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Funny you should ask........ Posted by andy [Email]  (#759) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from andy) on Tue, 20 May 2003 18:31:05
In Reply to: Too Tall?, Mark, Tue, 20 May 2003 16:00:24 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
My dad is about 80 years, old, 6-6, and except for recent hip surgery, he is in good shape. He drives a 99 Ford Crown Victoria, which one would assume is the largest, easiest car to get into. But his bad hip is forcing him to look for a new car. He can't bend enough to get into even the Merc without discomfort
So I took him out to look at new cars. We looked at crossover SUV's (CRVs, Highlanders), but he can't seem to comfortably get up into them, plus Mom is short and has her problems so SUV's are out.
We then looked at Toyota Avalons (nice), Buick sedans (crap) and Cadillacs (he doesn't want one, cost/benefit issues) in an attempt to make him comfortable.
After a frustrating afternoon, I asked if we could hit a SAAB dealer so I could check out the 9-5 and new 9-3. On the sales floor was a 2000 9-3 4 door with 12,000 miles on it. He walked right up to it and got into it with the least amount of trouble, mostly due to the higher roofline and more upright windshield. But he doesn't want a used car and the new 9-3SS doesn't have the same room, so SAABs are out. The 9-5 didn't work for him either.
I came away with the thought that SAAB is missing an important market niche here: retirees with disposable income. Make a performance luxury sedan with an upright windshield, higher roofline, low floorpan, low seats, cutaway dash and cutaway lower door frames (a la classic 900), memory electric seats (set one position for max entry room and one for driving position) and get to the buyers that can't seem to get into the generic "euro" model sedan where you have to be no more than 5-6 to get into the car. I'm not sure if the similarity in designs is due to crash protection or styling issues, but it seems to be an area to be different and of value to a big market, wasn't that a SAAB trait at one time?.
Don't laugh; if you throw away those Marlboros and ease up on the Micky D's, you may have the same problem when you hit 80. Hell, I don't want to quit driving just because I'm 80!
FWIW
posted by 216.179.2...
, Wed, 21 May 2003 15:38:48, Tue, 20 May 2003 18:31:05 <-- Viewing This Message
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