car shopping - of the unplanned sort

[Guest guest]

Hi Kam,

Yikes.....you are on elucky girl! I hope the pain subsides quickly and there are

no long term consequences for you...although no doubt there will be financial

impact no matterhow you cut it. And yeah...when I saw the post/header

thismornign I thought it was going to be Suzanne again...weird...two in a few

weeks in OKC. Must be spring fever or something.

I suspect that vehicles are going to be one of those subjective things...kind of

like sleeping surfaces...as different as each of our fusions are...but FWIW I

can not abide the position that the new headrests put me in...I am sure it has

something to do with the height of my torso vs. where the top of my fusion

is...but so be it. Last fall we were shoping for an economical commuting car for

my husband. I will use it...but rarely...so we didnt feel my comfort was

paramount. The salesman said the new, forward pushing headrests are now standard

and required on all new cars...so that may be new since you last shopped. My

solution is to use a firm small pillow behind me that just takes me a tad off

the headrest. Whatever cars you test, I would suggest you bring a pillow with

you in case you want to experiment.

Good luck...good healing.

Take Care, Cam

p.s. For the record, the newest purchase was a Honda Accord which is pretty

comfy, huge trunk...fits Petes road bike nicely, but probably not pet friendly.

I still drive a '98 (original version) of the Honda CR-V, which I love because

of the higher seat, and big doors...also good visibility. Also have a Ford

Ranger truck....hate it....its high enough but the seat is terrible for me.

[Guest guest]

Kam,I had to reply to your post but for a funny reason. I currently have a Saturn Vue, and as we all know the Vue is no more, nor is Saturn. I first fell in love with the Vue many years ago (it's pretty old and I'm pretty short) because I could slide into it easily - straight across, so to speak, rather than having to sit low in a sedan or climbing up into a full-size SUV. I also felt quite safe in it because it was a small SUV, I had plenty of room for groceries, garden plants, etc. that were easy to load without too much bending, and of course Saturn was well known for good mileage and excellent service. Needless to say I was disappointed to see the entire car division go away. Here's the funny twist to this: I have pretty much decided that when I have to buy a

new car I'm getting an HHR!! I too drove a rental once and it was very much like my Vue (a little smaller) with all of the above attributes that were important to me. With a now fully fused back (T1 to S1) comfort is the most important, with amenities second. For instance, I would very much like to get a rear-view camera on my next car. Anybody have one? Happy to hear that you survived without major problems, and good luck with your car search. It's not one of my favorite activities ...Felicia Kramerhttp://anotherbrightidea.etsy.comwww.feliciakramer.blogspot.com

[Guest guest]

Kam,

I cant remember which car it was, but we were in FL and rented an American made

SUV...I believe it was either the Chevrolet Equinox or the Ford

Edge....anyway...I really was comfy in it...so if you are on either of those

lots maybe you can sit in one of each.

I guess the only other thing I would put high on my list if I was you is the

vehicles crash test ratings. Lets face it, you have had two accidents in fairly

short order....clearly OKC is full of opportunities to get wrecked. My advice is

that you make sure that whatever you buy doesnt crumple like a tin can in the

event that you are unlucky enough to have another accident. Even if its loses a

little to fuel economy if its bigger and beefier, it might be well worth the

price, ya know?

Take Care, Cam

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Kam, for the tips about the HHR and other potential vehicles. I printed out your post and will keep it for when I start shopping. Ironically, the two things you don't like about the HHR are present on my Vue also! The window controls don't bother me; the angle of the windshield does. I don't think they are enough to stop me from buying any car though. And you're right, aesthetically the HHR isn't much - my sister told me she HATES how it looks - but like you comfort is the overriding factor for me. Call me weird, I think the HHR is cute!Thanks for the info. Felicia Kramerhttp://anotherbrightidea.etsy.comwww.feliciakramer.blogspot.com

[Guest guest]

Hi Kam,

I have a 2007 Toyota Highlander and I love, love, love it. It fits

me perfectly. I get in the car by first standing with my backside

facing the car interior and the bottom of my backside touched the

bottom of the seat, so I don't have to bend to sit down. Moreover,

the headroom is high enough that I do not have to bend to get my head

in the car. Perfect! And the seat is comfortable. The car has radio

controls on the steering wheel, and the newer models come with a rear

viewing camera. All the controls are comfortable to reach. I may

never, ever, trade this car for another.

Sorry you had this accident, but happy you're ok.

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

I have a Ford Explorer and very happpy with it...V-6 so it is better on the gas

than my Durango V-8 with a Hemi that I sold. When I go to the dealership I take

an Edmunds.com report also a Sunday paper to have them meet other dealers

prices. It will tell you what you should pay. Also they try to tack on a

window etching fee..it has the VIN number etched on the windows. I asked them

to take the fee off since I did not request it and they did. Also it is better

to go and get your financing aranged at the bank before you go. Do not tell

them " what you want to pay monthly " , this is a trick to sell it to you at the

highest price or highest intrest they can get away with. I had to walk out of 5

dealerships (of course 4 of them called me non stop after I left...but finally I

found a dealer that was straight with me and did not play as much games:) I

hate buying cars, but you can save alot if you do your research before hand!

Warren from Dallas

>

> Hi Kam,

>

> I have a 2007 Toyota Highlander and I love, love, love it. It fits

> me perfectly. I get in the car by first standing with my backside

> facing the car interior and the bottom of my backside touched the

> bottom of the seat, so I don't have to bend to sit down. Moreover,

> the headroom is high enough that I do not have to bend to get my head

> in the car. Perfect! And the seat is comfortable. The car has radio

> controls on the steering wheel, and the newer models come with a rear

> viewing camera. All the controls are comfortable to reach. I may

> never, ever, trade this car for another.

>

> Sorry you had this accident, but happy you're ok.

>

> Bonnie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

Thought I would chime in on the recent car topic. On March 7th I hit a tree and

totaled my car. I have been under a tremendous amount of stress the last few

years. I'm also still healing from reconstruction done Nov 2009 & dealing w the

new pain of a totally degenerated neck & carpal tunnel/nerve compression in the

arms & lingering but much improved pain issues in the back/legs. Apparently,

the stress/pain caused my potassium to drop & I passed out resulting in my

hugging a tree. Thankfully, after a thorough check by the ER Dr & a CT appears

my neck/head took brunt of impact & the reconstruction should be ok. Still have

to go back to Emory to have it checked.

Having said that, the 2 most impt things in a car for me are comfort/safety &

power seats. With a spine fused T2- sacrum and a soon-to-be fused neck bending

to adjust a seat is almost impossible. I ended up w a Chevy Trailblazer. Only

considered used cars because of money but also they don't have the AWFUL new

headrests.

Sorry for rambling. It's so comforting to know that there is a group of people

who really understand living with chronic pain and the other issues associated

with severe scoliosis.

Praying all of you have a day filled with joy & peace.

Cindi

Tallahassee, Fl

Bonnie Stone <bonnie@...> wrote:

>Hi Kam,

>

>I have a 2007 Toyota Highlander and I love, love, love it. It fits

>me perfectly. I get in the car by first standing with my backside

>facing the car interior and the bottom of my backside touched the

>bottom of the seat, so I don't have to bend to sit down. Moreover,

>the headroom is high enough that I do not have to bend to get my head

>in the car. Perfect! And the seat is comfortable. The car has radio

>controls on the steering wheel, and the newer models come with a rear

>viewing camera. All the controls are comfortable to reach. I may

>never, ever, trade this car for another.

>

>Sorry you had this accident, but happy you're ok.

>

>Bonnie