First Vehicle Suggestions for Big/Tall Kid

[Joe240]

Looking for suggestions on vehicles that would be great starter vehicles for a 6’3” 280lbs kid (I say kid but he’s 18). He’s still learning how to drive and prefers automatic (blasphemy).

Backstory: Brother-in-law just graduated high school this past May. His mom never taught him to drive, got his permit, or helped him get a job. He’s not a car person because he’s from the generation that played inside on game consoles and computers. To help get him on his feet, my wife and I moved him in with us because where he used to live the area was bad and opportunities were non existent (West Pasco County, Florida - home of Live PD I’m told). Since graduation, we got him his first job working for Walmart ($11/hour to help at the self check out) making above normal pay for most starting retail/fast food jobs around here. He’s starting to save for a vehicle now, but him being so big compared to me (I’m 5’8” 170lbs) I have no idea what really fits him nicely. Between our 3 vehicles we have already (m240i, X1, ZR2) the truck is the only one that kind of fits him. I’m leaning towards a single cab, short bed, Silverado/Ram/f150 since it would provide a bigger seat/cab for him to be comfortable. Few things that deter that idea are insurance and gas.

We aren’t paying for any of this. I told him he needed to learn how to budget and manage his money so it needs to be reasonable for insurance, gas, maintenance. He already pays $20 a month for his own cell phone and makes at least $375 every 2 weeks take home (only part time work). Living in Florida will make it difficult for a young male and insurance already.

TL: DR - Brother in law buying his first vehicle. Needs to fit a 6’3” 280lb man comfortably while being reasonable on gas/insurance/maintenance. Suggestions?

[FC4]

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...ota-4runner-7/

[DerEisbaer]

Older Toyota Camry? They are great on gas, cheap & easy to maintain, quite spacious inside. I was 6' and 290 when I started driving, first car was a W123 Mercedes, then a Mk2 Golf and thereafter a bunch of VW Polos (smaller than a Yugo).
It wasn't perfect, but it had to work due to the lack of more funds.

Maybe going with sth else than a truck (Accord, Impala etc.) is another way to support the learning curve of handling your own money.

Best suggestion I can give: take him to various dealers and let him test-drive / test-sit in a bunch of cars. He can learn how to handle obnoxious sales guys and their tactics at the same time.

Good luck, please keep us posted about the final decision

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by DerEisbaer

Older Toyota Camry? They are great on gas, cheap & easy to maintain, quite spacious inside. I was 6' and 290 when I started driving, first car was a W123 Mercedes, then a Mk2 Golf and thereafter a bunch of VW Polos (smaller than a Yugo).
It wasn't perfect, but it had to work due to the lack of more funds.

Maybe going with sth else than a truck (Accord, Impala etc.) is another way to support the learning curve of handling your own money.

Best suggestion I can give: take him to various dealers and let him test-drive / test-sit in a bunch of cars. He can learn how to handle obnoxious sales guys and their tactics at the same time.

Good luck, please keep us posted about the final decision

The older “full size” sedans are similar to today’s midsize I feel. I don’t know how you managed to fit in a golf or a Polo lol. I’m sure he could “fit” in any of them. But watching him bend and fold just to fit through the small X1 doors is what I picture with most cars. He might like the impala though so I’ll look around for one. Thanks for the input

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by FC4

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...ota-4runner-7/

4Runner would be nice. Insurance may run a tad high for him, but might be manageable. Thanks

[F80Dreamer]

How about a used Mazda6...very spacious, nice interior, reliable, good diving dynamics and dirt cheap on the used market.

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by F80Dreamer

How about a used Mazda6...very spacious, nice interior, reliable, good diving dynamics and dirt cheap on the used market.

Big enough inside for a 6’3” person?

[Darth One]

All the people that size in Sflorida drive full size pickups and SUV's. They're not bad for your purposes except for gas mileage. Just make sure to smack him upside the head if he ever starts talking about lifting it or coal rolling...

[DerEisbaer]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Big enough inside for a 6’3” person?

With a lot of sedans I was able to put the seat way backwards, with a single cab this is often tricky.

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by DerEisbaer

With a lot of sedans I was able to put the seat way backwards, with a single cab this is often tricky.

With the seat all the way back though, he has to climb out of the vehicle because the door is forward of him. Like sitting in a bobcat earth mover.

[Red Bread]

When I was a kid, one of my dad's employees was about 6'8" and drive the original Honda CVCC.

