easy entry and exit for people with arthritis and handicapped needs

Author's Rating:

Pros: Comfort. Best vehicle I found to meet my handicapped needs on entry and exit.

Cons: Locking door to gas cap sticks. Dark exterior color shows dust and rain spots.

The Bottom Line: 
Excellent for aging baby boomers or handicapped persons. Informative instrumentation is user friendly. Smooth, luxurious ride. Ample room to haul luggage, groceries, gardening and hobby supplies, furniture kits.

Author's Review
Due to back and knee injuries, arthritis, and fibromyalgia, I have difficulty getting in and out of vehicles. I went from a small 1992 Nissan pickup to this model because I needed a car for transporting more people, ample trunk space, and an automatic transmission my teen could drive. Our family had searched for several years trying to find a vehicle to meet my needs. The electric seats are adjustable to a wide range of settings. The digital speedometer makes us all more conscious of our speed. Exterior turning lights are welcome at night. The spacious trunk meets my hauling needs as a former pickup owner. This is the first dark colored vehicle I have owned which concerned me, but I am very pleased that even when the dashboard instrumentation told me the exterior temperature was 100 degrees last week, the air conditioner immediately cooled the passenger compartment as fast or faster than my small white pickup cooled. The medium dark Cadet Blue does show dust spots even though I park in a garage and get a carwash every two weeks. The leather seats are easy for movement impaired individuals to enter, exit, or slide across the seat. The only negatives I have experienced is that the door to the gas cap sticks as it had for the previous owner and that the lid to the storage compartment of the front seat arm rest doesn't always latch securely. Cup holders are ample. Back seat passengers have plenty of room and a third rear passenger has only a low transmission hump to deal with. I have difficulty bending my knees but had no problem getting in and out of the back seat. Overhead handles also assist in entry and exit. I get 17.8 mpg in stop and go metro traffic in our State Capital. This car makes me feel safer and more protected than new vehicles of various brands I have test driven in the last several years. Previously, I have owned American Motors cars, Hyundai, the Nissan pickup, Buick Skylark, Buick Estate Wagons, and Olds 88 and it is great to have the power of a V-8 again. I'm the daughter of a lifelong auto mechanic so have been attentive to automobile issues throughout my life. The DeVille's fluids are easy to access to check and fill. This Cadillac DeVille is unquestionably the best car I have ever owned and I hope to keep it a very long time.