Small car - able to take a double bass

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Sun 17 Jul 2016 12:41
Small car - able to take a double bass - Big John

Strange request, looking for a car for my sister who is looking for another car (budget circa £4k) to take the place of her trusty but somewhat battered Wreg Mondeo Estate

1) If possible she would like a smaller car as parking is difficult on her street

2) Must be capable of carrying a double bass! (6ft long!) - It would fit in a Skoda Octavia with the seats folded (just - I've measured!) , Nissan Note looks interesting with seats down and passenger seat reclined (not measured yet) but I'm not sure re drivers seat comfort

3) Must be comfortable for a tall driver(6ft)

4) Reasonably economical but NOT a diesel

5) Probably manual

6) Suitable for long journeys

Any stage left suggestions? I did wonder about the Ford B max as well but this seems to be out of her proce range.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 13:01
Small car - able to take a double bass - Happy Blue!

I wonder if the Magic Seats in the Honda Jazz (and Civic?), would work. You would have the height from the floor to ceiling and the full width of the car to get the case in across the diagonal??

Lots of Jazzes around at all price ranges. All economical. Friends of ours have a 2004 Jazz from new. Looks like new still.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 13:06
Small car - able to take a double bass - Wackyracer

I know a drummer who can get his whole drum kit in his Jazz.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 18 Jul 2016 06:51
Small car - able to take a double bass - NARU

Our Jazz was able to take nearly as much stuff as my landcruiser!

All because of those magic seats and a nice low floor.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 14:33
Small car - able to take a double bass - Engineer Andy

Sounds like (pardon the pun) the type of car to go for is of the 'boxy' sort, almost looking like van-ettes. Not sure if 'suitable for long journeys' (i.e. seat/ride quality/reasonable handling) will be great for those cars, given most won't have the longer wheelbase of the Mondeo or mid-size family cars.

(Obviously) she needs to makes sure she brings the case (leave the instrument at home) with her when checking out any possibles - you'd be surprised how many people don't bother to check the load/rear seat space (where required) until after they've bought the car!

Whatever they choose, best to make sure that the double bass can be securely attached to the back section of the vehicle, otherwise it becomes a heavy missile in an accident, heading towards the driver/passenger!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 16:16
Small car - able to take a double bass - Ethan Edwards

Note is a comfy car. If your DB fits in then have no worry about roominess for the driver. I had the previous shape one for three years. Great little car.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 17:26
Small car - able to take a double bass - madf

Sounds like (pardon the pun) the type of car to go for is of the 'boxy' sort, almost looking like van-ettes. Not sure if 'suitable for long journeys' (i.e. seat/ride quality/reasonable handling) will be great for those cars, given most won't have the longer wheelbase of the Mondeo or mid-size family cars.

(Obviously) she needs to makes sure she brings the case (leave the instrument at home) with her when checking out any possibles - you'd be surprised how many people don't bother to check the load/rear seat space (where required) until after they've bought the car!

Whatever they choose, best to make sure that the double bass can be securely attached to the back section of the vehicle, otherwise it becomes a heavy missile in an accident, heading towards the driver/passenger!

The Jazz has built in load eyes in the boot...invaluable for strapping down hives full of bees.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 18:20
Small car - able to take a double bass - Avant

What a double-bass needs is length rather than height. The crucial question is - does she need to carry a front passenger as well as the instrument?

If not, a Focus-size hatch or estate will do it provided it has a front passenger seat which can be folded forward. I'm not sure how secure it would be with a seat that just reclined, although you could try and see.

If she does have a passenger, then the Octavia is a little shorter than the Mondeo and could be her best bet.

Edit - one more thought: is there some way it would fit into a Citroen Berlingo? This has a nice low loading height at the back which could be an advantage.

Edited by Avant on 17/07/2016 at 18:23

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 19:36
Small car - able to take a double bass - Alby Back
Long time ago, well, relatively anyway, my wife had the original Mercedes A Class. In truth she didn't get on with it but, one of its clever features was that you could remove every seat except the drivers one thus creating a huge load area. Amazing what it could hold with the passenger and back seats removed. Might be worth a look if a short car would be an advantage.

I'd avoid the semi-autos though. Horrible. Or at least we thought so.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 19:44
Small car - able to take a double bass - Big John

Thanks for the replies thus far

I'll investigate the Jazz - they are quite pricey though

Both the Jazz and Note have clever seat tricks (rear and front)

I've got two friends who have Nissan Notes - one is on his third!

As previosly mentioneed the Octavia could be a possibility as I think the double bass will jiust about fit when you drop the rear seats and as avant mentions it's still possible to carry a pasenger. They seem to be reasonable value as well.

I'm less keen on the "van" based cars - very practical but not great on a long drive

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 20:58
Small car - able to take a double bass - catsdad

Just been out to measure our 2012 Civic. You would not get a six foot long load without reclining the passenger seat back rendering it unusable as a seat. I suspect most cars in the class will be the same.

