Author Topic: Recommended Cars  (Read 6404 times)

cj25

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Recommended Cars
« on: May 31, 2017, 02:48:25 PM »
Is there an updated listing of reliable mustachian cars? Or does anyone have any suggestions?  Preferably $8000-12000.  Maybe 2012 or newer?  Can't be tiny or a Toyota because DH is super tall. 

accolay

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2017, 04:11:43 PM »
Is there an updated listing of reliable mustachian cars? Or does anyone have any suggestions?  Preferably $8000-12000.  Maybe 2012 or newer?  Can't be tiny or a Toyota because DH is super tall.

I'd still recommend a Honda Fit- the base model where I live with steel rims (winter salt destroys alloy wheels) and manual transmission if you can get it- it'll be cheaper. These hold their value well, so expect to pay $12k+ for something with lower milage. $8k price where I live will have probably over 100k miles.

lbmustache

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2017, 04:15:07 PM »
Interestingly Nissans seem to be better for tall people - I have two friends (one is 6'1, one is 6'5) who both drive Nissan Versas and Sentras.

Good cars in that price range:
Camry
Corolla
Civic
Accord (maybe, price doesn't seem to drop off as steeply as the Camry...)
Honda Fit
Kia Soul
Kia Rio / Forte (incl. any hatch variant)
Hyundai Accent / Elantra (incl. any hatch variant)
Nissan Versa / Sentra (incl. any hatch variant)
Scion / Toyota iM hatch (not sure if these have dropped into $12k range since they're fairly new, maybe $15k range right now)
Subaru Impreza


daverobev

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2017, 06:30:23 PM »
Define "super" tall.

I mean, if he's exceptionally tall, you're going to have to do test drives til you find something that fits well.

Also, depends where you are. Somewhere salty? Avoid Mazda, they rust quickly.

There are plenty of solid, good cars out there. Buicks are cheap if you live in Ontario, for example, as they are 'grandpa' cars and cheap to insure (Civics are the polar opposite).

How much do you drive? The further you drive, the more you'll care about both comfort and economy, paradoxically. If you don't drive much, you can afford to get something more of a guzzler if it's cheap to buy and maintain.

But yeah, the general list is: Corolla, Camry, Vibe/Matrix. You can get a hell of a lot of car for $12k.

PDXTabs

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2017, 10:48:04 PM »
I'm actually a big Mk3 Ford Focus hatchback fan. That's 2012 until the present. They don't hold their value as well as a Honda Fit, and they are at least as nice.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2017, 03:41:30 AM »
Most major brands these days are pretty good. Just have a look through the range of their smaller cars and find one which suits best.

Sure, Toyota is the generic recommendation, but there's nothing wrong with a Nissan, a Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, etc. All cars have their common issues, which is why buying something that's been around for a while is a good idea because googling '2013 Mazda3 common problems' or similar will let you know what to expect. :)

inline five

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2017, 07:01:05 AM »
Consider safety over cost. IIRC the Versa has the highest amount of people killed per year. Nissans in general are on the lower tier of safety ratings.

Fishindude

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2017, 07:06:20 AM »
If you are not a high mileage driver, get a vehicle that is comfortable first.  A few miles per gallon won't make much difference int he grand scheme of things.

shawndoggy

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2017, 11:09:03 AM »
With that budget, for ME, I'd be looking at a slightly older nice used car.  Lexus ES300 for example.  Slightly upscale, toyota reliability, great quiet mile gobbling highway ride.

SnackDog

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2017, 12:24:45 PM »
If he is that tall maybe you can remove the driver's seat in the Fit and he can sit in back.

ketchup

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2017, 12:43:20 PM »
I'd second the Nissan recommendation.  My dad is 6'1" with a long torso (has issues fitting vertically into many cars) and he bought a 2007 Nissan Sentra a few years ago.  I also know a 6'4" guy that recently got a Sentra.  They certainly seem to be a tall-guy car.

The size of the car on its own seems to have very little impact on headroom.  My dad found out years ago that most smallish SUVs have worse headroom than compact cars.  He had more headroom in my old tin can Chevy Sprint than he did in my mom's 2003 Saturn VUE.  In that car he couldn't see the horizon.  In a Hyundai Santa Fe he literally could not hold his head straight.  Definitely try out whatever you're considering, and multiple makes/models in multiple size categories.  Also, think of visibility in addition to headroom.  That varies a lot on the car and height of the driver (not a static value for a given vehicle).

Mid-size cars like a Buick are also very good headroom-wise.

ObviouslyNotAGolfer

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2017, 07:06:00 PM »
I've been daily driving a 91 Volvo 740 SE since I bought it new--nearly 26 years! (I win this thread BTW). It is our only car. If possible, I will keep driving it until autonomous electrics can take over my daily (few times a week actually) commuting, grocery store runs, etc. It is extremely reliable, cheap to own, is roomy, comfortable, looks cool (they made 500 of this model), has plenty of power (is no sports car), and is fun to drive. Visibility is superb and SHAMES pretty much any other vehicle on the road, including SUVs, which of course SUCK. 

