DD suggestions for spine pain
 

Anyone here have serious spinal issues that have caused them to shop for a more comfortable daily?

I can't hardly ------- drive anymore. I've sold all the motorcycles (I'd hate the world for 4 days after every ride). I've had two unsuccessful surgeries, and don't plan on going back under the knife until it actually gets worse in about a decade. Currently I'm at a pain level I can function with and can maintain with yoga, physical therapy, chiropracty, light exercise, daily liver-pollyping amounts of ibuprofen, and some narcotics.

Anyhow, as much as I love my little Mazda2 for being fun-to-drive, economical, and useful, the mother fucker beats the living ---- out of me. I've tried different springs, spring spacers, cutting down bumpstops, lighter (Miata) wheels with more sidewall, and haven't improved on it much. I doubt dropping $1100-1700 on coilovers will net much more in the way of comfort...so I'm going to trade it in.



Priorities:

1. COMFORT

MUST ride like a cloud. Good seats, preferably either air or magnetic suspension. I hate leather in Texas, so any cars that had clothe seat options are a plus. I may replace the seat with a Recaro Orthoped anyhow if I can sell a few more projects.

Regardless of any of the above, I am shopping with the sole intent of getting the absolute most comfortable daily cruiser I can find. It would be nice arriving to work in the same shape as I walk out my door in.



2. SIZE

I have a family, so must have 4 doors. I also have a thing for wagons.



3. PRICE

$15k with <60K miles on used market

or

< $25K new


After that usual looks and mileage and driving dynamics which most of agree on follow.

-tiptronic a bonus as I expect to get a manual...constantly dipping one shoulder to shift does not help the damaged disc between C3&C4.

-RWD preferred

-near 25mpg highway preferred





I know there's decent options...but I honestly don't know how to compare across market segments since the magazines hardly do that, and I've never driven any of these.

For example:

How much better does a Cadillac STS ride than a Lexus IS300?

Will a Charger/Magnum/300C ride better with smaller, lighter weight wheels and larger sidewall tires?

How quickly will a Buick that rides nice now turn into a hoopty?






Nicest cars I've ever driven were an 18yr old LS400 and a 22yr old Volvo 240DL wagon.



I'm open to suggestions that have lots of aftermarket shock or airbag options as well.

buick or lincoln.

You're always so helpful when you actually put effort into things.

Is it the ride quality or the seat?
Is it apparent only on long drives (e.g. > 2 hrs?)

For some it's the seat and an upright position like a minivan or SUV helps.

For a friend of mine it's the seat and the shape of the seat helps, and a high miles cheap 740iL worked for him.


If it's the ride quality, you may want to look into an late 2002, and 2003 Cadillac Seville STS with the Magneride semi-active MR (magnetorheologic) shocks.
This is the cheapest used car with MR shocks.
Buttery ride, but good body control and handling.

--quote
"If you look at the sticker on the underside of the spare tire cover you'll find a slew of RPO (Regular Production Option) codes. If the car is MagneRide there will be an F55 code, otherwise F45."

I second Buick. May handle like a wounded whale, but you can't beat the comfort of a Century. And, you're likely to pick them up cheap when Grandma kicks and the kids trade it in. Regals are also nice, but a bit more expensive.

In 2005(?) I bought a loaded 1998 Century Custom for less than 9 grand with about 19k on the clock. Never put a dime into it except gas and tires. Wife loved it; I hated the thing. But, cruising on the expressway was like sitting on a couch in your living room.

Even amongst other cars in it's segment in a 7 car test Motor Trend found the Mazda2 incredible fun to drive, but the worst riding.


Hard dampers, short travel, constantly finding bumpstops. Even light ripples cause me to curse in that car though.




I just missed out on a cheap 740. May try to find another. Haven't got quite the cash together for a decent one, and they're all too old to finance.

First: Sorry to hear about you back pain. A good friend of mine has a spinal injury too and just being around him is enough to understand what a burden it is. Stay though.

The Volvo 945 (Wagon) does ride very well and has comfortable seats. It is extremly practical but extremly, ultra, violenty boring as well.

The older BMW 5-series (pre -00) ride very well if left with stock suspension and stock wheels.

I dare say that SAAB made among the best seats in the world. The rest of the car... not so much.

See my ninja edit above on 03 Caddie with MR shocks.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums...-adaptive.html

What's actually wrong with your back?

Muscle pain? Inflamed discs? What?

Try a test ride in a Buick Regal.

A relative once had one, it was ridiculously smooth as most people in here are suggesting.

