After her car was totaled, and we talked about what to do about replacing it, Mom lamented that what she really wanted was what she had had. Her car was a 2011 Toyota Corolla, which she bought new, so she knew exactly where every control was and didn't have to think about it. At 86, she didn't want to learn a whole new car with all the bells and whistles that have come along in the last decade, no matter how great the safety features might be.
Considering how well even the 2011 protected her, I wasn't too worried about putting her in another "old" car, and in fact I wasn't wild about the idea of giving her something newer that she would struggle with, because it would be so distracting, which is the last thing she needs when driving. I checked the used cars at the local dealership, and look at this:
It had one owner, and only 88,000 miles on it, not bad for its age. The dealership checked everything out, brakes and so on, put on four new tires...it's in very good shape for its age. The most obvious difference to Mom was that the clock was in a different spot, and even that was better.
Well, the other difference was that she said it drives smoother than her old one, but hers had about 50,000 more miles on it, so not surprising!
And now she can run out to Publix, or go to lunch with a friend, any time she wants.
YAY! What a perfect solution, and it's even the right color! I'm so glad that you found it.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a relief!
DeleteThat's absolutely perfect, C! That's really low mileage for a 2012. I love Toyotas, they are such good vehicles.
ReplyDeleteThey're really good! At a guess, the people put it on a car carrier to get here, not driving down, but who knows, maybe they just drove very little.
DeleteBeautiful and a great solution! I detest getting used to different cars. Sometimes I can't even turn the windshield wipers on.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me crazy that every car brand seems to do things just a little differently. When I went from a Mazda to Kia, the wipers went the other way, so I kept turning them off when I meant to turn them on higher, ugh.
DeleteWhat a lucky find! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks! We're both very happy.
DeleteAww, so glad you found somehing she wanted. And people love their Toyotas for a reason. Good cars!
ReplyDeleteThey really are! I was so impressed with her old one in this situation.
DeleteThat's wonderful! When we got a new vehicle last year I was terrified every time I drove it for the first month. EVERYTHING seemed so different (our two previous vehicles were quite old/fancy, so there was nothing digital or fancy about anything). Now that I'm used to it, I adore all the features, but it was a huge learning curve.
ReplyDeleteYes, I had a big learning curve on mine, and that was just going from a 2012 to a 2019! So many new things and new ways. It took me a while to get comfortable.
DeleteWhat a win! And the fact that your mom is still safely driving at 86 is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great car. Glad it worked out for her.
ReplyDeleteOh, this makes me really happy! I'm glad you were able to get her exactly what she wanted and such low mileage for a 2012! YAY!
ReplyDeleteIt was such a relief! I never thought we would find something so close to what she had.
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