I have a Ford Focus right now, but M wants to get a vehicle that will be more comfortable for him on long road trips, which he thinks will be our family's primary mode of vacationing. Finding an affordable vehicle that is safe, comfortable for a large dude, and still easy to park on hills (and weasel into tiny spots) is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

Subaru?

Subarus are definitely in the running, but they tend to be almost 16 feet long, and the Focus is just under 14 1/2. That foot and a half matters when circling North Beach, looking for a long enough parking spot.

I forgot to say - yay Dana on the lessening of the migraine! May that continue.

I have no car. Actually, since I've lived in the city since graduating from college, I've never owned a car. Sometimes I wish I did but, considering the parking situation in my neighborhood, it's probably just as well.

Dana, glad to hear the migraine's easing up.

Jesse, you might try getting some small makeup bags and using those in place of pockets. I've done that; if you get them in different colors, it's easier to lay your hands on what you specifically want (plus, since I usually buy black bags, I find that a light colored bag makes it easier to see in the depths of the purse).

Dana, glad the migraine's easing up!

juliana, what about a Honda Fit?

I overslept and now I feel rushed. It isn't worth it.

I have a '96 Jeep Cherokee with 208,000 miles, the first owner didn't drive it much over the 10 years he owned it. I don't have a new purse.

I did have crappy sleep, thanks hot flash at 5 AM when the alarm goes off at 7.

I'm pretty sure my friend with the Fit used it for long-ish road trips with at least one dog and one kid. I don't think it works anymore with two dogs and two kids.

Jesse, you might try getting some small makeup bags and using those in place of pockets.

Yeah, I think actually my main need is a business card holder, oddly (for business cards and loyalty cards and gift cards and etc.). So that's easy enough to buy!

ISTR Cat Talk having a section on cars that are comfortable for big guys on their site. They certainly talked about it on the show, although that would not include new models, but if there's stuff on the web site maybe it gets updated?

My 2001 Corolla has 144k miles on it, but I've only put on 5k in the last year so I'm hoping I can keep driving it for a long time. Like meara, I have gotten used to not having a car payment. In theory I could get to work/grocery store etc by bike or bus but that would require slightly more effort than driving. Just enough that I haven't made myself do it much. If I made it the norm, I'm sure I would get used to it pretty quickly and my car would be happier only getting driven longer distances on the highway once or twice a week.

I do not have or need a new purse, but I should swap my stuff into one of my other purses. It's getting too hot to carry the furry muppet one. That has no pockets at all, basically a tote bag, but I kind of like that - many pockets means looking through each one for whatever I want since I can't actually remember which pocket I put the thing in.

I hope the lesser headache goes away and the migraine stays gone, Dana. And oy on the vertigo, Consuela. You hardly need that on top of everything else.

cars that are comfortable for big guys

It's too bad Toyota doesn't make the Echo any more, because for a subcompact car, it was surprisingly comfortable for all of my 6-foot (and taller) friends. Easy to park in tiny spaces, too. (I've had a hard time adjusting to the Corolla when I have to park on the street, because I'm so used to the Echo that I misjudge whether the Corolla can fit in a spot.)

ISTR Cat Talk

Natter, all cats all the time now?