Please help - big car advice.

DigForVictory

I adore my Mondeo. So much space - although with the back seats down, you will need to pad the victim in carefully - sofa lengths of high density foam are light & easy to get hold of.
The other perk is there are So Many, spares are a doddle & you can be picky about condition!

bigjl

The V50 is an excellent car.

But i don't think you could consider it roomy.

Probably the safest bet would be a Zafira. Avoid the 1.9cdti, especially any within your budget. And stick with a simpler 1.6 or 1.8 petrol engine.

A leftfield choice could be a Honda Shuttle or the Jap imort version the Odyssey.

They are simple and reliable but will use more fuel than smaller mpvs like the Zafira

As already mentioned the C Max is spacious and ased on the Focus/V50 platform.

Again go for a manual petrol engine for simplicity

tberry6686

If he is in a full length cast then getting in and out of the car is the hardest part. I'm 5ft 9 and was in a full cast a year ago and struggled getting in and out of a 2 door car - 4 door was virtually impossible without turning into a contortionist.

huggermugger

tberry6686 - you've hit the nail on the head. The only way for him to get in is to go in from the driver's side, backwards across the back seat, which is why I need a car with the required width. Thanks for all the suggestions.

almillar

Peugeot 1007, Citroen Berlingo (don't call it a people carrier) and others have sliding doors, new Vauxhall Meriva has front and back doors which open opposite ways, all of which would aid access, anything in your budget or could be hired?

Oldfatgrumpy

How about getting a quote for a regular pickup from a local friendly taxi company that runs a disabled minibus. Seats can be put in/positioned to suit son's needs and it will have a wheelchair ramp for easy lift into the back. Overall the cost may be less than the emotional one of having to buy not-quite-your-ideal-vehicle.

forgotmyname

Most family sized cars will have the room in the front for a straight leg cast.

Getting in and out maybe a bit of trial and error. But the cars with the most legroom i have ever owned.

MGB GT and a Rover SD1. Mate if a touch over 6'4" and he could stretch out his legs in the MG and not reach the end. And that was not pushing the seat all the way back either.
SD1 was equally as spacious. I put some 12' scaffolding tubes in across the seats and into the footwell and shut the boot with room to spare.

Weird_Nev

As a side note, a lot of Japanese cars are specifically designed so that if you put the front seat right forwards, and remove the head rest and fold the seat bak flat, they marry up perfectly with the rear seat squab, forming a flat bed the length of the car. Subarus and Mitsubishis certainly do this. Our Pajero can be configured so that if you do that with both the front seats, and fold the back seat flat as well, you have a fully flat padded 'bed' in the entire interior of the car.

Something to do with paper thin walls and close living conditions in Japan meaning it's useful for people to have a portable 'bed' sometimes, apparently.

westwood68

Tilt wrote: »

Maybe one of these?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201311129851113/sort/priceasc/usedcars/postcode/wv46hb/page/1/body-type/estate/radius/1500/make/alfa_romeo/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/price-to/2500/price-from/2000?logcode=p

Or not...

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability/search/2

Lets not get into an argument about Alfas being reliable; you can't argue with the facts in the reliabilty index.

I know they *can* be very reliable if very well looked after but all it takes is one previous owner to be negligent and they suffer more than many other brands.

forgotmyname

Weird_Nev wrote: »

As a side note, a lot of Japanese cars are specifically designed so that if you put the front seat right forwards, and remove the head rest and fold the seat bak flat, they marry up perfectly with the rear seat squab, forming a flat bed the length of the car. Subarus and Mitsubishis certainly do this. Our Pajero can be configured so that if you do that with both the front seats, and fold the back seat flat as well, you have a fully flat padded 'bed' in the entire interior of the car.

Something to do with paper thin walls and close living conditions in Japan meaning it's useful for people to have a portable 'bed' sometimes, apparently.

Standard fitment for Tokyo traffic jams maybe? TV incar entertainment system with games console, Bed, Shower and a toilet?