vehicle for tall driver

[NeilBlanchard]

I am 6'-4" and my brother is 6'-6". His thighs are the difference in our height - my inseam is ~36" and his is ~38". I fit in a Scion xA or xD, but my brother doesn't fit comfortably. He drove a Honda Fit (2nd gen), for a while, and then got a Mitsubishi i MiEV. He now drives a BMW i3 and has more room than any vehicle he has ever owned.

A Smart ForTwo has a lot of room.

[Xist]

My nephew once commented that I did not have much head room in my Forester. He told me I could never wear a hat. I regularly wore my fedora to Church on Sundays.

Kids say the darndest things.

I liked the car, but the hoses and plastic bits are biodegradeable and soy-based; I needed to replace a number of them, spending $600 on hoses alone, not counting labor, etc. Then there was the bad head gasket.

[Xist]

My nephew once commented that I did not have much head room in my Forester. He told me I could never wear a hat. I regularly wore my fedora to Church on Sundays.

Kids say the darndest things.

I liked the car, but the hoses and plastic bits are biodegradeable and soy-based; I needed to replace a number of them, spending $600 on hoses alone, not counting labor, etc. Then there was the bad head gasket.

[talldriver]

so far, haven't found much in my area, most of the cars mentioned that are available are about a two hour drive away and even though we have some decent sized cities near where i live there's not alot of selection if you don't drive one of the big three. I'll keep looking and if i don't find anything local very soon i'll take a trip! Have tried a couple different vehicles so far, mainly cars but with my hip it's tough to get in and out of. So i guess i've gotta get something that has a little height to it. Another thing I've found is most modern bucket seats the side cushions dig into my hip and cause problems, so i'm also looking for a fairly flat seat cushion.

[Poodwaddle]

If you are willing to work on diesels one big car option would be a Mercedes 300SD or SDL. The SDL is longer by a few inches (L stands for Long) and has a few aluminum parts in the engine that give it better MPG. Non-hypermilers claim 30+ with the SD and a few better on the SDL. I have often wondered how good a hypermiler could do... maybe put some fender covers in back and a fishtail.... ahhhhh now you are cooking with... um... diesel

Craigslist has many of these SD and SDL for around $2000-3000

[talldriver]

Poodwaddle

are there certain years that are better than others? I've never even ridden in a mercedes so i'll put it on my short list but i need some ideas on which ones are good bets.

thanks

[freebeard]

VW Baja bugs use a body lift kit that adds 2-3" between the body and pan. It's done for fender clearance in Class 11, but adds interior volume. The suspension lift makes it as easy to slide in and out as a pickup truck.

[Poodwaddle]

The SDL was available only in 86 and 87 I believe. The engine was a 3.0 Turbo diesel 6 (engine 603). The aluminum head made the engine lighter, but if it ever overheated then it might have warped, so check for that when buying. The thing about buying a Mercedes is to be careful. They are such beautiful cars that it is tempting to overlook the defects. To fix a "Minor" problems can cost as much as the car is worth. The best Mercs were owned by grandma who drove it 2 miles per week. It is one of those cars where you can get a bargain...or a lemon with little visible difference. Do a CL search for "SDL". I am really not sure if the same engine with the same aluminum parts was used on the SD in any years, perhaps '88+ it was.

[pete c]

that 6 pot benz oil burner was a turd. A friend of mine had one. Cracked heads every 80K or so, he said. It made nice power and good mileage, but the maintenance would kill you. If you want to look at an old benz, the 240D or 300D with the all cast iron 617 5 cylinder.

But remember, these things are elderly. Even the very well maintained ones will require lots of maintenance. These vehicles are old enough to run for president. Every last hose will need replacing, electrical connections will fail. They are without doubt, fantastic cars, but if $$$ are a concern, I would walk away. Make that run away.

[talldriver]

freebeard, love the idea, friend had one for years and i know alot about them
i had the same idea, just don't know if i can drive a manual due to hip/shoulder issues, although i may try to find an old bug and see if i could drive the clutch ok.

i will keep the mercedes in mind, we get some dirt cheap ones around here and almost nobody works on them around here. but i would have to find it super cheap as i know parts are pricey.