One automotive dream that’s surprisingly relatable is buying your parents a car. Whether it’s the dream of reuniting your Dad with his old Corvette or simply gifting your parents a nicer daily driver, that aspiration of handing over a set of keys goes far and beyond the reach of automotive nerdery. I’d like to think many of us who have good relationships with our parents hold a dream to work hard enough that one day, we can give back.
But what to give? Let’s assume you’ve got a blank check for this, all the funds will appear out of the ether, no strings attached. In other words, pick anything you like.
My parents have a decade-old Hyundai Sonata and although it served its purpose well at the time of purchase, it’s worn out its welcome. Between the blind spots and awkward entry and egress, something a little more upright would be a quality-of-life improvement. At the same time, fuel economy matters, and a hybrid sounds ideal for their situation. I know my parents well enough to know that they wouldn’t put up with German complexity, so that’s several marques I can cross off the list right away. My parents also like red cars and airy interiors, so a Lexus RX 350h in red would be a solid pick– but there’s a problem. In Canada, Lexus won’t sell you one in Matador Red with a light interior. It’s the same deal with the NX 350h, so it looks like Lexus’ nice but sensible crossovers aren’t going to work here. Oh well.
Maybe it’s for the best. For the longest time, my mum has wanted a small pickup truck. An old Ranger, original Tacoma, or Nissan Hardbody would be brilliant for my parents’ renovations and hobbies, but old small trucks give up a lot of safety, fuel economy, and comfort over what’s currently out there. Since I have a blank check in today’s Autopian Asks scenario, my choice would be a 2024 Ford Maverick XLT Hybrid in Hot Pepper Red with the Luxury package, the tri-fold tonneau cover, and a set of floor liners.
So, if you had a blank check, what car would you buy your parents? Whether it’s a weekend getaway car or a new daily driver, leave your answers in the comments below.
(Photo credits: Lexus, Ford)
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I love this question.
My mother is currently leasing a Ford Edge that she has named “Annie Oakley.” Someone at the dealership even found “Annie Oakley” decals for the rear window. It’s adorable and she likes it a lot, so I’d probably buy out her lease.
When my dad was alive, I kept trying to talk him into buying an Avalon to replace his Park Avenue. Instead, he bought my Acura TL, which he loved, and gave back to me when he could no longer drive. If he was still around, I’d probably buy him the C5 he always wanted, and a pair of New Balances. (“These go with the car?” “Trust me, Dad.”)
My mom is in love with her neighbors Viper, so I would get her a GTS, she likes the styling of the hardtop better. My dad, probably a 69 Stingray or an old Trans Am, 2 vehicles he (and I) wish he never sold.
Mom: 1971 Opel GT or a ~2012 Ford Raptor
Dad: 1953 Studebaker Conestoga
A hybrid Maverick and a base Carrera.
I’m pointing them at the Prius PHEV once they officially move later this year. That’s the rational living with a budget choice. But we’re likely going to wait until the Civic hybrid re-appears with the next model year just to see.
If money was no object, mom would love a 1965 Mustang fastback converted to an EV. That’d be a 2nd car, though.
Well with a blank check, I’d buy my mom the Volvo XC90 recharge because it’s the safest vehicle in the world. Realistically, I’d just go with a RAV4 of some kind.
Considering I’m estranged, ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NONE. But, pre-estrangement, my mom did ask if she should buy a RX-8 and in a malicious way, I kinda regret telling her not to buy it. Like sure, buy something with a rotary while living hours from the nearest Mazda dealer or shop…
I hadn’t thought of the revenge angle, but an RX-8 would fit that role quite nicely.
When I was a kid, my mom bought brand new, a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. She loved that car but my dad, who was in charge of car maintenance, let it become a hooptie when it was not even four years old.
So I would gift this to my mom — it’s a 77 Coupe DeVille in the exact same color. I know she’d take very good care of it.
Dad: Tesla Model S. Because when he and my step mom road trip, she needs to stop every 2-3 hours and walk around due to medical conditions. The last road trip they cannonballed almost killed her because of blood clots. Plus, he sucks at maintaining things. Less to maintain, the better.
Mom: A perpetually renewing two year lease on anything with a strong dealer network near her. Her last several cars (including a Tacoma and Accord) bled her dry with repair bills. Buying older cars in a rust belt state will cost way too much money in rust related expenses.
