Best car during recovery from back injury

viper006

Hi all,

Was hoping afew people here could offer suggestions that would help a friend of mine who is recovering from a nasty tailbone injury. He finds driving is the most uncomfortable daily activity but its a necessary to get about.

His doctor has recommend him to get an a spacious automatic motor that would allow him to sit up straight (hes 6'2f) as well as not having to use a clutch will help take pressure off his tailbone area abit.

He has the 5k budget and is completely open to suggestions be it a diesel, SUV etc, anything from 02-03 up? any advice would be appreciated

Guy:Incognito

He'll need to go wit and drive as many different cars as possible. Someone else with a bad back might find a Volvo S80 the nicest place in the world while your mate could be in agony in it and find a Micra is the only thing hes comfortable in.

jimgoose

An old-ish Citroen takes some beating in the comfort stakes. Try one.

dgt

A big French floppy barge should do the trick

Stallingrad

Volvo seats are hard to beat for comfort, but also consider a car with a soft suspension set up, nothing too sporty. S60 Auto?

Idbatterim

auto E class maybe. As has been said, something with a soft suspension set up. With autos, there will be far more choice with the german "luxury" cars or perhaps a volvo or lexus...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/E-Class/E-200-KO/201408221851047/advert?channel=CARS

you will pick up ridiculous luxobarges for that money, but the tax will be a killer. The 5 series has minimum 2.2L engine at that price. I wouldnt recommend the 3 series, as ride quite harsh. Audis I'm not to sure about...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/S-Class/SPORT-28/201351220523101/advert?channel=CARS

noelf

jimgoose wrote: »

An old-ish Citroen takes some beating in the comfort stakes. Try one.

As long as it doesn't need a push start

Mycroft H

jimgoose wrote: »

An old-ish Citroen takes some beating in the comfort stakes. Try one.

You'll pick up a petrol xantia or a C5 for buttons these days. Cannot be bet for comfort.

And yes, they're a lot more reliable than the name suggests. No push starts needed.

viper006

Cheers, for some very good suggestions. I think he's completely open to anthing of it's spacious and comfortable. His father recommending a c-max or a scenic so I tink he was hoping for abit more inspiration though I tink 2l would be his limit engine wise.

Thank particular merc posted above looks very nice, il definetley forward that onto him.

Does anyone who drives a jeep recommend them vs a car for space and comfort or is his budget too small for a good jeep ? Any other recommendations welcome , thanks

viper006

Mycroft H wrote: »

You'll pick up a petrol xantia or a C5 for buttons these days. Cannot be bet for comfort.

And yes, they're a lot more reliable than the name suggests. No push starts needed.

Funnily enough ur not the first to recommend an old c5 for a good option. Suppose to be very spacious and comfortable though I'd have concerns on reliability like the other poster warned as well.

Mycroft H

viper006 wrote: »

Funnily enough ur not the first to recommend an old c5 for a good option. Suppose to be very spacious and comfortable though I'd have concerns on reliability like the other poster warned as well.

I wouldn't overlook an xantia either. A run out model from 99-2001 would be a good choice, anything would have been well ironed out by that stage.

The engines are pretty well on now; most were an old design that had any faults ironed out. Pretty trouble free. Same with the gearboxes.

The suspension isn't unreliable; they just need routine maintenance. They're not a "fit and leave it until it goes wrong" item like springs and shocks. They're cheap enough to service and there is more than a few specialists that can recharge them as good as new about the place.

Seats are lovely and supportive.

Electrics? They're okay. I've never had much problems with either the xantia or the C5 and I've been through 3 xantias and 2 C5s at this stage. Headlights are a challenge to change on the facelift C5 (2006 onwards) though.

dr.fuzzenstein

viper006 wrote: »

Cheers, for some very good suggestions. I think he's completely open to anthing of it's spacious and comfortable. His father recommending a c-max or a scenic so I tink he was hoping for abit more inspiration though I tink 2l would be his limit engine wise.

Thank particular merc posted above looks very nice, il definetley forward that onto him.

Does anyone who drives a jeep recommend them vs a car for space and comfort or is his budget too small for a good jeep ? Any other recommendations welcome , thanks

I have a Cmax and it is ridiculously comfortable. I have a fairly bad back and I've owned a few comfy cars (Merc, Megane, VW Transporter T3 and even a Transit Connect), but the CMax takes some beating.
The seating position is very well adjustable, along with angle and reach of steering wheel, as well as angle and height of seat. it also has lumbar support.
The seating position is nice and upright as well.
The only thing, it's fairly firmly sprung compared to, for example, a French barge (like Scenic or Picasso), so spirited driving over uneven roads may result in being bounced around a bit, but it is not too bad.

toyotaavensis

Amazed nobody has mentioned a SAAB yet.
They are very comfortable.

visual

viper006 wrote: »

Cheers, for some very good suggestions. I think he's completely open to anthing of it's spacious and comfortable. His father recommending a c-max or a scenic so I tink he was hoping for abit more inspiration though I tink 2l would be his limit engine wise.

