Best car for bad back

BrianJD

Jimdagym wrote: »

I tore a disc nearly 2 years ago. Couldnt swit in my megane after that. It was like being stabbed. Driving her focus (06) a fair bit and thats very comfortable. Drove to sligo and back in the one day and not a bother on me.

I'm also driving a focus saloon 06 and I find it has really comfortable seats. It's also been commented to me a few times how good they are. I'm sure they must be some of the best for this class.

Jimdagym

Saab Ed wrote: »

I can say this without any bias what so ever. Any Saab

Only been a week, but I am agreeing with you!

cozzie55

Also another thought some cars which offer sports seats can be good for a bad back as they give side support unlike most regular seats which tend to be flat with no support on the sides.

celticcrash

Dont buy a Nissan Almera, I had one and it had the hardest suspension on any car I drove. Tyres can make a big difference, touring tyres have reinforced side walls, no give, making them a very uncomfortable ride.
Your local tyre dealer will know whats best.
I find the bigger and heavier the car the more comfortable ride.
Give me a merc any day.

Bigus

Try the back shop in exchequer street Dublin first.

alias no.9

In something if the same predicament. Had an op last November. My E39 had to go through a combination of me not being able to get in and out too easy and me really not being able to get two small kids in and out at all. We're more than two months making do with Mrs. Alias' Scenic but I'm getting close to being back on full time hours so really need my own wheels again. I know I need an MPVesque seating position preferably mated to an auto box but I really don't want any of the options that fit that bill on a bangernomics budget. Keep convincing myself the right Forrester will turn up but getting awfully close to a CVT Nissan Tino. Maybe a Vel Satis would rescue me if I had the nerve.

rebel.ranter

I had a discectomy in Septembr 2010 & a car with a high driving position was best I found. I was fortunate to have access to a 2009 Land Rover Discovery automatic, I found that to be best for my back post surgery.

My recommendation though is to get your ass as quick as possible to a good physio that knows about dealing with patients with back problems. The longer you leave it the harder the recovery will be. Also I recommend Pilates as ameans to building strength to protect your back. A good physio will do both.

Good luck.

tuborg_man

my father has a bad back and he loves driving my fiat scudo, he sit's up straight, now this obviously doesn't help you much unless you want to buy a kinda crappy van, but no harm in trying

bbam

I suffer with a degenerative back condition and recently changed from a Passat to an xtrail, the more upright position is brilliant.
As is her Citroen GP.

I'd say your looking for a more upright driving position with decent seats, adjustable lumber support.

I can easily do 3-4 hours behind the wheel in her Grand Picasso but 40-50 minutes in the Passat was killing me.

duckysauce

http://back-shop.com/our-products/for-the-car/

djimi

This might not help much but from my experience by far and away the best thing for bad backs are Recaro seats. Anyone who gets into my car will say they are the most supportive car seats they have ever sat in.

BigEejit

Jimbob 83 wrote: »

Lol edit thought you said bad "Luck"

Honda Accords have nice seats from what i hear as do the new Corsa's

Honda accord seat is nice alright, but getting in and out of them kills me any time my back is playing up. It needs to be higher.... possibly a CRV or something.

Guy:Incognito

Nissan doctor wrote: »

No one could know what car will have a seat to suit your specific back problem IMO.

Would some sort of specially designed support for whatever car you have not be a better idea?

This covers it.

What could be great for one person could cause another excrutiating pain.

It's goign to be a case of tryign for yourself and finding what suits.

Yakuza

Damokc wrote: »

Seriously though something like a honda HRV or Qashqai maybe?

+1 on the Qashqai as a potential one to try (of course, you need to see for yourself). I got mine when the missus was about 5 months preggers, and she was much more comfortable in it due to the higher seating position than that of my previous car (E46 320i). She had a few back issues due to the pregnancy and the QQ's seats brought her some much-needed relief.

Personally, I also noticed it was much easier to lean into the car to buckle up the kids' seatbelts / harnesses as you're not bent double while doing so - and I'm not particularly tall (178cm/5'10").

I still miss the 320i though, from a performance point of view, but that's for another thread

inforfun

djimi wrote: »

This might not help much but from my experience by far and away the best thing for bad backs are Recaro seats. Anyone who gets into my car will say they are the most supportive car seats they have ever sat in.

This.
And probably cheaper to change a seat than an entire car.

