We have a forum here, dedicated to cars:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/cars/

Post your question there - bet you can get a good answer!

Here is a link that might be useful: Car forum on GW

Kay, I looked there first and it looks very slow... only a few posts in the past week. Thought someone here might have a SO or friend who would know and could give me a faster answer.

Unfortunately, you are shopping for a car that is more that 10 years old. Most of those are junk by now or have very high miles. A car that has been in use for 10 years in the nothern tier of states has seen 10 winters of road salt, and that takes a toll both on the chassis and electrical connections.

If you gaze over our expressways on after a snow, you can see a haze hanging over the roadway. This is a salt-filled fog of melted snow and road dirt. This salt-fog penetrates components and ruins poorly designed/specified electrical connections of those outside the passenger compartment. Eventually, problems will develop. Usually, these problems do not show until after 3 to 4 years of exposure, but after that, failures begin to appear and these are hard to track down and fix. The average dealer shop is not equipped or has the expertise, nor can afford to take the time to chase there gremlins, but merely pass the car along selling it "as is".

So if your heart is set on buying an 10 yr old car, look for one that has spent its life on paved roads out of the 'rust belt' and away from oceans.

It seems that the main concern here is that MIL wants a familar dash - that's a reasonable desire. Your task to find a reasonable car, say 3 to 5 years old that has a familar dash. There are plenty of Ford Taruses for sale. Why not take MIL out for shoppng trip to see if she can find a dash she can live with. I'm sure that you have explained to her that it will be slmost impossible to find an exact replacement.

However, if she can be satisfied with nothing less than an exact replacement, then get her a bunch of auto shopper publications (found in filling stations and restuarants, bus stops, etc.) and hand the hunt over to her.

You could try searching Auto Trader Classics. I just did a search for 1997 Ford Taurus within 100 miles of my zip code and there were none, but you could try it for your area.

Frankly it doesn't take a lot for a 10 year old car to be "totalled". Is it that bad? Maybe you should consider buying it from the insurance company and having it fixed. She'll have a car and dash she knows and 50,000 miles on the engine which should give a lot of value to her, where it'd be not much value to anyone else.

Since it was rear end damage, the drivetrain should be in good shape. Get a rear clip replaced. I'd check some junkyards and/or look for a shadetree mechanic.

lydia - I wish you luck in your search. My Father had something similar happen and he wanted to find the same car too so that my Mom would feel comfortable driving it. But then it dawned on my Mom that if she couldn't adjust to a new car then perhaps she shouldn't be driving. My Dad did replace the car but my Mom gave up driving.

Hadn't thought of that Cynic. That might be the easiest thing to do. I haven't seen the car so I don't know how much damage was done or how much the repairs would be (DH says both rear side panels, trunk, bumper, ??)... but I think that idea is worth looking into.

Thanks everybody else too on your input! I would hate for her to give up driving so I want to try my best to help her find something she is comfortable driving. She doesn't
drive a lot, but I know she doesn't want to depend on someone else to drive her.

Awww, I am so sorry for you MIL, lydia. If it were my mom, she would have a very difficult time with an adjustment to a different car. Actually, she would not be able to drive a different car at all. Driving days would definitely be over, and we are just waiting for that to happen, as hard as it would be for her.

Glad to hear she wasn't hurt.

I'm with cynic.....insurance companies are quick to total older cars because they have no retail value. Have a good mechanic/body shop take a look at the car and assess fixing it.

The problem with buying an older (10+ years) car is reliability. If your mom will continue driving, she's better off driving a car she knows well. If the damage to her vehicle is repairable, fix it. She'll have comfort knowing she's driving "her" car.

On the flip side, there are a lot more safety features on newer cars. If she will continue driving, it might be worth looking at some newer (2-5 year old) models to see if there's something else out there she likes.

Glad to hear Mom's ok.

I'm going to buck the trend here. Your MIL is 87 and "won't be able to adapt" to a new dashboard. This is a problem.

I would hope she's been evaluated by a driving trainer recently (and I'm an advocate for roadtesting EVERYBODY - regardless of age - at license renewal time).

Old folks on the road scare me as much as teens.

Go ahead, flame away - but there comes a time when someone's "convenience" of driving infringes on others' safety on the road. My late 90-year-old aunt caused three wrecks, even though her car wasn't involved - people swerved to avoid her, etc., and wrecked their cars trying to stay out of her way.

I understand she was rear-ended, which is always the rear-ender's fault, so don't jump me for that. I was recently rear-ended by an idiot who was texting while driving.

She could have a safer car by 'adapting' to a new dash. I agree that if she can't adapt...the problem isn't the car.

*I* was rear-ended once, and it was MY fault. The stoplight ahead of us was still green. I didn't realize the woman ahead of me had braked -- for no known reason. I tapped her rear bumper and got a big jolt from the man behind me. Nobody got a ticket, but IMO the lady I hit was at fault.

I'll sidestep the questions on her driving skills and acumen. I assume you're satisfied that she is competent. Many older drivers are just fine and in fact better than younger. So 'nuff on that for me.

Although yes there's more safety features on a newer car, that doesn't necessarily make a car safer. I'd feel very safe driving my old '62 Impala or one of the DeSotos my dad had.

My point about fixing it is to try to avoid nickel and dime thoughts or compare to "what you could buy". I suggest comparing to what it would cost to replace and what you would pay to replace it. If you're looking at a $5,000-$15,000 replacement car, then that's your budget point, even if the value is, take a guess at about $1500. I'd guess if you put both cars in front of her and said $5000 and you can have either car, which do you want? She'd take "her" car.

You probably could buy the car from the insurance company for, say, $500? Maybe less? Maybe a little more. They vary a lot and depend on what they do with the cars. But if you paid even $1000 for it, then spent another $2000 to fix, repair, replace body parts (and I don't think I'd try to make it "new condition anyway) then you spent $3000 for a vehicle she likes. And maybe even saved some sales tax along the way too. Is the car *worth* $3000? No. But is it worth it to HER? I'd venture to say yes. My philosophy is that even when I had a 15 year old truck, 150k miles and it's quirks, it got me to and from my destination every bit as well as a Cadillac limousine and cost me a lot less. I'll let Joyful add more about value on older cars and if you recall several of his posts about his car experiences, you'll know what I'm saying. It's like things at an auction or garage sale. I'd never pay more than new price for that piece of garbage up there but to someone else it was worth it for whatever reason. I do see people pay a lot for sentimental value at times. The rule of selling is "it's worth exactly what someone actually pays for it - no more, no less". And of course insurance is cheaper on the older car, etc.

However, if you're considering buying the car, let them know immediately. Better yet if you haven't settled if there's a payment coming you can make it $__ plus you keep the car.

One caveat, I'm also assuming that you're satisfied the car is in otherwise good condition which is how it sounded.

Good luck.

Chloe and Chisue..I didn't say she couldn't adapt to a new dashboard... like many of us she doesn't like change. She's an excellent driver, very healthy, still lives by herself and push mows her own grass. The rental car she has now is a new one, totally different from what she had... so maybe in a week she'll decide change is good?

Yes Cynic, the car is in excellent condition except for the recent damage. I think she's owned it about 8 years and she's kept it garaged and well maintained.

OK, you think she is not a hazard to herself or others. (We couldn't tell if she is still safe on the road.) I'd rather be on the road with most Seniors than with many teenagers!

Sounds like Cynic has a great solution if the car is otherwise OK. Is that an option?