Here’s the deal - Gary is an on-the-road salesman, he’s 60 years old and is getting really tired of uncomfortable cars. Can anyone suggest a super-comfy car that still gets pretty good mileage? Thanks
There are a lot of comfy cars today. How much are you willing to spend?
I have never had a better road car than my Cadillac DeVille but if you want to spend less, maybe a Buick Lucerne. It’s pretty much the same as the Cadillac but can be had with a smaller engine.
I am almost 60 and I find my New Beetle very comfortable. Someone else may find Ford Crown Victoria great, but I don’t like driving a boat.
Since comfort is such a personal thing you need to pin it down some more. Take him shopping and try out a few. I suggest not ruling out any until you try one.
I agree, it’s a matter of cost. I would probably buy a E320 CDI (diesel), about 35 mpg in a very comfy car, about $60K well equipped, if I wanted to spend that much on a car “good mileage” car. From a “cost per mile” point of view, he might want something less expensive that gets less favorable mileage. How much does he want to spend?
Seat comfort is a very individual thing, and a car that is comfortable to me or you might not be very comfortable to someone else.
I suggest test driving as many cars as it takes until you find one that meets your needs.
The comfiest car I was ever in was a Toyota Camry Hybrid, with the leather seats… it was heavenly.
Other comfy cars I’ve driven include a Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, Ford Taurus, and believe it or not, a 2002 Hyundai Accent (although I put on a padded and leather covered seat cover on the driver’s seat.)
Once upon a time we had a 1979 Olds 98 - huge, but really, really comfy.
Believe it or not, just a few short years ago we owned 2 VW Corrados. Wow, what fun! The heated leather seats were magnificent. We even participated in a VW Fall Tour where we held our own in a high performance drive - (much to the surprise of the other drivers, who were less than half our ages!) But, eventually the Corrados became too uncomfortable to get in and out of. They were simply too low to the ground.
Gary currently drives a 1998 Camry. Performance, mileage and reliability is excellent - it just happens to sit a little low. He has been looking at a Lincoln Continental.
My 1993 Caprice LS (25-26 mpg highway) is the most comfortable car I’ve owned, but 96 was the last year for the Caprice. A friend (6’ 3" 240 lbs) picked up a 2004 Crown Vic with 20k miles for ~12k, it is also a big comfortable car that’s relatively inexpensive.
Ed B.
I’m well over 60 and my wife and I have given up on cars. We have a Toyota 4Runner and a Chevrolet Uplander minivan. We find either one of them much more comfortable for long distance travel because of the seating position than we did the automobiles that we had. We owned a very nice Oldmobile 88, but I could never find a comfortable driving position. My suggestion is to rent a different vehicles that seem comfortable and drive them on a trip to see how comfortable they seem after 200 or so miles.
Good idea on the rentals.
How much to spend? Hmmmmm, good question. Since we have always been blessed with good local mechanics, we have been able to get by with used vehicles. I guess that’s the route we will choose to go - - so I’m thinking something under $20,000.
Thanks - you do realize that you’ve just given my car-nut husband yet another reason to spend every free moment cruising the car lots, don’t you!? 
Thanks
Everyone needs a hobby.
If your considering a Buick Lucerne make sure for one that you can get in and out of the car. Its seems do to side crash protection the B post are pushed forward and kick panels very thick. This means you have to get your butt deep inside the car and maneuver around the B post before dropping your butt in the seat.(seat memory option is a must if you both will be driving it, it should be standard IMHO)It may help now that I think the steering wheel telescopes so the seat can be pushed more forward without the steering wheel being in the way. Second try parking it in a couple parking spots to make sure you can do it ok. This car has a very long wheelbase therefor when pulling into a spot you may have to swing it wide knowing you will need to back it back up cutting the wheel in the opposite direction to straighten it back out before pulling into a spot. This car also has a very high green house, make sure this doesn’t bother you. Other wise its a very comfortable and quit cruiser.
If he uses the car for work, get one that is 2 or 3 years old. You’ll get most of the depreciation out of the way by then and the mileage can still be under 50,000.
Comfort comes in two ways: seats and ride. Longer wheelbase provides a better ride. We have a 2003 Olds Silhouette minivam that is very comfortable - both the seats and the ride. Captain’s chairs are great and the mileageis not too bad. We get about 25 MPG on the highway.
When I sat in a Ford expedition with the better seats, they seemed comfortable. Same with the better ones in a Chevy pickup. Cheap isn’t usually comfortable. The plain jane cars of yesterday were alright sometimes. The 76 Impala and LTD seemed good with bench seats. Chrysler seats may still be comfortable. I liked the Grand Marquis I tried. 2007 and 1992. The 2005 E-150 plastic fabric was the BEST seat and I recommend hard shoes because of the latch on the floor; sneakers weren’t too comfortable there but I survived the 3000 mile trip. I disliked the 03 Saturn Vue seats, leather, heated and lumbar breaker.
I don’t know if you would even consider minivans (any grandkids?), but the cloth seats in my '04 Sienna are terrific on long drives. It’s very quiet and the ride is great.
I’ve also driven Odysseys with both cloth and leather, and found the cloth to be more comfortable. As has already been said, it’s one of those personal choices.