Mum has a very nice Ford Kuga Titanium, its a 2013, but has very low mileage, it was my grandparents car, as mum ferries my 95 year old grandma around she “inherited” it, which was good as her 2012 CX5 was on its way out and saved them a whole lot of money on buying a new car. Dad has his janky old 4×4 Hilux that he loves, but he is about to sell it as its old, doesn’t have aircon and as its 2.7 petrol drinks fuel faster than an oil fire – I think he is going to get a newer Hilux. BUT if I were to replace their cars, I’d get mum a new RAV4 hybrid and Dad a Mustang 5.0. He can then keep his beloved old truck.
We bought out the lease remainder for my Mom’s Chevy Bolt. It was a good deal and she really likes it.
My dad died n 2005, but if I were to buy him a car, I’d buy him a red MG1100 like the one he bought new in Palo Alto in ~1967, his first car. He’d be 82 now, though, and given what his driving was like 20 years ago I’m not sure he’d be driving anything.
I probably would have theoretically gotten my mom a Lexus RX or something like that, but she went and bought herself an Outback XT, a bit of a surprise.
What is terrifying to me is that all you commenter’s parents are my age…
Just had to take the keys away from my mom, btw.
And my wife (turning 70 this year) just sold her Camry for a gently used Lexus, which she likes very much.
An ND Miata RF. My dad has always wanted a Miata but is too practical to buy one for himself. I bought an NA Miata a few months ago and have driven around with him as well as let him drive it several times now, and he quite enjoys it.
We test-drove an NC Miata and I think he liked that one a bit more, whereas I prefer the NA. He’d probably enjoy the ND’s extra power and modernity as well, and I know for a fact he digs the powered hardtop convertible version. So that’s the car I’d love to buy for my dad if I had unlimited funds. In the meantime though, I can still let him drive my NA from time to time so he can live part of the dream 🙂
The vehicle I really want to give my dad though isn’t a car, but a motorcycle. He’s always wanted a motorcycle but never could justify the expense. He seems to like classic-looking modern bikes, and as far as I can tell, his tastes lie somewhere between Harley Davidson and Royal Enfield with enough power to not struggle on the highway. Still not sure exactly what bike he’d want.
As for my mom, she does not see cars as aspirational objects or status symbols, they are purely tools to her and whatever tool is best for her purposes is the one she wants. She drives a 2005 Honda Odyssey and loves it, it does everything she needs it to do with ease, and it is used to its full capabilities so frequently that it puts the average pickup truck to shame. It has its fair share of “battle scars,” but she intends to drive it until the wheels fall off. Assuming someday the wheels do fall off, I guess I’d buy her a new Honda Odyssey.
My dad buys a new truck every three years. He hasn’t owned a vehicle with more that 25k miles on it since the 90’s. He just dropped $72k on one of those hideous Silverado High Country monsters. I’m not giving him shit!
My father-in-law has been eyeballing the new Chevy Trax to replace his ’11 Equinox. Maybe I’d get him the Buick version of that. Whatever that is. I can’t be bothered to know that.
The moms both passed away many years ago, so no cars for them.
My old man who is 70 is probably been doing the same thing for the last decade or so… New truck, every two or three years, and they keep getting more beefy. Latest is a 2023 Silverado 2500 Duramax he uses to pull a fifth wheel around the USA for camping and sightseeing. It really is a nice truck.
On the other hand, my mom insists on still driving her paint flaking but low mileage easy usage 2001 Saturn four-door.
If I had to buy them a combined vehicle for use, it would probably be a brand new diesel pick up. my mom would just never drive lol.
A walkable community.
After dad died, mom was finally able to get a car that “she” wanted, not “they” wanted, While not the MG they once had, a Subaru fit her need for speed. Unfortunately she passed away only four months later.
I’m so very sorry. 🙁
A fully restored 90s Oldsmobile 98. Probably the last car my dad really loved. Huge. High tech for the day. Easy to get in and out of. Awesome highway cruiser. One of the last labs yachts. They just don’t make them anymore.
My dad is in his 70s and still occasionally low-sides his Bultaco race bike. I’d buy him an ambulance, just to keep it handy.
My dad bought used domestic (a Ranger via Mazda and an S-10) pickups for himself in the last 20-ish years of his life along with a Grand Wagoneer he intended to fix up to replace the one he gave my cousin. But he said several times he always wanted a Jaguar and, as he had to give up his keys a couple of years before he died (and probably should have a year or two before that), a Jaguar or Land Rover would have done nicely.