Re back pain, I will throw these reading materials in here:



http://www.centenoschultz.com/tag/ortho-2-0/

http://saveyourself.ca/tutorials/low-back-pain.php

Lexus LS400 LS 430
Cadillac STS with magnetic ride control-ride was quite plush but I didn't find the seats that comfortable and the seat is more important to me than ride quality

I feel for you, I had surgery for a grade 2 spondylolisthesis in 2004 and not many people understand what it is like to have significant pain every day.

Yup.

Specifically, a Lincoln Town Car / Mercury Grand Marquis (same car, different badge).

My stepfather has the Lincoln of early '00s vintage. Air-suspension was an option on both models, and while it can at times be unreliable (both the pump itself and the solenoid valve are somewhat prone to failure), that car does have the absolute cushiest ride of any vehicle imaginable.

His car has bench seats in the front- I'm not sure if they were ever available with anything else, and while they offer absolutely zero lateral support (eg: sliding from side to side in hard cornering), they are immensely comfortable on long trips. I have driven that car from Port Charlotte, FL to Orlando and back virtually non-stop (roughly a six hour trip) and never felt uncomfortable.

It seats four adults and a child quite comfortably, and the trunk is large enough for at least half a dozen dead hookers plus 2-3 suitcases full of cocaine.

The Lexus LS was the first thing to pop into my head.

Super duper reliable, RWD, spacious, rides great from my short test drive (LS430), more than reasonable about-town power/torque. Very uninspired interior (but great quality) and zero sporting nature.

I think deep down I know that I need to get either a big Lincoln, Buick, or another Lexus. The LS400/430 is the most appealing, and will likely go the longest. Mine drove like a dream, wasn't too much of a boat, and still got 25mpg. I'd arrive at school (almost 100miles away) feeling like I'd just walked out my door. That was nice. This was a little over a year ago, a few months before my surgeries. I'm pretty sure that switching from that to an old CRX on KYBs was what convinced me something was really wrong with my neck.


Mark:

My cervical spine is an absolute mess. I've had accidents on a BMX bike (6day memory loss concussion), a go-kart, dirtbike, three downs on streetbikes, and a total of 3 serious car crashes, the worst sliding into the trees at 65mph...sideways.

Besides the knot of arthritic scar tissue from ligament damage the trauma has manifested itself as shown.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U...rakkinneck.jpg

Notice the load path shown for my neck on the right only passes through the top three vertebrae. It should pass all the way down through the C6 vertebrae .



Lol...thanks. 8 Steps is Actually on my desk. It is my bible, and my yoga teacher is my (hot) priest.

I'll give the other book a shake.


Most of the books out there seem to focus on back pain, and it's hard to find a whole lot on chronic neck pain. The spinal-health forum has been good to me, especially in learning to cope with letting things go, like motorcycle riding.

Even though I haven't ridden in a year, I still had a few projects, both mine and a friends. Had gotten it down to a GL650 (CX "flying-V") that I was going to cafe, but sold it two weekends back. Was so sad I cleared all the MotorCycling mags out of the bathroom and coffee table and threw them out.

Geez man. How old are you?

Here's another link for you to peruse:
http://www.regenexx.com/

SAAB 9-5 wagon. Rides soft, very, very comfy seats. Car is a POS though, I just dumped mine.

i had a 92 sedan deville with leather. most comfortable car ive owned to date.

If it definitely is the ride quality and not the seat thats tearing you up then I would give up all sporting intentions in the DD and go with a land yacht.

Old devilles ride like freakin clouds. I would try and find a low mileage one that was well taken care of with the snazzy suspension. I really dont like the northstar but overall I have quite a few regulars that drive them and they have been pretty reliable.

Also put good tires on it, they can make such a huge difference in ride quality. They come with a 225/60/16 and stick some Michelin Symmetrys on there, by far the best riding tire I have ever driven on.

These are the ones I like
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336522580

Is it all nerve pain, or is some of it muscle pain due to compensation for the spine issue?

What options do the docs give as solutions? My mother in law just had bone spurs removed. The recovery took a while, but she is in much less pain now.

Oooh, I like the Saab idea. Jeremy Clarkson will tell you that 9000 seats are the most comfortable he's ever sat in. And he apparently has back problems as well.

A 99-00 LS400 or 01-budget LS430 would be great. Both are awesome cars that are a pleasure to drive around. I dream of doing a 1999 LS400 with a W58 Manual swap.

Any early '00's buick will do the trick, but make sure it has a 3800 engine. The 3100 and 3400's are dogshit.

