good enough to drive, and gave me his keys! He hasn't driven again - been 4 years and ever a problem. He often tells me when we are out in the car that he is so happy i love to drive - since he can't. Sure makes life easier!
JeanetteinHolland--That's funny--we just took down some trees and redid our driveway and instead of $8.000 I said $800. That's when he remarked on the good price! Letting him think you got a freebie is even better. Vickie--I think your husband's reaction is most unusual (and good for you too). Just look at the troubles Joan and many others had with the driving issue. You sure dodged a bullet there.
I'm waiting for the day our son buys our monster truck. I will be soooo happy to say goodbye to it just as you were. I hate to drive it...feels like a locomotive. It is getting repaired from the last "driving" incident a few months ago, and then it is adios! Then try to select a new car with AWD that I can afford...:-(.
kathi I have a Honda Element with AWD and love it. It is very easy to keep clean as it has no interior carpets. Loads like a charm with incredible room. Price is right, too
I have been glancing through the new car magazine SIL bought him and I am so confused about what to buy. Personally I would prefer to buy a good used one with low miles but DH has NEVER been happy with a used car and I doubt he will now. So, most of our cars have been new. Maybe some of you can give me some ideas. We are pretty choosy so I will give you the criteria.
Tan in color with ALL the bells and whistles except we would prefer no moon roof. ie/ heated leather seats, 4 door, stability control with braking, in the top 10 for safety, good gas mileage (we just drive locally but this is very important for his few wants). Easy to manover and see out of, especially backing. I would love to buy American as we always have but DH has wanted a Camry for the last few years. We sat in a new Camry last month and would work. The Prius is cute and gas mileage great but DH could not get his feet in because of lack of room at best adjustment.
Really, no more than I drive gas mileage is immaterial except DH has so little to enjoy now and since he gave up his beautiful Red 4WD truck, with only 12000 miles on it I would love to get him something he adores. I think that may be a hybred. Not worth the cost difference but at this stage of the game I think since he has wanted one since they came out, I am leaning toward that. Suggestions welcome.
I have a 2006 Toyota Solara (4 cyl.) and 1999 Toyata Camry (V6). The Solara is the 2-dr. sporty Camry. You can't beat these cars! The Honda Accord is good, too....had a 1985 that was great. Good luck! (The Solara is tan, the '99 is dark green...I love them both). Oh, and I bought both with about 30K miles on 'em.
Lois, can't go wrong with a Camry and it's probably made in the USA anyway. If you want a little more luxury, go with the Avalon. Lexus is more $$. I recommend a used one.
Imohr, whatever you chose, i dont think you can beat a lexus if price isnt an issue)why not get him a red one like his little truck? awww. any model just red since you sold his truck =he might like that? divvi
He loved his red truck but we both prefer to have a beige car this time. Our last two were white and silver. He still hasn't asked me anything about the sale. I am considering a hybred but not willing and cannot afford a Lexus. I am going to do more checking on the Ford suggestion and the Camray and then tell my dealer friend what we want with preference being to a used one with low mileage. Since car sales are sluggish I figure they would do the looking for me. Also, going to consult with son and SIL about their opinions also. No hurry, in fact he doesn't seem all that interested in looking. He starts looking at the car magazine and doesn't get past the first page before he is asleep in his chair, like now. Thanks for all your imput.
Do keep a used in your options. The 2001Prius we bought was 2 years old but only had 1100 miles on it. It had been a fleet car and evidently people didn't like it. So, there are used cars out there with low mileage that you can buy without having an immediate depreciation. Remember - as soon as you drive it off the lot, it becomes a used are anyway.
I don't want to add to your confusion but I have a 2008 Chevrolet Impala four door. This car was bought with my wife's needs in mind, it is large and has plenty of room and adjustment in the front seat, gets great gas mileage, has a passenger assist handle over the door to help a person get in and out. The doors automatically lock when it is put in gear and they automatically unlock when it is put in park. I found it was very easy to get her in and out of this car, this is the primary reason I bought it. You can find a lot of good late model used ones around as it is a very popular fleet and rental car.
Keeping that in mine jimmy but isn't that a big car? I have a Buick LeSabre now and unless I can go smaller and still get him in and out I will stick with the one I have. I have the desire for a smaller car since there is just the two of us and later one.