(I am just over 6' and have plenty of clearance above my head!) Volvos were made for Swedes after all!

If you really want something cheap that will run FOREVER, try to find a late 80s or early 90s 240 or 740 series. Of course, you want single owner, low miles, well maintained, etc. You may need to put a couple thousand into it up front, but after that, sit back and enjoy the savings. (Gas mileage is respectable but not great--emissions readings on my car are phenomenally low!) Registration and insurance cost me very little in addition.

« Last Edit: June 01, 2017, 07:18:02 PM by ObviouslyNotAGolfer »

Bicycle_B

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2017, 07:23:17 PM »
I knew a biiiig old dude, about 6'4" and beefy, who swore that his Scion was great for very tall people. 

I think there are different models.  Ymmv, so to speak.

Sarah Saverdink

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2017, 08:11:10 PM »
Prius. We have a 2005 Prius with over 200k miles and it's still going strong. We bought it 3 years with 105k miles for $7k. You can definitely find newer model years in your price range. DH is 6' tall and fits fine.

Clean Shaven

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2017, 07:43:09 AM »
Don't think it's been stated here, and may be obvious, but -

Cars with sunroofs usually have lower headroom. Try to find non sunroof models.

ketchup

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #15 on: June 02, 2017, 08:07:07 AM »
Prius. We have a 2005 Prius with over 200k miles and it's still going strong. We bought it 3 years with 105k miles for $7k. You can definitely find newer model years in your price range. DH is 6' tall and fits fine.
When I was at a Toyota dealer a few years ago (witnessed my SIL getting bent over pretty badly on a new car), I sat in all three "sized" Priuses.  Headroom-and-visibility-wise, the PriusC is pretty lousy for a tall person, the plain-jane Prius is passable, and the PriusV is actually decent.  So with Priuses, it scales pretty linearly.  All three of those cars (at least 2013+) though are designed with a backup cam in mind, so if you don't have it ($$$), you get kind of boned on rear visibility.

neo von retorch

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #16 on: June 02, 2017, 08:15:29 AM »
How tall exactly? So far, it's been my experience that the Honda Fit works for people up to ~6'3" or so. (I'm 6'2" and owned two first gen Fits for a combined total of 6 years.) My wife's Corolla (2010, well within if not below your budget) is actually just fine for me to drive as well.

bobechs

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #17 on: June 02, 2017, 08:39:59 AM »
Un-armored Humvees are pretty cheap now:

http://www.govplanet.com/Humvees


cj25

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #18 on: June 02, 2017, 09:21:49 AM »

neo von retorch

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2017, 09:31:16 AM »
Ha ha ha ha - yeah. No. No cars. See above convertible Jeep or get a Toyota Tundra or some other obscene truck :) Sorry I'm no help!

FiftyIsTheNewTwenty

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2017, 09:35:15 AM »
As a Matrix driver I can vouch for plenty of headroom.  It's basically a tall wagon version of a Corolla.

However, I'm not pleased with how it has held up. At 100,000 miles and 9 years, the suspension feels rickety, the ride is poor, and there are plenty of rattles and buzzes.  It took almost 200k for even a Saturn to feel like this.

wenchsenior

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2017, 09:46:21 AM »
How tall exactly?

6'10

I have a friend that is that height...he's not mustachian, though. I suspect he drives a large truck (haven't seen him in a while). If you want, I can email and ask...

inline five

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #22 on: June 02, 2017, 09:55:36 AM »
As a Matrix driver I can vouch for plenty of headroom.  It's basically a tall wagon version of a Corolla.

However, I'm not pleased with how it has held up. At 100,000 miles and 9 years, the suspension feels rickety, the ride is poor, and there are plenty of rattles and buzzes.  It took almost 200k for even a Saturn to feel like this.
You know you're still allowed to replace suspension and steering components on cars these days, right? They haven't outlawed that yet...

I did a complete refresh on my '95 with 160k on it - well overdue, typically struts and steering components will last 100k miles and then need to be replaced. It completely changed the car and brought it back to life.

Clean Shaven

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #23 on: June 02, 2017, 10:21:50 AM »
How tall exactly?

6'10

"The answer is always Miata."

(With the top down.  Wear a hat in winter.)

Optimiser

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #24 on: June 02, 2017, 01:22:48 PM »
This is on the wall in my office.

aceyou

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #25 on: June 08, 2017, 01:40:04 PM »
Haha, you are the first person I'm NOT recommending a prius to...6'10"...dang:)

VolcanicArts

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Re: Recommended Cars
« Reply #26 on: June 08, 2017, 11:19:01 PM »
My mustachian car is a 2009 Ford Focus. Super good gas mileage and very low maintenance. I've probably saved thousands over the years driving that vs. a different car. That's not to say when I hit a significant financial goal say 500k that I won't splurge a little on a Dodge Challenger Hellcat or something :)