While the magic seats have lots of good points they offer no extra length.

Don't overlook conventional estates such as the (unloved therefore cheap) Astra which I think would meet your six foot requirement. Such boxy mid sized estates are surprisingly easy to park as your rear window is pretty much at the back of the car allowing you to judge the back reasonably easily compared to cars where the back falls away.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 17 Jul 2016 23:00
Small car - able to take a double bass - Big John

Just been out to measure our 2012 Civic. You would not get a six foot long load without reclining the passenger seat back rendering it unusable as a seat. I suspect most cars in the class will be the same.

While the magic seats have lots of good points they offer no extra length.

Don't overlook conventional estates such as the (unloved therefore cheap) Astra which I think would meet your six foot requirement. Such boxy mid sized estates are surprisingly easy to park as your rear window is pretty much at the back of the car allowing you to judge the back reasonably easily compared to cars where the back falls away.

Thanks for measuring the Civic.

She has had a conventional elderly estate Mondeo for many years and the double bass fits in that! However she was trying to downsize - hence the stage left ideas

I've just been out and measured my old MK I Octavia hatch (suspect the MK II may be slightly bigger) and with the rear seats folded and front passenger seat forward a bit (still OK to sit in for most!) there is 6ft between the back of the front seat and the inside of the boot. I'll have to measure a friends MKII to check.

What is drawing my attention though are the Note and Jazz where I've seen photos where there is a long space where the rear seat have been folded and front seat relined and possibly pulled forward

www.honda.co.nz/cars/jazz/view/magic/ ?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 18 Jul 2016 06:54
Small car - able to take a double bass - NARU

What is drawing my attention though are the Note and Jazz where I've seen photos where there is a long space where the rear seat have been folded and front seat relined and possibly pulled forward

www.honda.co.nz/cars/jazz/view/magic/ ?


That could work, with the occasional passenger sitting behind the driver

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 18 Jul 2016 07:26
Small car - able to take a double bass - madf

I folded down the Jazz front passenger seat and flattened the rear and managed several 2 meter long timber lengths..

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 18 Jul 2016 10:03
Small car - able to take a double bass - catsdad
I think the useful feature of the Jazz is that the passenger seat folds down to be pretty much flush with the folded rear seats. However does the bass need a very flat surface? If it just needs length and you don't mind there being a bit of difference in levels then most medium hatch backs will meet the need, at the expense of the passenger seat.
As to bigger cars, both the previous model Focus estate and the pre 2011 Astra estate are marginally shorter than the Octavia hatch at around 4.5m long. The Astra is also narrower than the Octavia.
I've nothing against the Octavia as a car but it's worth looking at what us on the market in your price range and not ruling out cars that look too big but are actually shorter and easier to park.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 18 Jul 2016 13:15
Small car - able to take a double bass - Ian_SW
The Octavia hatch and estate are exactly the same length externally, which is why the boot in the hatch is so much bigger than a Focus, Astra etc.

If parking is difficult, the Octavia hatch isn't the best choice as visibility through the rear screen is a bit rubbish (though not as bad as a Civic!). As the hatch is the same length, you may well as go with the estate which has better visibility.

If you're carrying a passenger and want a smaller car (Focus hatch etc), it might be possible to only fold part of the rear seat and the front passenger seat, leaving the passenger sitting behind the driver. This is also much safer - if the car gets rear ended and the load completely fills the length from the back of the car to the back of the passenger seat, it will go straight through the seat and (if they are sitting there) passenger. We are specifically told at work to not put long loads in cars or vans which only just fit behind occupied seats for this reason.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 18 Jul 2016 19:16
Small car - able to take a double bass - dadbif
Not sure if it qualifies as a small car, but myC3 Picasso carries just about anything, double bass with ease..
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 3 Dec 2016 21:11
Small car - able to take a double bass - Big John

Thanks for all the responses - went for a Honda Jazz in the end. Nice 2011 1.4 ES with parking sensors and folding mirrors. Great little car although it does rev a bit at motorway speeds.

Amazing all round space for such a small car. The magic rear seats are fantastic. It's also got really good front and rear leg and head room.

One question - There is a plastic "doc" on top of the dash with an electrical connector within it. What is this used for? I've ben trying to find online some sort of reference as to any accessories that could use it?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 3 Dec 2016 21:19
Small car - able to take a double bass - SLO76
Sat nav?
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 3 Dec 2016 22:35
Small car - able to take a double bass - Big John

Presume it's something like that - but I've searched and as yet can't find anything.

It'll probably be way overpriced compared to a Tomtom/ Garmin but I'm curious

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 3 Dec 2016 22:49
Small car - able to take a double bass - RichT54

Is it like the one in the following thread?

http://hondakarma.com/threads/unexpected-item-on-the-dashboard-area.21785/live

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 3 Dec 2016 23:06
Small car - able to take a double bass - Big John

Yes, that what it looks like

Reply | Report as offensive | Link