We'll have fun, fun, fun til grandma takes the Aerio away. But why?

September 5, 2007 7:33 PM

Why is the Suzuki Aerio, and in particular the hatchback, overwhelming driven by senior citizens?
posted by unSane to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Confirmation bias?
posted by gergtreble at 8:13 PM on September 5, 2007

I have never seen a senior citizen driving an Aerio, so I can't say I really know. However, I drive like an old lady, and I think I'd like driving an Aerio because I'd imagine it's very forgiving of terrible parking skills since it's small enough that it'll probably make it into the space regardless, and the hatchback makes it easier to tell if you're about to hit something behind you. It's a smaller car so it's not hard to climb in and out of and even people of short stature can see over the dash. Also, a lot of old people are on fixed budgets and the Aerio is both inexpensive and small (hence less spending on gas).

However, as I said, I have really never seen an old person drive one. Is it possible that one old person in your area got one and told all her friends what a fun, zippy little car it is, and they all got them too?
posted by crinklebat at 8:14 PM on September 5, 2007

Oh, and what gergtreble said, of course.
posted by crinklebat at 8:14 PM on September 5, 2007

Response by poster: I doubt it's confirmation bias as it's known as the 'grannymobile' around here.
posted by unSane at 8:34 PM on September 5, 2007

Cheap decent quality car, not so cool image. Old people generally don't care about image as much.
posted by qvtqht at 8:44 PM on September 5, 2007

Don't they have a relatively upright seating position? If so, then it's the same reason you see old people driving Honda Elements and those boxy Scions -- easy to get in and out when your hips or knees hurt.
posted by Forktine at 9:25 PM on September 5, 2007

Room in the back for an electric scooter?
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:39 AM on September 6, 2007

I'm 29 and after driving my Toyota Matrix for a few months, I started noticing how awkward it was to get into and out of other cars.

The medium form factor, taller than a sedan but shorter than a minivan, makes it possible to simply step into or out of, rather than climbing up or down. My knees curse at me every time I ride in my brother's Saturn SC1.
posted by Myself at 2:55 AM on September 6, 2007

I was amused to discover a friend's mother had purchased a new Mini-cooper. It was one of the higher end, tricked out models with the racing stripes. I asked what led to her decision and it coincided with one mentioned by crinklebat. As she'd gotten older she found she was running into things with her Buick in tight parking situations. The only reason she'd purchased the flashy model was that it was the only one on the lot with some option she wanted. I think it was something that helped with parking.
posted by Carbolic at 10:33 AM on September 6, 2007

Expanding on what crinklebat said about word-of-mouth, and what others have said about a slightly taller vehicle making for easier in & out, maybe there's been a write-up in AARP or another publication somewhere recommending the Aerio.

Another possibility is that there's a combination Buick/Suzuki dealer in your town, or a Suzuki dealer next door to a Buick lot.

Around here, I see them, but they're generally not skewed toward older drivers.
posted by altcountryman at 11:18 AM on September 6, 2007

i've seen every 'gen y' marketed car driven by an overwhelming number of OLD PEOPLE: pt cruisers, new beetles, honda element, scion xb, and especially mini coopers.
posted by tremspeed at 12:40 PM on September 6, 2007

my mother is 58 and drives an eclipse convertible 'remix edition' with RIMS.
posted by tremspeed at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2007

I just inherited my mom's Aerio after she stopped driving at 82. She still loves the car -- and thinks it's a great-looking car. I find it comfortable but ugly. (She used to drive a trans am, though -- with racing stripes.)
posted by skuchinskas at 9:13 AM on May 8, 2008