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Not their OWN Oldsmobile
Six popular alternatives to 'old-fogy' cars
By Robert Powell, CBS MarketWatch.com
April 22, 2004
BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- Most older Americans are so set in their car-buying ways, a carnival barker could make a tidy sum guessing the model they drive in three tries.
Yet while many seniors like big, safe "land yachts" that are easy to climb in and out of, many are breaking with tradition and abandoning their own Oldsmobiles for cars and sport-utility vehicles designed with younger drivers in mind.
They're also buying more dependable Japanese models, often at the urging of their children, Champion says. "The kids don't want to see their inheritance going to the dealer in repair costs. And the older people get, the less they want to be broken down on the side of the road."
Status means less to older Americans than it did 30 years ago, which is clear in the vehicles many choose to drive, says David Wolfe, author of Ageless Marketing. "What others think of a car-buying decision matters a great deal more to younger people."
Older Americans today want to be thought of as mobile, vital and active, and that's the theme evident in increasingly popular alternatives to typical "old-fogy" cars.
These models are gaining in popularity among seniors for all the reasons cited above:
Toyota Camry
Once the first step-up car of choice among baby boomers, America's top selling sedan is becoming a car of choice for seniors too. Adult children are persuading their parents to buy the very same car they know and love.
"This car is quiet and comfortable," Champion says. "It's like a Japanese-built Buick. Plus it has bullet-proof reliability."
The typical Camry ($19,560) can be had for $13,412 less than a Buick Park Avenue ($32,972). And with side airbags, the Camry was one of just two cars to receive a "good" side-impact crash rating yesterday from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (The other was the Honda Accord.)
Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4
Not to be left out of the SUV craze, seniors have taken the opposite tack of their Chevy Suburban-driving, soccer-mom daughters and opted for small sport-utility vehicles. They may drive "land-yacht" cars, but they prefer little bay-cruiser SUVs.
These Honda (HMC: news, chart, profile) and Toyota (TM: news, chart, profile) models are highly regarded for both performance and reliability. They appeal to the senior who wants to be viewed as having a vibrant and active lifestyle.
Mini-SUVs are especially popular among seniors who want a four-wheel drive vehicle for better control in snow and rain. "It gives them some peace of mind," Champion says.
"The seats are butt height, so seniors can waddle up and plunk themselves into the seat," he says. "They have better visibility in a MSUV than in a low sedan, and feel safer because they're higher up and not threatened by large SUVs."
The New Beetle
Many seniors who long for the days of their youth are buying Volkswagen's (VLKPY: news, chart, profile) New Beetle. It's a far sturdier and better-built model than the old Beetle, an underpowered tin can that was notoriously unsafe in head-on crashes due to its trunk being in the front.
The New Beetle has a wide door and a seat height that allows for easy access for seniors, Champion says. Unfortunately, they should forget about getting in and out of the cramped back seat, he says. That is, unless they want to take their nostalgic bent into the back seat for some necking at the drive-in.
The Honda Element
While many people find this quasi-SUV downright ugly, it's the perfect second vehicle for grandmas and grandpas who take an active role in their grandchildren's upbringing.
At $20,000 less than the starting price for the Lincoln Town Car, the four-door model is perfect for hauling around young-uns. The reason: Presumably you can hose out the interior and wash away the remnants of hastily consumed Happy Meals.
To think Honda conceived of the Element largely as a vehicle for 20-something guys. "If seniors are buying this car, Honda really missed the mark," Champion says.
Full Article Here
Six popular alternatives to 'old-fogy' cars
By Robert Powell, CBS MarketWatch.com
April 22, 2004
BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- Most older Americans are so set in their car-buying ways, a carnival barker could make a tidy sum guessing the model they drive in three tries.
Yet while many seniors like big, safe "land yachts" that are easy to climb in and out of, many are breaking with tradition and abandoning their own Oldsmobiles for cars and sport-utility vehicles designed with younger drivers in mind.
They're also buying more dependable Japanese models, often at the urging of their children, Champion says. "The kids don't want to see their inheritance going to the dealer in repair costs. And the older people get, the less they want to be broken down on the side of the road."
Status means less to older Americans than it did 30 years ago, which is clear in the vehicles many choose to drive, says David Wolfe, author of Ageless Marketing. "What others think of a car-buying decision matters a great deal more to younger people."
Older Americans today want to be thought of as mobile, vital and active, and that's the theme evident in increasingly popular alternatives to typical "old-fogy" cars.
These models are gaining in popularity among seniors for all the reasons cited above:
Toyota Camry
Once the first step-up car of choice among baby boomers, America's top selling sedan is becoming a car of choice for seniors too. Adult children are persuading their parents to buy the very same car they know and love.
"This car is quiet and comfortable," Champion says. "It's like a Japanese-built Buick. Plus it has bullet-proof reliability."
The typical Camry ($19,560) can be had for $13,412 less than a Buick Park Avenue ($32,972). And with side airbags, the Camry was one of just two cars to receive a "good" side-impact crash rating yesterday from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (The other was the Honda Accord.)
Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4

Not to be left out of the SUV craze, seniors have taken the opposite tack of their Chevy Suburban-driving, soccer-mom daughters and opted for small sport-utility vehicles. They may drive "land-yacht" cars, but they prefer little bay-cruiser SUVs.
These Honda (HMC: news, chart, profile) and Toyota (TM: news, chart, profile) models are highly regarded for both performance and reliability. They appeal to the senior who wants to be viewed as having a vibrant and active lifestyle.
Mini-SUVs are especially popular among seniors who want a four-wheel drive vehicle for better control in snow and rain. "It gives them some peace of mind," Champion says.
"The seats are butt height, so seniors can waddle up and plunk themselves into the seat," he says. "They have better visibility in a MSUV than in a low sedan, and feel safer because they're higher up and not threatened by large SUVs."
The New Beetle
Many seniors who long for the days of their youth are buying Volkswagen's (VLKPY: news, chart, profile) New Beetle. It's a far sturdier and better-built model than the old Beetle, an underpowered tin can that was notoriously unsafe in head-on crashes due to its trunk being in the front.
The New Beetle has a wide door and a seat height that allows for easy access for seniors, Champion says. Unfortunately, they should forget about getting in and out of the cramped back seat, he says. That is, unless they want to take their nostalgic bent into the back seat for some necking at the drive-in.
The Honda Element
While many people find this quasi-SUV downright ugly, it's the perfect second vehicle for grandmas and grandpas who take an active role in their grandchildren's upbringing.
At $20,000 less than the starting price for the Lincoln Town Car, the four-door model is perfect for hauling around young-uns. The reason: Presumably you can hose out the interior and wash away the remnants of hastily consumed Happy Meals.
To think Honda conceived of the Element largely as a vehicle for 20-something guys. "If seniors are buying this car, Honda really missed the mark," Champion says.
Full Article Here
