My aging parents are building a home on a hill away from the city. They will have to drive to everything. They even are building it son they can walk around the home and get to their car without stairs.

I don't get it at all. When I'm old, I want to be in a city, bottom floor and walking distance to a grocery store, doctors and aerobics class.

A car is a terrible idea. I can't say much at this point though

Many of the older generations have been car brainwashed, sadly.

Moving a setback now as they have reached the last window in time for them.

how will you go see them? Will this oblige you too to drive?

i'm guessing they had enough of the city. I hope they can find the peace they're searching for at their new home.

People don't retreat from the city to "drive to everything", but often in order not to drive either. They may be driving a lot less than you foresee.

A car is a brilliant concept, a car dependant lifestyle is a terrible idea.

I never want to live in a city, I want to live in a suburb, near public transport and local services.

My grandfather moved from the city to the country when he retired. He built a house out in the woods (was a carpenter) and lived there for like 25 years before he died (82). My grandmother lived there by herself for another decade until she moved in with family before passing away herself (98).

Mine over the last year bought a terrible property in the middle of nowhere (tiny town that doesn't even have a pub) a three hour drive south of their existing home.

I discouraged it vociferously it all the way, pointing out all the ways it would be a downgrade in a pros and cons fashion.. Tried to be objective. They ignored. They sold their home of 12 years that was 10 mins from mine (and their grandkids) and away they went.

ONE WEEK later, they gave up on the idea of living down there permanently "it was so much driving" and rented a place nearby me again.. About 5 mins from their prior amazing home that backed into a park on two sides.

Boomers gonna boom, man. I doubt there was anything I could have done to change their plan.

It does affect more than that generation. I know plenty of people in their twenties and thirties that drive twenty minutes here, forty five minutes there, just for fun/ shopping/eating etc. Hell just to drive. It's a brain rot.

They may be expecting you to be there regularly to drive them around / take care of them when the time comes. At some point they'll be too old to easily drive around on their own. Hopefully they'll have enough money to pay hired help for that stuff.

Just casually point out to them that it's going to be super-awkward when they get so old that you have to take away the car keys.

That's honestly a good idea. Done with enough tact, it could help

Ok. I agree with you but I am getting old with limited funds and way out is cheaper. I don't get it. I feel efficiency wise a condo in a highrise should be the lowest cost thing per square feet. Im in the close suburbs now because of cost. Now if you parents are loaded then yeah. kinda dumb.

years back this was one of the bigger challenges to my marriage with my wife. We would fight because she was driving a long distance to take her father shopping and we did not have the money to be spending like that. Reality had to be respected regardless of emotion.

Some neighborhood in New Orleans are pretty nice, with a trolley right there.

I had an aunt in law that wanted to drive to go to a place that was three blocks away.

my parents were thinking of doing the same thing but decided against it because they are ultimately concerned about response times from emergency services.

Aging parent here. I moved into the city, walk and cycle nearly everywhere, and plan to sell off the car in a few months. My parents both drove until their late 80s, and that's not something I intend to do. You could have a large number of taxi rides and car rentals and still come in well under the annual running costs of a car, including depreciation. And your reflexes and situational awareness don't improve as you get past 70.

(tiny town that doesn’t even have a pub)

The rule of thumb is never to move to a town that has fewer than two pubs. That way, if you fall out with the owners or clientele of one, you'll still have somewhere to have your pint.

I appreciate your perspective. Part of my concern is they are on a hill and the road going down is good, but not that good.

I'm kind of hoping they build it and sell 😅

I've had this conversation recently. People focused on wanting to live somewhere with the lowest possible taxes. Like, okay, you save 5% of your money on taxes, but then you spend 25% more on driving places, trying to get decent healthcare, finding any worthwhile, enjoyable activities to do, and inevitably having to move back closer to civilization when you do have to give up the car, except now you are moving to assisted living and not just an apartment or little house in a walkable neighborhood.

Even if it all goes to plan, and they endure living somewhere crappy, and they do save money, so what? You die with extra money?

Don't want to blame boomers necessarily cause I think the propaganda of being hyper aware of taxes while ignoring all the other costs (and what the taxes get you) has hit people of all ages, but boomers are just the ones at the age where it makes them make dumb decisions.