My father is in the market for a new car. He’s morbidly obese, and has a replacement hip that doesn’t do well ( and two replacement knees that give him agita too. )
He’s concerned that he will not find a car he can negotiate in and out of easily, because of his belly- and because most cars that are not huge SUV-types of cars require you to step up and out as you get out, not straight out, or down and out in the case of truly leviathan vehicles.
Any Dopers willing to share thoughts on what car might work, based on personal experience? I don’t mean to pry too far, just share some info on cars that are not a struggle to deal with- given these parameters. If this is an IMHO instead of a G.Q., so be it.
I put it here because there may well be factual data that shows that some cars are more easily adjusted in seat angle and body/legroom opposed to other cars.
My thanks in advance for the Straight Dope on this one.
I don’t know about obesity issues, but I am very tall, which made finding a vehicle a headache. There were several trucks that I couldn’t even fit into because my head would contact the ceiling, or my legs had to assume some sort of odd angle to avoid interference with the steering wheel. In the end, I purchased a used E350 van, which is a behemoth of a vehicle, but solved the headroom issue, and the seats were simply bolt-in jobs that I was able to move back a few inches from their stock position to accommodate me more comfortably. I don’t know much about cars, as far as how easily they can be modified, but vans are a pretty easy platform to mess around with.
Try a crossover SUV like a Ford Freestyle. I don’t know how well he’d fit, but it ought to be considerably higher than a car while not as high as an SUV (I’m 6’2", and I have to climb up into the Expedition I currently rent – almost too big!). Another option are the little tiny, mini SUV’s like the Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute. Don’t know how the size would be for your father again, though. Maybe even an Explorer wouldn’t be too high.
My morbidly obese uncle has a mid 90’s Town Car that he fits into adequately, but I know he struggles to climb out.
Oddly enough I was just waiting in line at the gas station behind a really large fellow (I would say morbidly obese) and he was in a SUV that looked similar to mine - an Escape. He didn’t have too much trouble gettig up and in but he did seem to have trouble settling in behind the wheel.
If your dad does go the route of a smaller SUV he will probably want to look into models that offer electronic-controlled pedals that can be moved forward. That way he can move the seat way back to accomodate his belly but still reach the pedals with his feet if they’re moved forward.
FWIW I have a morbidly obese cousin who has always driven Lincolns. He does not have bad joints tho. He drives a Taurus at the moment.
His mother, on the other hand, who up until she became immobile was pretty poorly off with her knee and back, she always drove Econoline vans. Although she had to get “up” into them she had no problems because of the handle on the door frame she could use to pull herself up. She is also quite obese.
He should check out the Ford Five Hundred. It’s got “command seating” which I assume makes it like the Focus - seats that sit high so you don’t get up OUT of them, you step out from them. It’s a bit larger than the Taurus too - and as I said my obese cousin drives one of those with little problem. One of those with the moveable pedals and he should be good to go.
I’m not wide at all, but at 6’5" finding a car that I fit in was a giant pain. I’m reasonably happy with my 2003 Chevy Malibu. (Unimpressive gas mileage and a seat-top that doesn’t reach my shoulders at all are my problems with it)
My problems were with my knees hitting the steering wheel and centre console (head-hitting cars were a non-starter). For wideness… it has quite a large door, and the 2004+ models have adjustable pedals. I don’t have problems getting up and out though.
Pickups have a lot of room (this seems to be a requirement). They also tend to have longer seats (more support under your thighs, I mean). Currently, the Chevy/GMC versions are a lot closer to the ground than their Ford & Dodge cousins, and don’t require much “altitude” change to enter. I’d recommend at least trying one, if you want to avoid climbing up (or down) into a car. Ditto for minivans (but the seats are usually a lot smaller).
My legs are so long that I can’t sit comfortably in anything smaller than a Buick LeSabre, but its seats are low enough (still normal) that it might be a problem with a bad hip.
The new Ford Five Hundred is advertised as having high seats, and that may make it easier to simply slide in and out of. I think the Chrysler 300 is similar. GM minivans are easy to get in, too, and seem to have enough adjustability in the steering wheel.
A convertible.
Seriously. I’m a big guy, both in height and width (and presumably depth too), and the vehicle I found easiest to get in and out of was one with no roof. I would step over the door, actually, but you can open it if you want. No ducking, just walk in and slide down into your seat.
Of course, this was only the case when the roof was already down. Perhaps they make them with keychain remote controls now?
Daniel Pinkwater, who’s quite a large guy, was talking about this on NPR a couple of months ago. He’s found the VW New Beetle to be very accomodating. The doors are quite large and long in relation to the size of the car. It also has plenty of headroom.
I’m a very large guy (won’t go into details, but if you need them you can email me) but let me say when I went car shopping last summer I discovered the solution was a two-door car. 4-door cars had door openings that were just too small. With the two-door, I was able to get in and out comfortably, and then with seat adjustments (sliding the seat all the way back on it’s track, and then leaning the seatback slightly back) I was able to fit comfortably behind the steering wheel.
Previously, I was in a '98 Neon. Those are no longer made in 2-door models. I’m now driving a Honda Civic 2door model.
He mentioned it on Car Talk a couple of years ago. Here is a Car Talk column with slightly more info. The Car Talk site also has a list of links for “circumferentially challenged” people.
I am 6’1" and was 335 when I bought my first Nissan Altima. I never had any problem getting in or out of it, except when somoene parked too close to my driver’s side and I had to clamber over the divided front seat. All my joints are the factory originals so I can’t speak to that directly but I do have trouble with a knee and have never had difficulty getting in and out of the first Altima or its replacement.
I’m a skinny tall dude who has headroom problems with many cars.
My wife’s Subaru Forester is quite spacious for me, and it is not a huge truck either.
I can’t say anything about the gut room, but its probably better than most cars.
A minivan may be well-suited to meet the height needs. I have a Honda Odyssey, and I like that I pretty much step directly into and out of it, rather than climbing in and out.
May not meet his girth needs. The “Car Talk” site that someone linked to earlier further linked on to a story about a loud, fat chick who couldn’t get the seat belt around her, and Honda USA wouldn’t provide a seat belt extender – although Honda Canada will – and subsequently bought the car anyway despite the full knowledge of it and then raised a stink.
The doors on two-door models are longer than on four-door models, and that can help.
I drive a Range Rover, which can be lowered while in “park”, which makes it easier for older people or others with mobility issues to get in and out. The vehicle raises back up for driving. I don’t know if any of the other SUV nameplates have this as an option. It comes in handy.
My first car was actually great for big guys. It was a 1957 Nash Metropolitan. They looked really small on the outside but there was TONS of room. I found out the designer weighed about 300 pounds but wanted a sporty car he could fit into!
These are all very helpful, keep em coming !! Just the kind if feedback I was hoping for. ( Just didn’t want to fall silent after my OP and appear to not be involved in my own thread. )
One of my sisters has arthritic knees and a bad hip, although she’s probably not quite morbidly obese since she had the surgery…and her knees are doing better as predicted, but the hip problem seems permanent.
Ok, I’m rambling sorry, the point was that she’s always driven full-size vans, not minivans because the side to side roomage just isn’t as great in a mini as a full size. Not real comfortable driving with the armrest digging into one hip and the console smushing the other, eh? The up and into of a van is nowhere near the Up and Into in a truck or SUV, either.
My sister’s got a family of five, though, and needed the extra passenger space, if Dad isn’t looking for cargo room I think he’d be better off following Lips_Obsession’s advice with a 2-door.
I work for Ford and AFAIK all our dealerships provide belt-extenders upon request for every model.
