Which car for a big guy

[happybuddha]

Hello,

I am a 6.1 and 300 lbs guy with some pain, which triggers when it wants to, in the left knee. I currently drive a Chevy malibu 04. It gets a little trouble some for me to get in and get out of the car. I have never driven any other car. I am looking to buy a car as early as possible as this car is very old and is probably dying part by part. I am just a single guy with some prospects of marriage in about a years time. Though a craze in Alabama, I think trucks are uneconomical. An SUV seems like an over kill. Cross overs are fine and from all the reviews, I like Mazda CX5. However, I wanted to swing by and ask people if they know of any other cars which have a higher seat than the Chevy malibu ? Thats all that really matters to me at the moment. I had read somewhere Toyota Yarris is good for tall and big people, but there is one in my apartment parking lot and just by standing next to it, I dont think that is a good option. Any car that you would please suggest ?
Also, Do you think the cars would be cheaper on the 4th of July ?

Cheers,

[07Camry]

HappyBuddah,

I am 6'4, 260 lbs. I recently sold my Infiniti M45 in March due to gas and the uncomfortable feeling of having to watch my head while I sat into to avoid slamming my head on the door/roof framing. I bought a Camry and it seems to have the same issue. My live-in housekeeper Just bought a Nissan Sentra. i drove it when she brought it home and surprisingly there was extra head room and it was an easy in and out. You might want to look in to test driving that car.

As far as 4th of July sales, they might say they are cheaper but at the end of the day you need to go to KBB and see what the value of the car you wish to buy and check out what the MSRP is. The ones printed on the car at dealers is bogus and obviously marked up. They tried to add a fee of 2000.00 for a simple car alarm that was included in the car but you have to stand firm and tell them you have a better deal elsewhere and see how much lower they go.
I have found that the bigger dealers usually negotiate better since they have a larger inventory and have much more room for negotiation.

One tactic that I used when I bought my Lincoln Navigator in 2001 was that I negotiated with the salesman and once they came to a set price I had my brother look at the same truck at another dealer and tell the salesman that I was at another dealer getting ready to sign and asked what was the best price he could offer without telling him what the other dealer was offering and he gave us a price of $41,900.00 compared to the $45,000 where I was sitting.

It's all a psychological game. Good luck!

[shadows]

you've never driven any other car and you want folks on the internet to tell what is the best fit for you

any reason why you wouldn't visit used car dealerships

[curtis73]

They Yaris is the same basic platform as my wife's Scion xB. Her car has room to spare. I'm 6'1" and 250. The seat is perfectly placed, and the door opens very far forward which means you don't have to bend your knee much to get in and out.

Our xB is an 05, which means its the older boxy style. I'm not sure about the 06-later models.

[curtis73]

re: 4th of July.... I was a car salesman for 7 years. Never visit a car dealership when they advertise a "sale." The ads make no promises. The ads are designed to make people walk in the door. At that point, its business as usual. If they have 1000 people walking in the door, negotiated prices go up. If you are the only person they've seen for days, prices go down.

Most dealerships work on a weekly schedule ending on Saturday. If Saturday evening rolls around and they've had a certain kind of week, they will sell a car for little or no profit just to improve their average numbers for the week.

Or, you can skip the whole dealership game... do your own research and then find something on eBay or Craigslist.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by curtis73

re: 4th of July.... I was a car salesman for 7 years. Never visit a car dealership when they advertise a "sale." The ads make no promises. The ads are designed to make people walk in the door. At that point, its business as usual. If they have 1000 people walking in the door, negotiated prices go up. If you are the only person they've seen for days, prices go down.

Most dealerships work on a weekly schedule ending on Saturday. If Saturday evening rolls around and they've had a certain kind of week, they will sell a car for little or no profit just to improve their average numbers for the week.

Or, you can skip the whole dealership game... do your own research and then find something on eBay or Craigslist.

yes and no-

by Saturday evening it's a bit to late

sale adds are not a bad thing-
I was mailed a flyer- flyer stated a 2 day sale with a $1,500.00 off
it stated- make your best deal and the discount applies
that was in October

following year- same thing
I bought the second Escape

know the terms of the sale-
best bet always
"be interested, get the best deal you can- then walk out saying you'll think about"

if you were a used car salesman for 7 years you know the facts
"if you get a bite and let them go you lose"

[diesel1962]

Buy a 1970's Cadillac!! I own one,I get 22 mpg on the highway and can still get parts for it!! Happy 4th!!! Diesel1962..

[azfirebird]

I am a big guy too 6'1 350lbs. We have a Nissan Cube. It looks very strange and small from the outside, but inside there is a ton of room. And it has great gas mileage. Plenty of head room for taller people too. We love ours. And I have been around the states in it too.

[urania]

Try 330d SE coupe, the big guys really fits on that, its a nice car. Some big friends of mine used that.

[mxmissle]

I'm 6'3", 360#'s. I've driven a Mazda MX6. 30mpg average (depends on how you drive). Sporty, (I need to lean back, way back), lasts forever (my last one had 330,xxx before I lost a cylinder and then a hurricane washed it away.) Parts are cheap, cars are cheap, it's a can't miss deal, plus you're left with enough change in your pocket to trick it out how you want.

[maggid66]

II own a 2002 sti wrx recently i had my 6speed gearbox rebuilt when we checked the level on the dip stick it was only just showing on the tip of it when the mechanic was asked y it was so low on fluid his reply was as long as it shows on the dipstick its enough and the fluid had to be drained after a week of being put in the car

[mxmissle]

Almost forgot. I took a road trip for my daughter's birthday. I had 6 15-17 screaming girls. I rented a Ford Flex. I had about a foot of headroom with the seat almost all of the way back and down (my 34" inseam legs weren't long enough for all the way back.) Cranked up the talk radio, forcing all the girls to put on their ipods and shut up, so I had a great drive to South Padre Island. Mileage was in mid 20's. Mazda CX-7 and Lincoln MKT is the same platform, but I haven't driven them.

[happybuddha]

My bad guys. Thank y'all for all the responses.
I should have posted back after I visited a few used car dealerships. Thanks to the first replier. I loved the Sentra as well as the Versa. Both of them were very easy to get in (in terms of the least knee movement (squatting) possible), compared to the 04 Malibu.However their seats are too narrow. The used Yarris I saw had no arm rests nor a console in between the front seats. Meh. The car that I loved the most was the Kia soul. It did not have a very smooth drive, I felt. The Jeep was comfortable too, but too uneconomical. The Soul is too much in demand, I will wait till I can get a better deal. Interim, I strongly feel a mazda may serve my purpose. I will check a few Mazda's out this weekend.

Cheers