I'm not sure which stage of my lobotomy went horribly wrong, but it has caused me to be nearly incapable of getting out of a car. For years, no, more like a decade, I've been woefully unable to get out of a car (from any door) without straining, twisting, pushing, pulling, and distorting myself in horrible ways that would make a Yoga master blush (or be proud, whichever).

Maybe I just got that question wrong on my drivers ed test, but how DO you get out of a car? Including the sub-question, how do you get out of a car with your hands full of stuff and even more stuff under your arms? That is a notably arduous task.


Ok, so I didn't get a lobotomy, but I just finished a two hour "photo shoot" of lit buttons in the dark in my car, my eyes are so tired they feel like they're bleeding, and it took me a good 20 seconds to twist and wrench myself out of that darn car seat to a full standing position. No replies necessary, I just felt like mentioning this.

Well, I had trouble getting IN to my cars for a long time. Always seemed to bang my knee on the corner of the dashboard that protrudes past the outline of the door frame. Took me years to learn how to get around that.

You have an empeg...

...why are you getting out of the car?

I started have trouble getting in and out of the car starting when I hit about 40 (yeah, I'm an old fart!)...and I figured out what caused it!!!!
That is when I got fat...not just a bit, but like added almost 50 lbs to my optimum weight. That is also when I started having trouble with my knees about two years after that...now it is the diet and exercise...well ok...exercise and careful about eating...diet sounds so 'Hollywood'!

Well I think the obvious question/answer is: what kind of car??

For the last 4 years or so, I've been driving a Honda Odyssey, and getting in and out of the car couldn't be easier. I'm not sure how to explain it, but to get in, I neither have to drop down or climb up - it's the perfect height.

Not that in a million years I would suggest anyone get a minivan if they don't want one. I, on the other hand, am a very odd person, and love my minivan to death.

I usualy get the stuff I want to take with my together and get out and turn around and get it. It's much easier to just put everything on the back seat and open the back door to grab it all.

My dad has learned to take advantage of the seat memory of his vehicle, and presses the seccond driver button when he wants to get out and it slides to seat all the way back. Then when he gets in he presses the first driver button and it moves the seat back to the front. I think my mother has reclaimed the seccond driver position of presets, but I know he was using this for a while.

The Lexus GS (previous revision, I don't know about the new one) moves the steering wheel up and out of the way every time you take the key out of the ignition.

Matthew

My mother has very bad arthritis in her knees and can't take the good meds for it. We test drove (or more accurately, test "got into and out of" at least two dozen models before she decided - when it came out - a Honda Pilot had the perfect height and, perhaps more importantly, door width. Most of them were too narrow, and she couldn't bend her left knee enough to swing it through.

-jk

One more thing I forgot to mention, two door cars have much bigger doors than four door cars, which can make them easier to get into. I don't know when that starts making a difference, but I did know one very large person who would only drive two door cars.

Matthew

I think the obvious solution for anyone who has problems getting in/out of a car is to buy a scooter.

Sadly, two door cars have longer doors, making them much more challenging in tight parking lots. If another car parks too close to you, you need to be a bit acrobatic to get in. As a very large person, two doors are nice, but it sometimes is not pretty...

Easier, till sombody parks close to you.

It all kind of depends on the car. Some cars, like my own, I just swing my legs out, and stand up. But that's really a truck.

For smaller cars (I'm 6' 3"), if I'm lucky, I can do the same as above. However, I have also been seen going top-first -- lean out of the car, put my hands on the ground, and kind of crawl out.

Cheers,