3 ms·

I imagine that you're younger (20's to 30's) and relatively healthy. If so, humor me for a moment. Imagine that you're wearing a pair of ski boots with thumbtac

I imagine that you're younger (20's to 30's) and relatively healthy. If so, humor me for a moment. Imagine that you're wearing a pair of ski boots with thumbtacks packed in around the ankles. You shift your weight too far forward or bend it, the thumb tacks cut into your ankle. Not to mention now they're super stiff; you can barely bend them at all without the tacks digging hard into the skin. Now imagine getting into a Honda Accord sedan. You have to bend down to get into the car, so your back is going to lean over and your knees are going to bend down...naturally causing your ankles to have to bend forward. Except ski boots and thumbtacks; Ow!! To get in you have to more or less turn your back to the car, splay your legs out and kinda fall back with your arms holding the sides of the frame of the car. Not a big deal but now imagine doing this times a day, every day, for the next 5 to 8 years. And I haven't even talked about trying to get out. In an SUV at the right height, you turn your back, brace your butt atop the seat, lift your legs up and pivot into the car. No fuss. Barely any bending needed. There's plenty of older people out there with chronic issues in their backs, spines, hips, knees, and/or ankles. Thing is, older people that are later in their careers tend to be the ones with the most purchasing power, and don't mind trading a slightly higher operating cost for more comfort.

stinos 6y ago
Thanks for the info but same remark as for other comments: we're talking 40% here, so while this is a possible reason for a part of that it cannot possibly explain that number entirely, I think. I'm not that young, but my grandma has the exact problems you talk about and she has a bad time dealing with low cars indeed.
- Ygg2 6y ago
  I think they also offer a slightly better vantage point. Since your driver seat is a bit up compared to everyone else, you might see a bit more of the road. Also if you travel a lot outside of city, they make much more sense.
- yread 6y ago
  In the Netherlands more than 50% of new cars are bought by 55+ year olds https://www.statista.com/statistics/678464/distribution-of-new-car-buyers-in-the-netherlands-by-age/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/678464/distribution-of-n...
  - lazyjones 6y ago
    That's not so surprising when half the population is 43 or older and you need to be 18+ to purchase a car.
    - yread 6y ago
      Of course it's not surprising. Dutch pensioners are fucking loaded! They have the 2nd highest pensions as ratio of average earnings in the EU (first is Croatia). But it supports why 40% of vehicles are SUVs - 55% of vehicles are bought by 55+, they won't be squeezing into a Smart
myle 6y ago
If you have issues bending your knees to sit up, perhaps you should not be driving an object that weights a couple of tonnes and can kill people due to your reduced reflexes.

stinos 6y ago

Thanks for the info but same remark as for other comments: we're talking 40% here, so while this is a possible reason for a part of that it cannot possibly explain that number entirely, I think. I'm not that young, but my grandma has the exact problems you talk about and she has a bad time dealing with low cars indeed.

Ygg2 6y ago
I think they also offer a slightly better vantage point. Since your driver seat is a bit up compared to everyone else, you might see a bit more of the road. Also if you travel a lot outside of city, they make much more sense.
yread 6y ago
In the Netherlands more than 50% of new cars are bought by 55+ year olds https://www.statista.com/statistics/678464/distribution-of-new-car-buyers-in-the-netherlands-by-age/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/678464/distribution-of-n...
- lazyjones 6y ago
  That's not so surprising when half the population is 43 or older and you need to be 18+ to purchase a car.
  - yread 6y ago
    Of course it's not surprising. Dutch pensioners are fucking loaded! They have the 2nd highest pensions as ratio of average earnings in the EU (first is Croatia). But it supports why 40% of vehicles are SUVs - 55% of vehicles are bought by 55+, they won't be squeezing into a Smart

myle 6y ago

If you have issues bending your knees to sit up, perhaps you should not be driving an object that weights a couple of tonnes and can kill people due to your reduced reflexes.