Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 09:49
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

Hi all,

I'm 6ft 2, 500lbs with wide hips and a big behind - I'm looking to buy a car and would like some recommendations from those who may be big or tall or ideally both, on what cars they have found comfortable to drive?

I don't mind whether it's manual or automatic, and I''ll be buying an old 2nd hand (max £2.5K budget) if that helps narrow things down.

I'm looking for something that primarily accommodates me - I won't normally have passengers and if so, they'll have to fit themselves around me.

I'm wary of cars that have the massive (WHY?!?) foot-wide central console running from the dashboard all the way through the middle of the car - I understand the need for armrests etc but I feel a LOT of space is lost..

I'm favourable to cars with a dash/column-mounted gear shift/lever.

What I'm already planning on looking at:

  • Honda FRV (it's a 3+3 seating config so I figure it might work)
  • Honda CIVIC (6th or 7th gen hatch auto; heard they're deceptively spacious inside)
  • VW Beetle auto - again heard they have the leg room, access and width
  • Ford Focus CMAX auto - again heard they're deceptively spacious inside

Any comments on what I'm planning on looking at, and any additional recommendations are welcome :)

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 11:46
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - SLO76
At that sort of budget I'd certainly favour the Civic or an Accord if you can get comfortable in it. Both are reliable and long lived. The FRV is great but in demand so pricier and harder to find especially in auto. The 7th gen Civic is hugely practical especially pre facelift cars without any centre console. We ran a 53 plate 1.6 for nearly 4 years. Bought for £2,200 and sold without anything other than ordinary wear and tear items needing replaced for £1,600. Very cheap motoring. But a very common issue is steering rack failure. It's one of the early electric instead of hydrolic systems and they all go eventually. Starts off feeling sticky on the straight ahead, requiring constant corrections and usually develops a rattle that sounds like a ball joint or anti-roll bar bush. Other than that they're pretty bulletproof. Forget the Cmax if you want an auto, it's not a good gearbox. The 1600 Yamaha designed engine linked to a manual box is a good combination however. Pay extra for a well looked after low mileage car with a full history and remember that Civic Requires a timing belt and water pump at 8 years so price it in when offering if there's no receipt to prove it's been done. It's not one of the easier ones to fit either so it'll cost at least £350 to do but It is a non-interference engine so it won't destroy it if it fails. The Accord at this age (post 2003) is a chain. The Cmax 1600 is due at ten years but I'd do it much earlier to be safe.
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Thu 27 Oct 2016 12:08
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - RobJP

Let me just confirm that the OP intended to write 500 lbs in weight - 35 stone ?

If so, then I can't think of anything that they'd realistically be able to fit into and drive. I know one rugby player who weighs close on 300lbs, and he finds most larger vehicles a major struggle to get comfortable behind the wheel.

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 13:39
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

Yes, confirming that weight..

I tried a Skoda Fabia a couple of months ago - There was just (JUST) enough room between belly and steering wheel, but the combination of small seat, intrusive middle console and trying to shift manual proved too much of a hurdle.

There are much larger cars out there, hence the quest to find one that might suit - I may have to wait until the budget allows for more but at this stage I'm hoping there's something out there..

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 13:41
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

I appreciate the tips especially regarding various maintenance milestones - that's very useful!

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 14:19
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Gibbo_Wirral

Peugeot 307 and 308 are good for tall people. I'm 6 foot 4 and find them with a good driving position. The 307 is slightly better than the 308, moreso if you get a higher spec model like the SE, LX or GLX with armrests.

Both also have adjustable steering wheels so you can push them further away.

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 16:12
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - SLO76
Found this which sounds the part. Has a full Honda history, low mileage and has had a new timing belt 20,000 miles back which means someone hasn't been shy about spending money on it. Same dealer also has a CRV 2.0 auto at similar money but these are very thirsty and much more expensive to run over all.I just found my dream car... Search for yours via Auto Trader #DrivenByMe
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20161011866...3
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Thu 27 Oct 2016 16:23
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - gordonbennet

Cars which might have been designed for, or even built by Americans might be worth exploring, but they tend to be bigger vehicles.

So bigger Lexus, like LS400, Hyundai XG30 though Grandeur are coming down fast now, Chrysler 300, large Mercs Jags that sort of thing.

Large 4x4's, so long as you avoid Landrover which arn't as roomy as you might think.

In my honest you arn't going to get comfy in some eurobox, many of which lack headroom too, thats where the big 4x4's score so well, big doors seat at bum height just slide in without having to somehow limbo under the too low windscreens now so popular in so many cars.

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 17:30
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

What are your thoughts on the 2002-era Honda CRV?

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Thu 27 Oct 2016 17:57
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - SLO76
They're well made, reliable and spacious but thirsty 25mpg from an auto (the Civic will do 35 plus) and more expensive for tyres and other consumables than the Civic. While they're tough there is still more on it to go wrong than the more simple Civic too. I wouldn't buy one unless you're only doing a limited mileage or have fairly deep pockets. Can't say I'm not a fan though, I replaced our old Civic with a new CRV 1.6 diesel two years ago.
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Fri 28 Oct 2016 02:00
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Metropolis.

Try one of these, made for Americans with Japanese reliability..

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20151019798...1

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 08:03
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - gordonbennet

Yes, thats the sort of thing, sad day when Camry stopped being sold here, Lexus quality without the silly price tag.

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 09:31
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - SLO76

Yes, thats the sort of thing, sad day when Camry stopped being sold here, Lexus quality without the silly price tag.