Thank particular merc posted above looks very nice, il definetley forward that onto him.

Does anyone who drives a jeep recommend them vs a car for space and comfort or is his budget too small for a good jeep ? Any other recommendations welcome , thanks

I would recommend a Jeep grand cherokee
because of high running cost and motor tax these can be bought cheaply.

The sitting position can't be beat you can sit up right and your legs can bend down like sitting in a comfortable chair. Unlike a car where your legs are push out in front because of hight restrictions of cars.

The seats are leather heated and full electric adjustment as standard and really comfortable

because of the height you step into them rather than having to bend down to get into a car.
There is also easy exit mode where the seat automaticly moves back to allow for easy exit.
The larger springs and big tyres eat up the bumps and potholes with ease and surprisingly its very comfortable.

3 liter Diesel jeep will give same economy of a 2.5 liter petrol car

Range rover is also nice place to sit but below 5k its hard to find a good one.

unkel

toyotaavensis wrote: »

Amazed nobody has mentioned a SAAB yet.
They are very comfortable.

Comfortable seats and a nice place to be in, but the suspension would be nowhere near soft enough for someone with back problems. I'd second a Citroen with hydropneumatic suspension, alternatively a Mercedes E-class or a Rover 75, provided he doesn't need something that is more high up to get into.

bbam

I have a permanent back injury and I find any saloon style care a nightmare to sit in for any length of time..

Your friend would probably be best served with an upright sitting position where the pelvis and knees are as close to 90degrees as is possible.. But should clarify this with physio first.

Small MPV style cars would be a start.. Taller with upright seated positions. I find the seating position more important than suspension ride. I could drive my X-trail all day but 2 hours in a saloon car would murder me. We have a Citroen C4 GP and its like driving an armchair.

cadaliac

Cousin has back issues and has a Ford galaxy (sp??)
He says he can drive it all day because of the upright seat position. I really don't think a soft suspension will make the big difference that an upright seat position (as in having your legs under you as against out in front of you) will make.
I drive a Volvo S80 and I can confirm that the seats are indeed very very comfy. As for a soft suspension, look else where. It is crashy and a bit shuddery compared with the likes of a merc E class.
You really need to sit into these types of cars to get an idea yourself, or your buddy does at least.
Different strokes and all that.

viper006

bbam wrote: »

I have a permanent back injury and I find any saloon style care a nightmare to sit in for any length of time..

Your friend would probably be best served with an upright sitting position where the pelvis and knees are as close to 90degrees as is possible.. But should clarify this with physio first.

Small MPV style cars would be a start.. Taller with upright seated positions. I find the seating position more important than suspension ride. I could drive my X-trail all day but 2 hours in a saloon car would murder me. We have a Citroen C4 GP and its like driving an armchair.

That's pretty much was he has been advised. Do you think that maybe driving automatic version would help further in an MPV style car or do you find engaging the clutch in a spacious car with good high seating is enough?

bbam

viper006 wrote: »

That's pretty much was he has been advised. Do you think that maybe driving automatic version would help further in an MPV style car or do you find engaging the clutch in a spacious car with good high seating is enough?

If its a lower back injury and he does alot of driving then definitely an automatic will help.

maudgone

viper006 wrote: »

Hi all,

Was hoping afew people here could offer suggestions that would help a friend of mine who is recovering from a nasty tailbone injury. He finds driving is the most uncomfortable daily activity but its a necessary to get about.

His doctor has recommend him to get an a spacious automatic motor that would allow him to sit up straight (hes 6'2f) as well as not having to use a clutch will help take pressure off his tailbone area abit.

He has the 5k budget and is completely open to suggestions be it a diesel, SUV etc, anything from 02-03 up? any advice would be appreciated

I have suffered from this condition for the last 10 years, it's called coccydynia, which basically means dislocation of the coccyx aka tailbone. I drive buses for a living which meant severe pain when the weight is on your tailbone for any period of time. If you can get a car with height adjustment at the front of the drivers seat it will keep some of the weight off his tailbone by transferring most of the weight to his thighs. It also will help if he uses a soft pillow to sit on. The only other cure is a cortisone injection into his back which will ease the pain for about 3 months, or the last resort is surgery to remove his tailbone completely. Nothing easy unfortunately.