Car shopping

[ufcrusher]

Why is it that car manufacturers assume that everyone who wants to drive their cars are going to be less than 6 feet tall. I have been car shopping, again, for the last few weeks and have yet to find any cars that I like the styling handling and acceleration of that I fit into. I am 6'5" and as such can fit into almost no cars.

I went to the Nissan dealership and was told that if I am over 6'3" I should look for another manufacturer. That being said, I actual fit somewhat ok in the Maxima, but hated the way it drove, handled, etc., as it made me feel old.

I went to the Honda dealership to humour a family member and was met by THE most assinine and abrasive sales person I ever met. Not only did he argue with me about the fact that I couldnt fit into a car, he made some off handed remark about how he was "not my parents" and lied about where he was from. I didnt fit into the car, havent required my parents permission for anything for over 7 years including I pay for the cars myself, and felt like hitting the guy. I hate idiots! So after showing him that I didnt fit into the Accord, he showed me the Prelude, which I didnt really fit into either. PLus the car is underpowered, has nothing to it and looks like crap. Then more out of a sense of curiousity, I looked at the S2000 which was like me trying to fit into a shoe box.

I tried Toyota, and didnt fit into ANY of their cars.

I tried Acura, to look at the Integra, which I didnt fit into. CL was no dice either. SO that left the NSX, which I think is a bit more than I wanted to spend.

I wont buy a Ford and havent gotten around to looking at the Camaro z-28 or Trans-am,( neither of which I am too happy with as in they are American cars with spotty performance)

That being said, does anyone have any suggestions? Other than chopping off my feet.

[kain9i6]

Have you tried these?? =0Þ
j/k

Get a BMW

http://www.fritzs.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/coyote.jpg

[pennypinch]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
Why is it that car manufacturers assume that everyone who wants to drive their cars are going to be less than 6 feet tall. I have been car shopping, again, for the last few weeks and have yet to find any cars that I like the styling handling and acceleration of that I fit into. I am 6'5" and as such can fit into almost no cars.

I went to the Nissan dealership and was told that if I am over 6'3" I should look for another manufacturer. That being said, I actual fit somewhat ok in the Maxima, but hated the way it drove, handled, etc., as it made me feel old.

I went to the Honda dealership to humour a family member and was met by THE most assinine and abrasive sales person I ever met. Not only did he argue with me about the fact that I couldnt fit into a car, he made some off handed remark about how he was "not my parents" and lied about where he was from. I didnt fit into the car, havent required my parents permission for anything for over 7 years including I pay for the cars myself, and felt like hitting the guy. I hate idiots! So after showing him that I didnt fit into the Accord, he showed me the Prelude, which I didnt really fit into either. PLus the car is underpowered, has nothing to it and looks like crap. Then more out of a sense of curiousity, I looked at the S2000 which was like me trying to fit into a shoe box.

I tried Toyota, and didnt fit into ANY of their cars.

I tried Acura, to look at the Integra, which I didnt fit into. CL was no dice either. SO that left the NSX, which I think is a bit more than I wanted to spend.

I wont buy a Ford and havent gotten around to looking at the Camaro z-28 or Trans-am,( neither of which I am too happy with as in they are American cars with spotty performance)

That being said, does anyone have any suggestions? Other than chopping off my feet.

If you're married to the idea of buying a sport-ish car, you are SOL, unless you can convince AJ to sell you his SVX, which, if I remember correctly, had decent legroom (not that I've been in AJ's car, but I've ridden in one before).

I think you and I are who SUV makers had in mind. Too bad the only "sporty" one available, the VehiCROSS is both ugly and small...thereby making me wonder what the point of the whole thing was in the first place.

If you want a '98 Tahoe for around $25K, I know someone selling one. It's loaded, and I was really happy with Tahoes when I drove one back in high school. LOTS of room, both legroom and room for monkey business...:)

[Aristo]

Have you tried Lexus? :D

[styleee]

what about a VW passat?
or maybe a subaru?

also, my friend who is 6'6" had a monte carlo, and he really liked it. and the new ones look sorta cool i guess.

[ufcrusher]

Well I dont know if the Tahoe is any roomier than either my old Jimmy (84) or the Suburban (94) my parents had. I got rid of the Jimmy because it was old and I had beaten her into the ground. The Suburban was becuase it was a gas nightmare and in the dozen or so times I drove her, I dont remember having that much leg room. (although I could be having a senior moment a few decades too early) As for other SUV's, the 4-runner, new blazers, pathfinders, and xterra I tried were too small. Someone recommended getting a explorer, but after my last Ford, I will never patronize their corporation again. But thanks for the suggestion of the Tahoe, I will go check one out for size. As for the other suggestions...BMW and lexus were both on my check out list. I would never own a volkswagen for personal reasons and I dont think a monte carlo is quite my cup of tea. But thanks a lot.

[pennypinch]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
As for other SUV's, the 4-runner, new blazers, pathfinders, and xterra I tried were too small

I had the exact same impression. I climbed up into both the 4 runner and pathfinder, and actually found them SMALLER than most cars. God, I hate those two, anyway. I cannot figure out Toyota pricing. For a stripped down model, you could get an equally well made, fully loaded Durango/Explorer or a base Tahoe. It felt budget and flimsy all the way around. :confused:

[giambona]

But the Durango, Explorer, and the Tahoe are pieces of crap! I'd rather pay more for a foreign car and know i don't have to worry about repairs.