I liked the blue collar big saloons and hatches from the big mainstream manufacturers, any number of them would've suited here. Granada, Carlton, Omega, 820, Camry, Renault 25/Safrane, Peugeot 505... Just big comfy buses without the naff image of Audi or BM. One of the comfiest cars I've ever driven was the big Renault Safrane and you could get them towards the end with the 5cyl Volvo engine from the 850 that was fit for 500k if looked after.
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Fri 28 Oct 2016 16:31
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

I think the link is broken but it looks like a Toyota Camry search - I'll have a go and see what I find...

Any thoughts on a cheap Citroen C4 Picasso auto? A couple of 57-reg examples about..

Edited by Zee_r on 28/10/2016 at 16:32

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 16:36
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

The Camry looks like it's got quite a wide central console - not sure the effective seat width is what I'd be looking for..

Anyone know a website where I could find car seat width details (and ideally search largest to smallest haha)?

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 16:36
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - gordonbennet
Any thoughts on a cheap Citroen C4 Picasso auto? A couple of 57-reg examples about..

A thousand times no, automated manual gearbox designed by satan whilst in a particularly foul mood, electric parking brake and a good possibility of the infamous Diesel of Doom, all rolled into one package.

what could possibly go wrong

Edited by gordonbennet on 28/10/2016 at 16:37

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 17:50
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

C4 off the radar then hahaha!

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Fri 28 Oct 2016 18:16
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - John Boy

That Camray looks like a good buy, but I would have thought that the moulded seat and the centre console would rule it out for the OP.

A Nissan Cube may seem a left field suggestion, but, although it's a small car, some models have the advantage of flat front seats. There's a large armrest between them, which can be lifted up and back, giving a full width bench seat. Photos of the 3 on this Autotrader link show that very clearly:

tinyurl.com/gvgvlrd

Those shown have a column-mounted gear lever for the CVT automatic gearbox. The real question for the OP is probably access, which may depend on whether the front seats can be moved back and forth.

I would have thought that other, larger cars have the same front seating arrangement, but I'm not familiar with them.

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Sat 29 Oct 2016 08:16
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Oli rag

A chap I used to work with was a big lad, 6ft tall and around 30 stone.

He had 2 vauxhall zafira's, one after another, he seemed to fit alright.

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Mon 31 Oct 2016 09:05
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

Anyone on the forum who can advise on Nissan Cube seat adjustability?

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Mon 31 Oct 2016 09:40
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - John Boy

Anyone on the forum who can advise on Nissan Cube seat adjustability?

There's a company here who import used ones from Japan - they'd be able to advise you:

www.goodmayesmotors.co.uk/

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Sat 29 Oct 2016 11:04
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Big John

Honda FRV has my vote, loads of width, good size seats not overly bolstered, flat floor and gear lever on dash -- oh and very reliable!

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Mon 31 Oct 2016 18:34
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

Honda FRV has my vote, loads of width, good size seats not overly bolstered, flat floor and gear lever on dash -- oh and very reliable!

Thanks for the FRV upvote - seems as long as one finds a decent runner it should be the right car.

For something a bit left-field, Peugeot 1007 anyone - thoughts?

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Mon 31 Oct 2016 18:56
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - gordonbennet

1007 i used to deliver them new, horrid things, unpleasant bulge in the A pillare right beside you head due to door design, the one good thing is access is good for the seat and just as with an old Bedford CA van or Commer Walk Thru or pther sliding door 60's van you could drive along wth the door wide open if you so wished.

Seen a few of them completely stripped out of interior with Pug techs scratching their heads trying to sort out wiring headaches when only months old.

For a company that gave us real gems like the 106/205/305/405/406 how they they managed to make such a pigs ear of 1007 is a mystery.

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Tue 1 Nov 2016 09:06
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Zee_r

I had hopes for this one - was this a generational thing with the wiring or are they all prone to this due to the design package?



  • Mercedes A-Class (1st/2nd gen) any better..?
  • Golf PLUS..?

Edited by Zee_r on 01/11/2016 at 09:07

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Tue 1 Nov 2016 11:05
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - SLO76
Last thing you want is a French car with any kind of complex electronics. The 1007 wasn't a good design from day one. Overweight, top heavy and looks like a portaloo with an engine.

The automatic is a semi automatic, basically Citroen's Sensodrive from the C2 on which the 1007 is based. It's jerky and trouble prone not to mention the notorious 1.6 diesel which is guaranteed to go wrong. Though the petrol engines are largely trouble free but struggle to carry what is a very heavy small car.

The doors failed when the thing was new never mind now. Your hand won't be out of your pocket if you were to buy one so don't be tempted no matter the price.

Merc A Class is expensive for parts and first gen was poorly made and access for certain repairs is difficult and increases costs, thus the reason why so few have survived. The ride is hard too. The second gen is better but still not as robust as a Civic/Astra/Focus or Golf plus still expensive for parts.

Golf plus is ok but based on the Mk V Golf which is prone to rust and as with all VW's this age they require a timing belt and water pump every 4 years regardless of mileage which will sting you for around £250-£300. Most will be due or overdue at this price point. Cheaper than a Golf used thanks to the awkward looks but drives nicely if a bit gutless in 1.4 petrol form.

Edited by SLO76 on 01/11/2016 at 11:16

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Tue 1 Nov 2016 11:35
Other - Big+Tall guy - car recommendations please - Avant

One of many reasons why I've never had a Vauxhall is that you sit quite low in them, and being short I like a higher driving position. So as Olirag says, try a Zafira for size, or paerhaps a Toyota Verso if the Honda FRV is hard to find.

The FRV never sold well in the UK - 3 + 3 has never been popular - so there aren't many used ones to choose from.

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