I'm 6'2" and the largest car I've ever had was a Mazda 3. I would have suggested a Fit, but only as a manual.

[Germanauto]

Props to you and your wife.

[smrtypants44]

Being 6'4" myself, I find coupes to be easier to get in and out of than sedans (bigger door, more room between a and B pillar). So i'd go for a 2 dr GTI or similar.

[xander_g]

Older toyota/honda for sure. They're reliable, good on gas and wont be bad in terms of maintenance plus they're easy to work on if he decides that he wants to learn how to turn wrenches

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by smrtypants44

Being 6'4" myself, I find coupes to be easier to get in and out of than sedans (bigger door, more room between a and B pillar). So i'd go for a 2 dr GTI or similar.

This. I'm 6-4, 245 now, with a long torso. Historically, I don't fit in at least half the cars made right off the bat, and that's informed my car choices over the years, sometimes negatively. (Examples: I've never owned a Honda S2000, Miata, Camaro, or Corvette, and never will. I simply don't fit.)

Coupes are generally better for 'big' folks for the reasons stated above. So are most two-seat cars, since there's no rear seat to eat into front legroom. Thing is, most two-seaters are low to the ground, making ingress/egress harder.

My advice would be to look for a 2-door version of a four-door design: Accord, GTi, Camry (if older), Mini Cooper (yes, Mini Cooper: it's got GOBS of headroom), etc. Other tips:
- Avoid sunroofs. Most take up 1-2 inches of headroom.
- Look up headroom measurements for models online: If the measurement is under 40 inches, it will likely be tight.
- Don't automatically count out small cars. As mentioned, the Mini is incredibly roomy inside. So is the Subaru Impreza line, the Mazda3, and (surprise!) the Chevy Sonic. Avoid Hyundais (except the Genesis), Kias, and most Toyotas.

Honestly, I think a good choice would also be a Jeep, especially a 2-door Wrangler. Not the most reliable vehicle, but roomy, relatively cheap to maintain and fix, and configurable.

[Joe240]

I never would've guessed a mini cooper would have a ton of head room. I drove a loaner mini when in Germany and I don't remember it being overly roomy, but maybe with the seat back more I guess it was.

Sounds like I'll be looking for a golf or accord coupe for him to sit in. I just don't want his insurance to be high just because "coupe" makes it a racecar to the insurance company.

Thank you everyone for the input and advise. I'll take this and run with it and update when we find something for him.

[Red Bread]

Golfs will be okay for insurance, but the GTI tends to get hit with a pretty heavy premium for younger drivers. I'm 45 and it's still more expensive to insure than our 328i.

[Joe240]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Golfs will be okay for insurance, but the GTI tends to get hit with a pretty heavy premium for younger drivers. I'm 45 and it's still more expensive to insure than our 328i.

Yea that’s what I’m afraid of. It’s a balancing act of coupe with good mpg and high insurance, or an suv with shitty mpg but cheaper insurance.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Joe240

Yea that’s what I’m afraid of. It’s a balancing act of coupe with good mpg and high insurance, or an suv with shitty mpg but cheaper insurance.

Mazda CX-5? They're reasonably efficient and surprisingly roomy inside, especially without a sunroof.

[The Wind Breezes]

Vehicle??? Get that kid a bicycle he's obese.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes

Vehicle??? Get that kid a bicycle he's obese.

Dude, I've known a few 6-4, 280-pound 18-year-olds in my time. A good number of them played college football, among other sports. They were not 'obese'.

Assumptive, aren't we?

Ass. Which, I do hope, gets kicked by a 6-4, 280-pound football player someday.

[The Wind Breezes]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Dude, I've known a few 6-4, 280-pound 18-year-olds in my time. A good number of them played college football, among other sports. They were not 'obese'.

Assumptive, aren't we?

Ass. Which, I do hope, gets kicked by a 6-4, 280-pound football player someday.

Aww, sensitive much? Yes, he is in fact the very definition of obese as are those football players. It doesn't matter if you're carrying 100 extra lbs of fat or muscle, that weight is very hard on your body! The strain on your circulatory system if there is a lot of muscle is even worse. And to weigh 280 at 18, I would imagine he's got quite a lot of body fat in addition to his muscle. Football players, bodybuilders, strongmen and all the "huge mass" guys are tremendously unhealthy. Being big and strong does not mean you're healthy, it means you're powerful.

Unless you want this kid to die an early death get him to lose some weight.