Size matters........

[yogitunes]

This is not what you think.....

just observing the size of the person versus the vehicle they drive....

you mostly find a small skinny built guy driving a BIG truck
and vice-versa, a BIG tall man driving a tiny little car...

WHY IS THAT?....just wondering whats your size compared to the vehicle you drive....

I'm 6 ft, small build, 150lbs, in my earlier years, I always had a 2 door sports car of some sort, now I have several, a 4 door sedan, a SUV, a Conversion Van...my partner is 6'4", 250lbs, prefers BIG trucks, and BIG SUV's, he wants room to stretch out....this makes sense to me....

but to see a 7 foot tall guy slide out of a VW Beetle or a Yugo is just odd, Don't ya think?

 

[appnut]

I'm 5'8", 205-210 lbs. and drive either a 1991 Mazda 626 LX or a 2008 Ford Fusion.

 

[bugsyjones]

Being a bit tall, I HATE small cars.

I need something I can stretch my legs out in. I don't buy big cars for some macho reason, I buy them for interior space and my comfort while in the drivers seat.

When I buy cars, that is the only reason I buy it. Leg room. I could care less about fuel efficiency or environmental impact.

I don't see how some can like their legs all cramped up in a small car.

~Tim

 

[xraytech]

I am 6'5" and 2_ _ lbs, I currently have a 2001 Cadillac DeVille and a 2006 Lincoln Town Car, I buy a car with a lot of interior and trunk room, plus I feel the need for it to be just as big outside as inside. I am also not too concerned with fuel efficiency, comfort is more important, I would not consider anything smaller than a Buick LeSabre and with nothing smaller than a 3.8L v-6, but prefer a 4.6L v-8.
Hopefully by the end of the year I can trade the DeVille in on a used Buick Terraza because I have the need for a minivan for the cargo capacity

 

[MikeS]

Bear In Boo Boo's Car

I'm a bear (5'8, 260 and broad-shouldered) and have driven small cars for years. My current ride is a 2007 Saturn ION, which fits me quite well (a surprising amount of leg and shoulder room, wide cushions for the posterior and plenty of adjustments for the seats and steering column). Worst car I've ever driven in: A first-generation Kia Rio that was a loner when my Saturn suffered a rear-ender. Cramped, uncomfortable and cheap. I counted the days until my trusty steed was ready. Not my old '74 Dodge Monaco, but then, the Dodge never gave me 25-30 MPG either.

 

[jeffg]

Car interior design has come a long way in recent years. Many small cars today have surprising amounts of interior space.

 

[dynaflow]

I grew up with big cars

Being a bear myself 6' 215 I drive a 02 Park Avenue and a 96 Mazda pickup the truck i inherited, also inherited a 99 Toyota Corolla not a pretty picture me trying to get out of it but hey for free ill drive it

 

[pulsator]

I'm 6'1" 140lbs, so I'm pretty skinny, and I LOVE driving big vehicles! The bigger the better! It has always been a dream of mine to at least try driving a bus!

 

[qsd-dan]

6'1" and I drive a 99 Honda accord, 84 Toyota pickup, and 1959 Pontiac (currently apart).

I *LOVE* the big boats, and would be in heaven to daily drive a 59-64 Cadillac Fleetwood or a 74-89 Lincoln town car, but with fuel mileage around 14 MPG in town at $3.50 a gallon, no thanks!

 

[tristarcxl]

I'm 6'1 and stoutly built. I drive a 2005 Civic 4-door with a 1.7L 4 banger. I regularly get no lower than mid 30's in town and I LOVE that car.

I've got a 36" inseam, so I've got long legs......but I find the legroom in that small car is more than enough. I don't even drive with the seat all the way back. As hard as it is to believe, that tiny car has more room in it than the '96 Exploder that I traded in on it!

 

[yogitunes]

Don't forget....

Martha Stewart's book of redneck etiquette...

the truck with the biggest tires has the right of way at a 4 way stop!.....lol

 

[qsd-dan]

Wow, tristarcxl I have a heck of a time getting into my buddies 2002 civic and I have a 32 inseam and weigh at $1.45. It's either bash my head on the roof or bash it into the rear view mirror. Maybe Honda changed the geometry of the newer Civics.