If your chair at home isnt comfortable, you are not going to move house, are you?
No, you chunk out the chair and buy a proper one.

dgt

In 2009 I damaged my back in an excersise. Don't call me biased but for me at my price a set of Alfa momos was the way to go. Fits in my van, suitable for long distance driving, very comfortable with lumbar support. My 166 has the same seats (albeit with a few electric controlls and airbags) and its just a wonderful place to sit. Would recommend any Alfa with momos

alias no.9

inforfun wrote: »

This.
And probably cheaper to change a seat than an entire car.

If your chair at home isnt comfortable, you are not going to move house, are you?
No, you chunk out the chair and buy a proper one.

Access can be as big a problem as the seats.

randy hickey

As someone who suffered from bouts of fairly nasty back trouble over the years (none recently, touch wood), the only car that I could do a long journey in without feeling it, was the Lexus Gs - aided and abetted by a fully electronically adjustable seat with lumbar support.
Ironically, I found the seat in the Isuzu Trooper to be quite harsh on the back.( Maybe this had more to do with the way I had to twist getting in and out.)

randy hickey

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Heated seats make a huge difference!

Yeah, forgot about that too!:D

Mycroft H

Saab Ed wrote: »

I can say this without any bias what so ever. Any Saab

+1

Can say without a shadow of a doubt that Saabs have the nicest seats in the motor industry.

To contrast the recaros in a Legasy that I was passenger in, while supportive laterally, were not doing any favors with lower back support.

GERMAN ROCKS

i would say try the french route. any of the big peugeots and citroens usually have lovely seats such as a 407 or c5 in a higher spec.

anthony4335

Currently am having a problem with my back, and cannot drive my E46 convertible, it is killing me. But my subaru legacy (05) is a dream, especially with the heated seats. But I would recommend a Saab 95, best I have ever sat in. I am considering changing the E46 to a 93 convertible at the moment.

Rich11

As much as i like to slag them off..... drove me mates 02 renault laguna, first time i ever drove one, there last week, and my god was it comfy, seat, placement of the center arm rest, driving position, everything:o

Way more comfy then my astra..... but i still love her:D

fasttalkerchat

Rich11 wrote: »

As much as i like to slag them off..... drove me mates 02 renault laguna, first time i ever drove one, there last week, and my god was it comfy, seat, placement of the center arm rest, driving position, everything:o

Was just about to suggest the same car. Also there was a heated seat option on them.

Lex Luthor

my chiropractor recommended to me that Jap cars tend to be in the majority more comfortable than other makes
I can vouch that in the Legacy and my wifes Verso is also great for my back
Brother in law just got himself a 99 Colt and even the seats in that are actually very comfortable
just my 2c

shawnee

Rich11 wrote: »

As much as i like to slag them off..... drove me mates 02 renault laguna, first time i ever drove one, there last week, and my god was it comfy, seat, placement of the center arm rest, driving position, everything:o

Way more comfy then my astra..... but i still love her:D

All renaults are comfortable , unfortunately their reliability is far too questionable ! Focus is very comfortable and has a high seating position too.

MattChiro

As chiropractors we think the Skoda Yeti is best for backs. It has a high ride height and you can get it with 16 inch wheels (important!).

ba_barabus

MattChiro wrote: »

As chiropractors we think the Skoda Yeti is best for backs. It has a high ride height and you can get it with 16 inch wheels (important!).

Agreed. I love taking out the one we have for a drive

2ndcoming

knobblyknees wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance when it comes to cars, but isnt there some issue with Saabs at the moment? Someone mentioned something about a difficulty getting parts for Saab and that scared me off.

Sadly SAAB filed for bankruptcy and were bought out by a Chinese company last year, from here on out they will produce electric cars in SAAB shells. The parts side of the company was not bought out and is in a kind of Swedish equivalent of NAMA so there is an issue with mechanical parts that looks like it won't go away. Given that they were never a very common car on the roads this will present a problem when seeking any SAAB made mechanical parts.

It definitely seems like a weekend long test drive is a good idea, I'd recommend an automatic with cruise control to keep the moving around in the seat to a minimum. Really it'll be whatever seat fits him best, trial and error.

dh0011

unfortunately, i have had seriousl back problems myself in recent years. my mothers car a skoda superb is a killer. it has a rock hard suspension so the bumps just go through you instead of the car.
In terms of comfort i think citroen is the class leader but they are not reliable cars