What car? Mother in law edition

My brother in law, let’s call him “Devin,” because that’s his name, is in charge of selecting a new vehicle for his mother in law. He’s a real car guy (though he did turn down the chance to drive a showroom Ferrari, so I consider his car guy status temporarily in probation) and she’s going to give him this next vehicle in a few years, as she’s doing with her current vehicle right now. Blah blah blah, important details:

-Must be new

-She likes her 2013 Town and Country and wants something similarly sizable, for reference sake

-Prefers not an “SUV,” per se, but that definition could be flexible, right?

-Hes thinking 4 or AWD for Michigan winters for her

-Price is not a big deal with her

-Make it fun for him in 7 years

He likes Subarus and likes the idea of a Tesla and Land Rovers, used to rally with his late father 

By and large the feeling seems to be that the nicer the car is now, the harder it will depreciate and age.   7 year old Honda is still a pretty nice car.  7 year old Mercedes is one bad repair from the junkyard.

I wonder what technology will do for cars in 7 years that will make this a futile effort.   That said, my 67 year old mother really likes her late model Outback with all the driver assists and whatnot.

How old is Mom?

In reply to John Welsh :

late 60s?? 

Ill say, he’s counting on her not realizing that the Pacifica is the new T&C :P

And Jeremy, is it that that’s also related to the long term reliability of the brand, too?

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

By and large the feeling seems to be that the nicer the car is now, the harder it will depreciate and age.   7 year old Honda is still a pretty nice car.  7 year old Mercedes is one bad repair from the junkyard.

I wonder what technology will do for cars in 7 years that will make this a futile effort.   That said, my 67 year old mother really likes her late model Outback with all the driver assists and whatnot.

My Mom also really likes her 2019 Outback. Maybe we're on to something.

Durango SRT sounds way more fun to me than a beige mobile Subie with a CVT.

So do the Volvo V60 Polestar or XC60 Polestar. Current Volvos are nailing the styling IMO, and 400+hp, AWD, plug-in hybrid in wagon or CUV form sounds pretty ok to me.

The infinity g37 is nice and has awd. They also have a couple of tall wagon cuv things that are easy on the eyes. 

Isn’t there a cool Buick these days that is awd?

The high end Volvo sounds best to me so far.  Too bad they don't make some kind of T8 Minivan, lol. 

clutchsmoke said:

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

By and large the feeling seems to be that the nicer the car is now, the harder it will depreciate and age.   7 year old Honda is still a pretty nice car.  7 year old Mercedes is one bad repair from the junkyard.

I wonder what technology will do for cars in 7 years that will make this a futile effort.   That said, my 67 year old mother really likes her late model Outback with all the driver assists and whatnot.

My Mom also really likes her 2019 Outback. Maybe we're on to something.

1. My 60 year old mother really loves her 2017 Outback, and my 68 year old aunt loves her similar year outback. Huh, seems to be a pattern here. Apparently the Outback is the new Park Avenue/Grand Marquis

Okay I like where you’re going with this Polestar thing. I would have said the Outback looks a little low compared to what she’s had but I’ll pass along the fact that it’s giving old people great joy these days. 

P3PPY said:

My brother in law, let’s call him “Devin,” because that’s his name, is in charge of selecting a new vehicle for his mother in law. He’s a real car guy (though he did turn down the chance to drive a showroom Ferrari, so I consider his car guy status temporarily in probation) and she’s going to give him this next vehicle in a few years, as she’s doing with her current vehicle right now. Blah blah blah, important details:

-Must be new

-She likes her 2013 Town and Country and wants something similarly sizable, for reference sake

-Prefers not an “SUV,” per se, but that definition could be flexible, right?

-Hes thinking 4 or AWD for Michigan winters for her

-Price is not a big deal with her

-Make it fun for him in 7 years

He likes Subarus and likes the idea of a Tesla and Land Rovers, used to rally with his late father 

If she likes her Town & Country, she can still buy a 2019 Grand Caravan from Dodge. How much fun that will be for your BIL some day depends on how he uses it.

Outback is the answer here.  For her.  For him... Too bad. 

P3PPY said:

... the Outback looks a little low compared to what she’s had.. 

In 2001 The Outback was a slightly lifted sedan based wagon. Sort of a car disquised as a SUV.

Today, the Outback is a full on SUV / crossover. When parked next to a current Ford Escape, they are nearly the same. The Outback is now more of a SUV disguised as a wagon

I thi k you might find the seat height to be "just right". 

While not a "fun" car per-se, my wife recently bought a new 2019 Rav4 Hybrid and it gets amazing mileage (computer says 5.5L/100km average), is quiet and comfortable. Perfect for the average driver.

I disagree that anything about the Outback could be considered fun.

Also, I think that Mom's needs should be a priority over Devin's needs. 

Budget choice is the Buick Regal Sportback.

Done properly, the obvious choice is Lincoln Continental.

I have nothing to add other than my grandparents hate all modern cars since their beloved 94 Deville bit it. That is, all modern cars except 1; my aunts 2018 Outback. Odd trend.

In reply to P3PPY :

My Wife is very happy with her Honda CRV 

she’s mid 60’s. and she finds the ease of putting her 86 year old mother and her walker in very lovely.  

Neighbors with Tesla’s really can’t stop talking about them and some have had them for years.   

Sounds like an AWD Sienna would fit her needs, but a CPO GL63 would fit his wants.

My parents also love their 2011 Outback 3.6R. I think it's fairly snoozy in some regards but they are very practical and solid to drive/own. Theirs is pre-EyeSight but I've heard the Subaru system is very good.

STM317 said:

Durango SRT sounds way more fun to me than a beige mobile Subie with a CVT.

So do the Volvo V60 Polestar or XC60 Polestar. Current Volvos are nailing the styling IMO, and 400+hp, AWD, plug-in hybrid in wagon or CUV form sounds pretty ok to me.

The actual T8 Polestar trims are extremely limited in quantity, though.  I believe the 2020 allotment sold out in short order.  They are also (I kid you not) about a 50% upcharge over the lower trims.

Something funky is going on, too, because right now the Volvo configurator shows the 'normal' V60 trims as only available in the 250-hp T5 / FWD format.  For 2019 that was only the base trim and the upper trims were only available in T6 / AWD.  Maybe they are in transition or something.

In reply to Duke :

The 2019 S60 Polestar was extremely limited (in both production number and purchase method), but it sounds like they're loosening the reins slightly with the 2020 models.

According to C&D: " The S60 Polestar Engineered was very limited in production, with only 20 were produced for the 2019 model year, and all were "sold" through the Care by Volvo subscription program. This 2020 run of cars will be different, though. A Volvo spokesperson told C/D that the 2020 S60, V60, and XC60 Polestar Engineered models will be produced in higher numbers than the '19 S60, and they will be sold through "traditional channels," not the subscription program. Since we never got real pricing for the S60, it's tough to estimate what the new trio will cost to purchase outright, but they're each sure to be thousands of dollars higher than the $55k-60k asks of the regular T8 S60 and XC60. (The V60 isn't currently offered in regular T8 form.) The new Polestar Engineered models will be out this summer. "

So, details are scarce about price, EV range (17 miles in the non-Polestar), and production numbers. Also, their "Summer 2019" availability claim is quickly running out.

Ford Flex Ecoboost?