Imohr, I would think it would be more difficult getting him in and out in a smaller car. We had a Buick Rendezvous SUV; I wanted a smaller car, went out looking; drove several and I wasn't happy with any of them. Our dealer, whom we have known for years, brought around a used, low mileage cadillac. DH fell in love. We had had them in the past but not recently. I figured if DH wanted another Cadillac, at his age, he could have it. We have throughly enjoyed it and it's much easier for him to get in/out of.
It will be Vickie but if I have to get a large car I will just keep my LeSabre. It is a 2002 with 70,000 miles on it and we bought it new. Almost perfect condition. I think a smaller car will be easier for me to manuover and it takes a acre for me to park. So, far he hasn't mentioned new car since I sold the other one so if that continues I will just let the whole thing slide until getting him in and out isn't a issue. Thanks for everybodies suggestions. I hear you.
Yes, the Impala is about the same size as the LeSabre, I would like to have a smaller car myself, but I will have to hang on to this for a couple more years. I can't beleive the gas mileage, I get around 25 MPG on my commute around the city. I do love the huge trunk on this car, it is like Mammoth Cave and is quite easy to get a wheelchair in and out of.
I'm still a fan of GM cars, they are hard to beat, I've haven't had any problems with this Chevy at all, I just change the oil and rotate the tires as scheduled. That's all i've done to it in about 55,000 miles. It still has the original tires and brake linings.
Lois- I have a 2004 Buick lesabre with only 44k miles, and I just love that marshmallow....love the heated seats....I reluctlantly bought this because my dw would not tolerate any other car....we had a 2000 lesabre, and to her, that was the only car she ever loved....I hated it, but now I think I wil keep it until I can buy the new ferrari....
The reason I bought the Solara is for the door size opening and how far it opened. No problem doing the transfer to and from the wheelchair now. With the 4-dr., the door didn't open wide enough, plus it was not as wide, so space got to be a problem the more assistance she needed in transferring. The bells and whistles ain't half bad either!
Phranque, I thought I was the only one who bought cars to please my wife. I had to sell my beloved Corvette to keep her out of it and eliminate any temptation for her to drive it. I could just see the headlines, "Woman with AD drives Corvette thru Macy's", I could see the lawyers lining up for a whack at me.
Anybody drive a van? I'm thinking one would be easier to get the transport chair in and out of and would have room to carry the dogs when needed. Wondering if it would be difficult for DH to get in and out of.
Weejun--A van could be a good possibility. Some Co.s have modifications available for loading chairs, also a seat that adjusts for entry exit (passenger). They can be ordered installed from the factory on new vehicles, or added later. There are also companies (we have one local here) that do such conversions. Check through your Dept. of Rehabilitation for sources. We had a Windstar. For us it worked well. The only thing extra I needed was a little, single step stool to get high enough to get in.
If you have to do a transfer, the higher seats of a van or suv don't work. That's why I had to stick to a car. The handicapped vans are terribly exensive to buy even used. I figured if I can transfer her from a bed or a couch to the small traveler chair or a full sized wheelchair, I can transfer her to a regular car. The only advantage of a van to me would be if she had to be in a full-sized chair...they can get pretty heavy to throw in the trunk of a car. (And get out).
Everyone's case is different but it is a good idea to physically try moving them in and out of the cars you are trying to decide on. In our case a van or truck is not as easy as our Lesabre. A Prius, he couldn't get his feet inside. He got in the Camray ok and that is the only one he has tried other than the Prius. If we decide to trade in we will try the car. Leather seats are easier to slide in and out of. Wheelchair would be harder to transport than a transport chair so I am going to assume the transport chair will be the mode of choice. Since I sold the truck I haven't heard a word about buying a different car so I am going to go with the flow.
Lois, congrats on getting rid of the truck! Major coup, for sure! My 2 cents on the car thing, and I have to go with Catherine on this one. My youngest son and dil just bought a new Ford Fusion, and they got it fully loaded, all the bells and whistles. They love it! They have 2 boys, 5 & 6, and there is plenty of room for 5 people and all the junk that goes with little kids. Very roomy, and my dil says it's a "blast" to drive. Great mileage, too. I don't drive american (sorry) so I can't invoke personal experience on that. Good luck!