 

[hydralique]

LOL, the OP's comment about people vs. car size brought back memories of years ago when I parked my first Fiat X1/9 behind a C & W bar in Dallas. I'm average size, 6' tall and at the time 180 lbs., but was wearing my favorite cowboy boots which added some height. I stepped out of the X1/9, which is 46" tall, and as I stood up another guy headed into the bar closed the door to his F-150, looked at me, and said "Son, that car is too small for you!" I had to laugh, because it did look small next to his truck, but through the years I put hundreds of thousands of miles on three X1/9s over a twenty year period and they fit me just fine.

I'm more interested in driving position than interior size. To be comfortable, I need to get my knees bent a little, and like to be able to push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor without a stretch - important in stop and go traffic. Italian cars always work well for me, while old British cars are awful - even in Jag sedans of the '90s one sits virtually flat on the floor and the pedals are a stretch unless the seat is too close to the steering wheel. However, I have a buddy who feels exactly the opposite way, and loves his Jags. Most modern cars are OK because adjustable steering columns are pretty standard.

I now have a VW Golf for everyday use. It's got lots of room in the front, which is all I care about, but isn't too big outside. The latter is important as I parallel park frequently, and also find big cars cumbersome in traffic, especially on crowded freeways when trying to change lanes. I'd much prefer to be driving an X1/9 again, but after OEM Fiat parts ceased to be available in the US and water pumps came from Poland and Russia I finally gave up. I can always get VW parts, which is a good thing as VWs break a lot.

 

[sudsmaster]

The original VW bug was always popular with tall folk because it has a lot of leg and head room for the driver. Not so much for those in the back seat, but what the heck.

I'm relatively short (5'8") and I really prefer a smaller car. I think my Dodge Neon is just about the perfect size, but it's not been as reliable as I'd like. I got an older full size pickup because I wanted something with an 8 foot bed to haul motorcycles and construction materials. It's served that purpose, but gets horrible mileage (think 11 mpg). The '67 ChevyVan I got last summer was a fluke - it's really designed for a taller driver - but I have gotten used to it and I appreciate the styling and the cargo hauling capacity. My '50 Plymouth was considered a small car in its time, but today it would rank right up there with a full size sedan. It also seems to accomodate a wide range of driver heights.

Around here you occasionally see a car with a driver whose head barely peeps out above the steering wheel. It makes me chuckle but I usually give them wide berth.

 

[norgeway]

I drive a taurus, and find it big enough for 5ft 11 225 lbs,but if it were not for gas prices ,I would be driving something with fins and pushbuttons.

 

[ronhic]

Well I'm 6'1 1/2....best not forget the 1/2" and have a 1969 Morris 1100 (Austin America) which is just over 12' long...and have no trouble driving it...

...so much so that we recently did 1600miles in 10days...

Our other car is a Holden Viva Wagon which was sold as a Chevrolet Lacetti in the UK and a Suzuki Reno(?) in the US...

The Morris is Olli....

The Viva is Westinghouse....and has about as much character as a modern fridge too...

 

[strongenough78]

I love big cars!

I'm 5'9" 155 pounds, 32 inch waist. I mostly drive my 1992 Chevrolet Caprice. 305 ci. V-8, very smooth, roomy and SAFE. Or sometimes a 1991 Lincoln Town Car. 281 ci. V-8, also smooth, roomy and safe. I just don't feel safe in small cars. I like to stretch out, as well as my passengers.

 

[thomasortega]

I am 184 cm tall and I drive a Renault Clio and a Chevrolet Spark.

In my case, i don't care about size specially when I'm looking like a can of sardines when driving the spark but saving hundreds of gallons of gas per year.

 

[alr2903]

Leg room must have improved over time, i have noticed a lot of tall & lanky, climbing out of compact cars lately. When we lived in New Orleans we always bought Nissan trucks decent ride, and high enough to get thru flooded streets, after a PM. thunderstorm. Is that not a terrible thing to have to consider when buying a vehicle?