Gentlemen, please indulge me.
The following questions can be answered with a Yes or No. Immediately you answer No, thank you for your attention and depart forthwith to other interesting posts.
Is you biological clock at ten to Midnight?
From this no longer as supple as you used to be?
Are you 6ft in height or over?
Are you over 16 stone in weight?
Waist size 40 plus?
Inside leg above 32 inches?
Not into air conditioning/gizmos in vehicles or status vehicles (Merc?s, BMW etc?)
Is SWMBO a pocket Venus?
So all you Yes men that have reached this stage please advise me what you are driving as a family motor vehicle and importantly are you and SWMBO comfortable in it and has it ease of access?
DVD
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DVD
Yes
Yes
6'1"
17st
40 ins
32 exactly
Like aircon for preference but dont consider it essential
Pocket yes, Venus ,hmm. OUCH!! 5ft 3ins and has to be slim for her job.
Jeep Grand Cherokee - but no family to carry, just me, SWMBO and lots of camping gear.
(Toad - of towed hall)
aka Terry
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DVD,
SWMBO is fairly small and I comfortably exceed your dimensions.(6ft 5in) She has an automatic Toyota Yaris Verso.
It must be the easiest car to access on the market(see HJ,s road test) and both of us can get a comfortable driving position.
The car is hardly a fashion statement though!
C
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... and some fell on stoney ground?
Thanks terryb but SWMBO says she would rather have a fergy tractor. Not at home in my Disco which she considers a 'bus' and would not be happy on her shopping runs to Tesco's. Suits me fine.
Cardew.... nice to hear that I am not alone in size but again its a no no for her. Hers is an elderly, pampered XR3i which will still do the ton and as she says she has no legs in the grave yet to drive such a thing. After a Disco can you really see me in that???
Surely there must be other biggies out there??? So what are you driving?
DVD
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DVD
Could do worse than a Fergie!!
Seriously, though, SWMBO's Berlingo multispace is pretty comfortable for me, either driving or as a passenger. The back seats are nice and high so you get a good view through the windscreen from there, sliding doors are a real bonus for loading into back seats. If image is a consideration, go for a gaudy colour (SWMBO's is vivid green) and flaunt it!
Terry
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A colleague of mine stands 6 foot 13 [as he puts it], and says he is more than happy with his 1994 3-series BMW, in terms of accesibility.
My puny 6'1 frame and size 12s do ok in an astra
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First post anywhere...ever!
I?m 6 foot 5 with size 14 feet and also not very supple. I didn?t get on with the Astra, but have just bought a C5 (from a main Citroen dealer). 1 year old, 3 year warranty. £7995. Not prestige money (or build quality to be honest), but an awful lot of space (and the post-Feb 02 models seem to be reliable)
My wife (5 foot 4) likes it too as there's a good range of adjustments for both seat and steering column. Depends of course whether you need room in the back and boot as well.....If not then something smaller may well do the job.
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I was going to suggest a C5 earlier as there is an acre of space in the front, but I didn't fit into the weight and waist requirement.
My C5 has height adjustable passenger seat too.
What model did you buy exmondeoman?
Ben
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Hi Ben - only the base LX model, so no fancy bits. Still masses of room though. My main complaint is that I think it must have cost more to take some of the features out (leaving redundant bits and pieces) that it would to have left them in. It's a post-Feb 02 model so I'm hoping it will be reliable.
David
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But the only difference spacewise is that the SX has a height adjustable passenger seat and armrests in the front.
Still a lovely car though. WhatCar? says the C5 is taller and wider than the BMW 5 series, but a few inches shorter.
Is it the 1.8?
Ben
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I'm 6' exactly, 13st, long legs and near enough 40 waist (depends where you run the tape around!!)
I find the C5 very comfortable and easy to get in and out of. As Ben says, it's got tons of space in the front, height adjustable seats, height and reach of steering wheel is also adjustable and seats are nice and big. Thigh support is very good - I usually find seat pads too short.
Should also say that the C5 is an unusually high car, so you feel you're sitting 'on' the seats rather than 'in'. Headroom is excellent.
Of course, if you want a car with few gizmos, the C5 is about the worst you can get!
Best thing would be to go and see one.
Graeme
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I'm a large 6ft 4" and drive a gizmo free Skoda Octavia Classic. I find it very comfortable and I have load of room in the front, its the only car I actually pull the seat forward and raise a notch! Most other cars I find myself horizonataly and vertically challenged. I wouldnt like to sit behind me though.
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Er indoors is alright in the Octavia, the only problem is there are so many seat and steering adjustments it takes a half hour to re adjust driving positions between drivers.
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I must have the legs of a 7 footer, but at 6'3 the Octavia felt like a Saxo in the kneeroom department. The salesman checked the wheel was right up and the seat right down.
The Superb was short of footroom for the left foot when resting.
Ben
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I have no problem with kneeroom, it might be because the classic has keep fit windows and doesnt have the long knee bashing door armrest containing the electric window switches.
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I read an article some while ago that said tall people driving a car was a more complex problem than simply the length of their legs. The crucial measurement was from heel to knee.
Even with an adjustable steering wheel(for rake and reach) I still find myself driving most cars with my knees splayed and the wheel between them.
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Might as well chip in my thoughts.
My g/f has a Focus, and I have always been impressed by the amount of headroom, particularly as the drivers seat adjusts for height. There's a chap here at work who is about 6'7" or so tall, and he fits comfortably in the Focus.
It used to be fun watching him drive his previous car - a Saxo !
The seats in the Focus are good too, best shaped seats I've driven in for ages, very supportive round the upper back region. Good side support too.
There you go
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Forgot to mention, the Focus steering column adjusts for height and reach too.
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Big lad, also a paraplegic. If I can haul my 16 stone pink fluffy dice in and out of an p reg Volvo 850 estate and get the wheelchair in and out across my ledgendary belly then it sounds as if it might be the car for you.
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DVD,
Try a VW Passat. I am 6' 4", 15 stone and its a really big, comfortable car with firm supportive seats.
The TDI 110, 115 or 130 models are the ones to get.
Alternatively a Skoda Superb is the stretched version, but I think most of the extra length is used for better rear legroom.
Dave
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