Pedal extenders for gas and brake pedals are available. That way the driver’s seat can be set at the farthest back setting to allow access and egress to and from the vehicle and to maximize distance from the steering wheel and its airbag while allowing the driver still to have safely usable access to the gas and brake pedals.
How about a vehicle with front bench seating, preferably one in which the bench seat can be moved back a good distance
And one which also had a telescoping steering wheel
Wasn’t the Toyota Avalon available with front bench until just recently?
But I was really thinking of american mid-sized or full-sized cars. Because they also tend to have a column shifter
Not sure about other models but the Chevy Impala was available with split bench seat and column shifter up through either 2012 or 2013 models. I had a 2007 Impala with that configuration. However, one friend six feet tall with very wide shoulders and weighing in excess of 360 pounds had trouble getting in and out of the car because the doors weren’t wider than average. Perhaps a two door model full size sedan would suit your needs with wider doors than four door cars?
Also, perhaps a pickup might suit your needs. Last I knew, many of those still have bench or split bench seats with a column shifter.
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Thanks Marnet, I was not aware of that.
I’ve had the chance to check out the Impala and is okay once in it. Problem is the car sits too low and is like climbing from a womb. It is a snug fit and okay for occasional use, but not comfortable enough to use more than a couple days at a time.
It might work for other large bodies, but to this point the only thing I have found is the Nissan Quest 2012/2013. I have yet to check any of the older ones.
Then the Impala is not the car for you
In my opinion, a car needs to be comfortable enough for daily use. Otherwise you’ll be miserable
What about the SUV’s and trucks with bench seats, like Suburban, Silverado, Tahoe?
I can’t imagine that real people actually performed that operation on themselves
Seems like a really sick joke
Aw, @barkydog, I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by your joke, but I don’t think it helps Odie with his car needs.
Did you ever find a car that’s a good fit! I have a 1999 chevy Suburban , 1992 chevy Caprice, 2016 Nissan Versa its a small car but it will work! How I know I’m also 500+ pounds 539 to be exact!
I ended up getting a 2007 Nissan Quest. Looks like the Nissan Quests 2007 to 2016, as far as I have tested, have the best room. The height of the vehicle is perfect for my height to get in and out of. The distance between the steering wheel and the door opening is wide enough that I can get into it. There is no center console which allows for more leg room.
Test sat trucks/cars/vans at every dealer in a 30 mile radius. Did a couple used lots as well, but generally I was looking for something on the newer side.
Did recently drive a 2015 Ford Transit, which was a little snug and a little low, but otherwise doable.
The issues I generally run into are the following:
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Door opening is too narrow. Steering wheel sits at a point that narrows the door opening. This is with adjusting the steering wheel and seat before hand.
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Center console makes seat width non-negotiable.
I want to thank everyone that gave feedback and hopefully this information helps someone else out in a similar situation.
Are you sure you wouldn’t be better served by a larger vehicle with more robust suspension, brakes, powertrain, etc.? Must it be a car? Something like a pickup or an SUV would, it would seem, be much better able to handle a man of your size.
PostScript, I mean no disrespect and make no judgment, it just seems like a more robust vehicle would serve you better. A crewcab would not only provide room for the family, it might also provide more interior space and room to move the seat back. Modifying it to accommodate larger girth would also be easier and less costly I would think. This should be done by a pro to ensure that the seats are properly able to handle the forces in an accident.
No disrespect taken. It didn’t have to be a car, I was open to anything that fit the primary requirement of me being able to get in and be comfortable. I will admit I don’t recall trying out too many older trucks/SUV’s, but everything a dealer (used and new) had I tried.
Thanks for understanding.
I have other medical issues (degenerative disc disease) that cause me to have a great deal of difficulty finding a vehicle. One thing I’ve learned that applies to my condition is that coupes work much better than sedans. sedans have shorter door openings and B-pillars that make entry and egress much more difficult. In coupes I can sort of roll into and out of the seat through the long openings. In coupes the B-pillars and short openings get in the way. I’ve also found that newer seats with larger side bolsters make entry and egress much more difficult.
I don’t have any idea if this would help you, but I did want to pass on the information.
Back in 1960 I had a friend who badly broke his leg and needed someone to drive him back and forth to work for a long time and he hired me. I was working nights at a trucking company but did not own a car. His car was a 50 something Vauxall Victor.
I was 6’ 3" back then and 270 lb, most of my height is in my legs. I took the bus to his house the first day and could not get behind the wheel. We took the front seat out and I drove it from the back seat with a pillow behind me.
I have a great deal of difficulty working on a ladder because the distance from the sole of my foot to the center of my kneecap is exactly the distance between two rungs so I can’t get my knees inside the ladder.
I used to be 5’ 10.5", until they made me take off my shoes at my last physical, I lost an inch on height. Sure gravity is taking it’s toll, hate all the hairs jump off the top of my head and plant themselves of the tops of my ears and on my nose, could not believe my Ford Ranger 2dr pickup truck gave me more leg room than the voyager or windstar, Big van and the seat only goes back to here!
Gotta look up Vauxall Victor, that name does not ring any bells. But I suppose Winther motors, my favorite bad snow machine with spiked wheels was before your time. @oldtimer-11
Back in the late '50s, because Vauxhall was a British GM product, they sold them in The US through Pontiac dealers. That was the same period when the Opel Kadett was sold by US Buick dealers. Those arrangements came to an end when GM came up with compact cars that were designed for the US marketplace.
I recall seeing a few Vauxhalls and a few Opels tooling around our town when I was a kid, and I remember the Vauxhall Victor as looking vaguely like a miniature '57 Chevy. The most pronounced styling feature of the car was the placement of two very dramatic ridges along the front of the hood.
