Tooling Around Town in my BIG car

I cut articles out of the newspaper to remind me of 'blog' topics.  I throw them on my desk and usually forget about them.  I'm busy with other 'stuff'.  Then I clean my desk and find these hidden gems of interest.

And so it was that I came across a study about what cars are driven by the 'over 65' population.  The top ten list is dominated by Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Buicks.  BIG Cadillacs, Lincolns and Buicks.

I figure there are many reasons for this. 

1. The cars are generally expensive compared to compacts.  We can finally afford them with the mortgage and college bills paid. 

2. We have been driving long enough to have figured out that, despite having a license to drive, there are a lot of people out there who have no clue how to do so, so we need lots of protection around us.

3. They are a whole lot easier to get in and out of than the cars we drove when we were younger and more agile, like my Mustangs and Ford Probe, or vans and SUVs when we were hauling kids and the dog to soccer games and such.

At the top of the list is the Lincoln Town Car.  Ninety percent are bought by seniors.  When I was younger, I said that these cars were 'widow's cars' and I would never drive one.  My husband worked for Ford, but I never owned or had any interest in one of these, though I did drive several of the Mark series of Lincolns.  The Lincoln MKZ is number nine on the list and was also the car my son chose when he got his first full-time job out of college.

Number two on the list is, aha, Buick Lucerne.  This is the car I purchased just before I retired.  Comfy.  Leather seats, heated for winter rides.  I got 31 miles to the gallon on my trip to Chicago.  My only complaint is that the back seat does not fold down, so I can't haul as much from Home Depot.  The Buick LaCrosse, number eight on the list, and the car I drove previously, does have a rear seat that folds down, but it is not as large.

Rounding out the list are three Cadillacs, the Chevy Impala, a Hyundai and a Toyota, none of which I have ever driven. 

I am often asked by people in parking lots if I like my Buick.  I do.  I think it gets attention because it is red with a classy paint detail.  I've been driving Buicks since the mid-90's.  One of my employees said that only 'old folks' drove Buicks.  She may be right.  But she was driving a Cadillac.  What does that make her?  

According to the article (which I could not find online, but was in the Minneapolis Star Tribune), the Town Car, Lucerne and the three Cadillacs all would be out of production if not for seniors buying them.  For that, I think we deserve some credit.