My mom didn’t start driving until she was 30 on the used ’66 Fleetwood that served as the second family car that I remember. She passed into a two-year-old Cutlass Cruiser, then a new ’74 Cutlass wagon and a new ’76 Custom Cruiser, a year-old ’78 Bronco my dad replaced that with for less than six months (my mom was 5’2”, so not a good choice) that he replaced with a new, vinyl-bench ’80 Delta 88 with no options other than a 307 and air. That hung around for a while before he swapped it for a used ’86 Custom Cruiser with some equipment that had been owned by the company he was a fleet manager for, and then the ’92 Town Car he got her for Christmas 1994 followed by the ’03 Grand Marquis in my driveway now. I think her favorite was the six-cylinder ’67 Mustang she had as a fuel embargo special second car, though. She didn’t mention cars much – the only car I remember her admiring without prompting was a PT Cruiser – but she did like a “sporty” floor-shifted automatic based on her Mustang experience. Point being, since my dad was making all these decisions and the only one she sparked was the trade of the Bronco (she always objected to buying a new car), I’d offer her advice and steer her away from something unreliable or ill-advised, but I’d let her choose her own car for once.
So I got to go through this a few years ago. My parents are both seniors, so YMMV.
The answer was (and still likely would be) Mazda CX-5 (CX-50 and CX-30 are also good, but lower volume).
It’s practically-sized.
The H-points are exemplary.
It’s good on gas.
The AWD system (if desired) is effective.
Great safety ratings.
It’s stupendously easy to learn, especially compared to Toyota and Honda.
It’s intuitive: The controls are logically and comfortably placed.
The 2.5L NA SkyActiv engine is renowned for reliability. It doesn’t have the DI issues plaguing its competitors (especially Honda’s problematic EarthDreams engines).
The turbo version isn’t required (I don’t need my parents having heavier feet).
It has enough room for them and two other adults. Not a lot, but enough.
It has enough room in the back for anything and everything they might toss in the back.
Soul Red Crystal is eye-catching and unique enough in the various parking lots that they can easily find it.
The Mazda dealership isn’t far away, and because of reliability it’s rarely needed.
-Superb headlamps.
The list goes on.
If we were doing it today, the runners up would be the Lincoln Corsair (previously MKC) and only if the EcoBoost engine has been verified to not be one burning coolant now nor in the future; Lincoln Nautilus (pre-2024, and ditto the EcoBoost thing for its smaller sibling); Volvo XC40 (was too new at the time to be in the running) and XC60; and a Lexus NX (though my mom surprised me and didn’t like the RX, so NX probably wouldn’t be in the running for long). A Bronco Sport Badlands might also make the running, because my parents do visit their siblings with working farms, so what it sacrifices in luxury it makes up for in being able to drive them across a field or whatever. Again with the EcoBoost caveat.
-The Lincoln MKX/Nautilus was a strong contender before, comes in a variety of nice colors, and has the level of plushness that my mom likes. The V6 had more power than she needed, but ultimately it came down to the Mazda being the better overall purchase out-the-door for their needs. Now that my mom doesn’t visit her relatives as often (thanks, covid! Grrrr) the V6 would be even more overkill than before.
-The Volvos had the best seats. The interior simplicity was especially lovely, a breath of fresh air compared to the cluttered messes seen in much of the competition. But some of the symbols, graphics, and functions were less-than-intuitive.
Dishonorable mentions:
-CR-V is roomy but feels horribly cheap. Sound insulation is poor, such that it’s nearly impossible to have a conversation between the two rows at highway speeds. The engines also have been having issues, and the CVTs aren’t great. The paint quality is also bad.
-Subaru. They’re doing almost everything wrong. The Forester has a nice front seat area, but that’s the only positive note I had for the whole lineup. Like Honda they’re relying too heavily on their cult of owners than being properly competitive. Negative appeal.
-RAV4: Great reliability. Confusing and jarring interior. Chunky buttons are useless if you can’t find what you’re looking for and reach it. Also not nice to look at.
Totally agree with the Mazda CX 5. My wife has one in the 2.5/6 speed automatic is just fine and it has good sight lines , it’s comfortable gets good gas mileage and does all the normal people things perfectly fine.
My dad motioned something about looking for something new the other day – would look at a Corolla Cross, maybe a Rav4 hybrid.
Getting them a PHEV would probably work, but I’m not sure it would be worth the cost – regular hybrid is probably what they need.
Maverick would be a decent choice…but all things equal, I’m going Toyota over Ford every time.
My mom does like the idea of a RAV4 PHEV so probably one of those.
My dad would be more challenging. He drives a Camry but loves yachts and nobody really makes them anymore. If the Town Car or Seville were still on the market definitely one of those. I guess a Lexus LS could fit the bill, but I don’t know if it would be land yachty enough.
A Hearse.
Dad always wanted something with a V12. Anything with a V12. Never got one. Mom was happy with her IROC-Z Camaro.
>>A Hearse.
Came for this. Surprised it took three pages.
Ford Flex.
It’s such a ”dad” car IMHO.