[pennypinch]

Originally posted by giambona
But the Durango, Explorer, and the Tahoe are pieces of crap! I'd rather pay more for a foreign car and know i don't have to worry about repairs.

It must be fun living in the 80's, huh. Give my regards to your Debbie Gibson collection. ;)

[Space_boy]

Given that I'm only 5'11 I have no experience in the "tall" field... But I can tell you that I've noticed that most sports cars allow you to slide the drivers seat WAAAAAYY back! Might that help?? I drive the Del Sol and I like to sit back and I always have more than enough room. Other cars on the other hand I always end up hitting the slide-back limit...

Maybe try a two seater like the S2000 or Z3? Or maybe the Mustang? I don't know... Just thought I'd give you M2C!

Good luck!

[ufcrusher]

Actually with the seat as far back as it goes and with it reclined to the point where I cant reach the radio and it wouldnt look like anyone was driving....I still couldnt fit into most of those cars you mentioned. The S2000, with the seat as far back as possible, had my knees somewhere in the engine compartment. The mustang has my head though the convertible roof and my legs are bent in a way that gives me leg cramps. The Z3 didnt fit my 6'3" friend who was looking at it, so I dont think it would work for me. The reason why sports cars normally work is that most of them have unusable back seats and consequently, they go back further. With the "new" breed of smaller sports cars, they are built on smaller frames and as a result have less leg room. I need a minimum of 43.3 inches of legroom. 43.2 didnt cut it, I know i tried. But thanks for the suggestions. Trucks can generally work because of the higher seats and larger cabs that allows for longer tracks. You can extend the tracks on any car, but it nullifies warranties and additionally makes all of the safety gear become useless.

[att]

hey, everyone in the nba and a lot of the guys in the nfl drive the lincoln navigator, so i would check that out if it fits your price range. if not just go for a suburban and say f-it, you're not going to find a very sporty car for your size. although, i did read tim duncan bought a ferrari mondail recently, have you checked those out? :)

[ufcrusher]

Well, the ferrari would be nice, but for some reason I dont think that its going to be feasible. Then again, i could always just figure out a way to rob a bank and get away with it...hmmm, but those damn tax consequences. Then again, those SUV's would probably end up using enough gas to bring the cost up to the equivalent of the ferrari. Guess that might not be such a bad idea. Well I will figure it out and keep y'all updated.

[Loosah]

Have you tried SAAB? I have a 900s and a new 9-3 even with the power sunroof there is a lot of headroom.

I have had great luck with my SAAB's, my 900 is a 96 and has never had any problems and it is fun to drive.

[shaggymatt]

Your passing up on the VW is probably one of your only choices. I'm in the same boat, just a bit over 6'3", and I've got plenty of clearance in my Passat. My only issue is that with the big feet, my shoes are sometimes hitting the gas and brake pedal at the same time. My wife's Passat has a sunroof, so it is kind of tight in that one. The Audi's are smaller on the inside. I've got to crouch to ride in any Honda products that people I know have. My dad used to have a Lexus SC 400 (maybe 300, the two door sporty one?) and I really had to crouch in that car, when I drove it, I would open the sunroof. He now has a Benz E300, that car is reasonable.

We also test drove the new Subaru, and I didn't have enough legroom in that car, just barely enough head room.

Get a convertible, drive with the roof open all the time!

[ufcrusher]

Well since I got my damn ford back the other day, i have to get rid of it within 90 days, because that is all the warranty the mechanic/ parts provider gave me. So I decided to go spend a day out looking for cars again.

First stop, Honda again, because I read that the S2000 had some of the longest leg room. I had tried it quickly before, just to see if I fit, at a dealership I didnt like. This time I went to another dealership, just to try it without the high pressure jerk. Unforunately, even with me adjusting every which way, I couldnt fit.

Next, I went to Pontiac, to look at a Trans-Am convertible. WEll, apparently I grew since 1996. I fit, but its much closer than I remembered. My head is right at the roof level, and I am looking through the very top of the windshield.

Next, i went to the Chevy dealer, where I tried the sister car, Camaro Z-28 and SS, which seemed to be worse than the trans am in terms of fitting, but then again, I didnt have a convertible there, just a T-top. Plenty of power, lots of fun, but I dont know about owning a camaro or a firebird for that matter. I will always think of some "white trash" hill billy driving it. I know that is an unfair stereotype, but at the same time it does have the auroa around it. Plus its an american car. I just dont know.

I then tried a Tahoe, just to see if I fit, which I did. They told me that it was no different size wise from my old suburban. Nice truck, but that gas mileage is making me give it a thumbs down. 18 miles hi way/ 14 city is just unthinkable with todays gas prices.

I had already looked at all of the Nissans, Acuras (With the exception of the NSX I dont fit into any of them), and Hondas. I still have to go look at Lexus, Infinity, BMW, and Mercedes. But i figured some of you might want an update.

[Leon]

My theory is that ufcrusher is really Shawn Bradley.

[ufcrusher]

Who wants to know?

[Grimm]

How about a Laverda? Good gas milage, quick, you have to be able to fit. Oh, it's a motorcycle.