Why GM/Ford shouldn't ditch the senior market...

[Flybrian]

A few pics I snapped today while visiting my girlfriend at her work - a local retirement home.








A few hundred people live here and I would say a good 95% of the residents' vehicles are domestic. And before the 'fixed-income' talk comes up, its true, but their income is at a far higher level of being static than most people; this is an expensive place to live, so these aren't your poor, ill-educated old people living off government cheese like some editorials love to espouse about.

You're looking at Buick, Mercs, Cadillacs, and Lincolns, typically no older than mid-90s. Take away the Centuries, and very few of the cars cost under $25,000. Besides those four brands, there are a half dozen Avalons, three Lexi, a few Fords, two Saturns, some Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs, two Chryslers, one Infiniti, five miscellaneous Toyotas, one Optima, and one Volvo (as well as a few miscellaneous imports I forgot about, YELLOWDART). No Benz, no Bimmer.

Among the newer models are a Milan, Montego, three STSs, a DTS, and two LaCrosse, so they haven't all stopped at a '95 Cutlass Ciera.

People like these are why GM and Ford still make cars like the DeVille and LaCrosse/Lucerne CX. There is a reason and this is it. Look for yourself and see several million dollars worth of late-model cars. This also makes for excellent low-mileage well-cared-for used cars for many of us.

And, yes, I know there are parts of the country where the only place you see this many of these cars is a dealership. :P

[the_yellow_dart]

Well... I can tell those pictures weren't taken in a Canadian old age home, because there's no minivans. Our love of minivans seems to extend to the elderly, for no good reason. My grandpa lives by himself, yet hangs on to his Caravan. p.s.: There's an unmentioned Acura in the left side of the 3rd pic.

[mrmonte]

You have to keep your eyes and ears open at places like that for good clean used car scores. We have at least two of the cars in those pictures.

[I hope GMRULES again]

Ah you gotta love the old folks!

[Variance]

My grandmother drives a 2000 Toyota Corolla she bought new. Before that she had a Corsica and a Cutlass Supreme before that.

[Cory Wolfe]

Umm... the seniors in my family drive... um... a Cobalt, a Malibu, an S10, and a... uh... Silverado. So... I think GM can ditch that senior market while focusing on their's. :D

[Mike The Canadian]

lol damn, that parking lot would be heaben for me :lol: meh i havent seen that many buicks since i was in oshawa (where everyone owns an allure/regal/century and a terraza/rendezvous. no one buys the rainier here..) good-ol old people

[Robert Hall]

All the seniors in my family drive domestics...my mom drives a spotless '97 Town Car and an '05 Navigator. I have 2 uncles (both past 70) that drive Town Cars, and 4 aunts (over 70) that have a variety of late model GMs--a LeSabre, Park Avenue, DTS, and a Century..

[thegriffon]

It is written and verily it is true (witness who buys Scions and Vibes)—old people will buy a young person's car, but young people will not buy an old person's car.

[Flybrian]

It is written and verily it is true (witness who buys Scions and Vibes)—old people will buy a young person's car, but young people will not buy an old person's car.

[post="66612"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

A collective *ahem* from myself, Mike_the_Canadian, Ven, Paulie...

Point taken though.

[thegriffon]

No-one likes to think they are "old". Design a car that you think will appeal to old people and you you'll find even old people will not buy it. Some buyers are notoriously conservative, but although loyal it's always a dying market. Fewer and fewer people buy Town Cars, Toyota Centurys and Land Cruisers etc. every day. You're left with a dilema—how to attract new buyers to relace your diminishing core of older buyers. For many it's an impossible task, no matter what the car new buyers can't get past the image of the brand being an "old person's car", but it's a leap you have to make. Going modern like Oldsmobile may not be the right strategy, perhaps the key for Buick is to go for a neoclassical revival—the timless down-to-earth appeal of blues and swing and truly "classic" cars with style, portholes and toothy grilles. Appeal to a lost youth, not a cautious middle-age.

[ocnblu]

*girl shriek* Is that a sexay Topaz with a fake convertible top in one of those pics????? (Or is it a Milan? Can't really tell from this angle. Hmmm...) :huh:

[Robert Hall]

*girl shriek*  Is that a sexay Topaz with a fake convertible top in one of those pics?????  (Or is it a Milan?  Can't really tell from this angle.  Hmmm...) :huh:

There's a gold Topaz in the second pic..the roof is in shadow, can't see detail.

[ocnblu]

(*buttoned down whiteboy voice*) Why, thank you, moltar, for that bit of info. (*playful shoulder punch*) :P

[Robert Hall]

Looks like a few Crown Vics and Grand Marquis in there also...speaking of those cars, if I see anyone that appears to be under 50 driving one, I assume they are an undercover cop or a Fed... (My sister used to date an FBI agent who would joke about driving a dark gray CV around Phoenix--he assumed everyone knew he was a cop or a Fed because he didn't fit the car's demographic...)

[ocnblu]

Was he cute, this FBI guy? :ph34r:

[Robert Hall]

Was he cute, this FBI guy? :ph34r:

[post="66660"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

He was no Fox Mulder or John Doggett, but looked a bit like Charlie Sheen...

[MyerShift]

And who says stereotypes are all wrong? :P

[ocnblu]

I saw Fox Mulder's butt. :)

[Robert Hall]

I saw Fox Mulder's butt. :)

Hmm... interesting, but I'm more of a Dana Scully fan myself....sexy petite redhead scientist with a gun... MMMMmmmm..very tasty... :)

[ocnblu]

Oh yeah, she's hot too. They were a sexy pair, those monkeys. ^_^

[razoredge]

We've been driving Buicks, Oldsmobiles or Chryslers since our mid 30's. Theres a few reasons why this generation primarily drives American 1. American - awareness 2. Value - more important than yuppy statis que 3. Comfort - nothing rides like most of these types of cars 4. class - best bargin for classy fully appointed cars = value 5. most of these are probably retired former middle class who knew the where, whys and how they came by their income and retirement = 1- 4 6. everyone grows up sooner or later

[trinacriabob]

Fly ...that's a riot...same thing around my Mom's area...there's this big fancy retirement home and at least 1/4 of the cars are B-U-I-C-K s. Seniors are a growing demographic. It is a marketing segment that CANNOT be overlooked. Long live blue-hairs, Buick and the stalwart 3800 V6. Now...now...were not going to go down the 3800 path on this thread, capisce? Edited January 3, 2006 by trinacriabob