Cars for Seniors Greenville NC

6/1/2002

You can produce cars that appeal to young people easily enough, but how do you make sure those cars also suit the unique needs of senior citizens and members of AARP? Simply adopting the ad slogan, "Built for those of you with muscle aches and hemorrhoid pain," isn't going to be enough to convince seniors that a vehicle is right for them.

But how do engineers know what the older generation needs when the engineers themselves are still whipper snappers?

Don the "Third Age Suit," and get ready for a simulated senior experience.

Created by Ford engineers to wear when designing cars for older people, this bulky suit looks to be a combination of a hockey goalie's uniform and a beekeeper's outfit, with a little bit of astronaut gear tossed in. Designed to simulate the conditions of seniors, the suit adds bulk and restricts movement in key areas of the body, like the knees, elbows, stomach and back. A set of gloves also reduces the sense of touch, and goggles simulate cataracts.

The Ford Focus is the first car to benefit from the use of the Third Age Suit. This may seem unusual, since the Focus looks to be marketed toward a younger crowd. But if you take a closer look at the Focus, you'll see there's a wide, high front door and a raised H-Point (the point where the hips swivel). Both of these were the result of engineers and designers wearing the suit during the design phase.

While the Third Age Suit is giving Ford designers an advantage by artificially aging ...

The focus of automotive service - now and in the future - is to meet or exceed the needs of all customers. When it comes to a reality check, many of us would fall short of the mark when it comes to dealing with our senior-citizen customers.

7/1/1996

The old adage, "You can't please all of the people all of the time," is a valid response when dealing with difficult customers. But, too often, this convenient excuse is directed toward those customers perceived as always difficult: senior citizens.

In many ways, senior customers are the most challenging you face, but you must still make every effort to retain them.

Get With the Times

Ask any service manager, parts-counter person or service advisor to come up with an anecdote about those "old fogies" that interrupt their daily routine, and you're likely to get more stories than you care to hear. In some people's minds, there's always a Mr. Jones who shows up only when he has a coupon (one that's out of date, of course). Then there's Miss White, who's always hearing strange noises in her engine. And many a manager will tell you about Mrs. Doolittle, the elderly lady who stops by every other week to have her digital clock reset because she has again hit the wrong button.

In the '60s and '70s, one retail muffler distributor built an entire ad campaign around an older gentleman who kept coming back to the shop to take advantage of the lifetime warranty on his Model T. Unless you are dressed in a...