My old man owned an 04 pontiac gto for a while and those seats were facking awesome! So soft and comfy, yet supportive. They should have sourced them for the vette. :rofl:

Minivan or older buick. The newer minivans ride like a cloud, and you can haul a lot of ----. Older buick speaks for itself, the seats are like EZ-Boys. :D

Yeah you didn't seem like a minivan kinda guy but my wife's new Honda Odyssey rides really nice and the captains chairs are pretty comfy. Gets pretty good mileage although we use it almost exclusively for in town driving so I can;'t give you a good highway estimate

DJP:

The nerve pain is what gets me while driving. While I get muscular pain that grows throughout the day, it's a minor inconvenience compared to the nerve pain until it starts giving me a headache mid-afternoon and I start with the heavier drugs.

Options are the bone spur removals and disc replacement as soon as I'm to the point I feel like it's the last option. I'm holding off due to mixed reviews on both, but I try to stay open minded. I'm also cognizant that the longer I wait, the more options there are. I was told my bone spurs would likely grow back every 5yrs as it's basically the vertebrae trying to expand its footprint to compensate for not being positioned correctly. I have two more discs on their way out, and would like to wait and have them all replaced at once. My philosophy is to basically wait a decade and hopefully not need too many more surgeries throughout my life, instead of starting now and going back every few years.



Thanks for all the suggestions. It's funny how I can see a land yacht now and look at is just as longingly as I used to gaze at sports cars. All good engineering...just different purposes.



I hadn't considered a minivan. If they ride nice I will. Don't like the idea, but it's all for comfort now, and if they basically have car springs on a car chassis just with mega suspension travel then I could see how they'd be great.

On the lower end of the budget, what about a car built for fat guys to sit in all day long?

That's right, I'm talking about a police package Crown Vic.

While shopping for a low budget car for my mother, who needed rear seat space for my children's carseats, I had the opportunity to drive a couple.

The ones within her budget, and almost all P71s, have pretty high miles. They certainly were floaty, but still crashy. Shocks can be replaced easy enough though and there are some upgrade options, including self-leveling air suspension kits.

If I had a little more cash I'd be looking for a nice single owner '04 (rack and pinion's first year, along with updated frame).

I would suggest reading up on the Lotus Probax seats. There was a whole thread I stumbled upon with people raving that there back problems go away in the Lotus. Being dead serious.

^ that would kill me or make me wish I was dead. I have both sciatic (spelling?) nerves pinched off. For me pain now is way better than sittting in a humvee for 16hrs or running in 100lbs of gear all day long. My dad has had some serious spine issues, much worse than mine. To be honest he like riding his BMW K1200gt more than any car. He wears a homedepot style back brace to keep his posture right and loves it. He says (and I agree now) it's a lot better than the seats in his Stang with all the lubar stuff. He actually loves his '09 STI. It rides okay for him, but its the "huggyness" of the seats is what does it. Keeps him from getting tossed around like cars with flat seats. For us it's more about posture and not fighting factory crappy car seats. He likes my old sparcos but they are to hard to get in and out as you probably know. On a side note our old Mitsu Montero had a fully independant suspention for the drivers seat.

Side view
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336541732
3/4 view
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1336541732
this was in 1986, ours even had a shock and little handle to lock it if need be

Edit-if I remember right the little rotary knob even adjusted preload and I want to say we trimmed the bumbstop to be more linear and not hit so suddenly after an airborn landing off roading. Drivers seat was A LOT more compfy than the pass.

+1. In your price range, an early LS is the best option out there. Bank-vault quality, awesome reliability, relatively low maintenance cost, and very, very comfy (even when the kids get older).

Another vote on the 430. If I was in the market for a comfy and nice car, it would for sure be an LS430. I found a lot of respect for them in the little while that I worked at Lexus. Anything other than the LS430 would be a stupid move in my book.

...and an LSx fits.

Aw ---- yeah. Though the V8 in it could be made to be quite fun.

How about this:



http://bringatrailer.com/2012/05/08/...w-e34-touring/

Just throwing this out there: if you haven't already, consider talking to your doctor about Lyrica. For me, the only negative side effect I have ever noticed is that it hyper intensifies the effects of alcohol. I have a pretty high tolerance for my size, but the couple of times I have forgotten and taken the pill and then had one or two cocktails, it ended poorly. It's like a lightswitch from sober to holy------I'm-drunk!

I have two bulging discs that press on a nerve cluster in my lower back. I was started on muscle relaxants and other normal pain relievers with no improvement. If I forget my Lyrica, I definitely notice a huge difference.

Good luck; chronic pain is a huge bummer.

This was my experience when I owned a stereotypical Grand Marquis: literally one-owner, old lady car with sheets on the seats. Floaty, but crashy. Worst of both worlds. Mine was a '92.

Lexus GS400/430?

Comfy and fast. Not great fuel econ though.

I think I'm sold on the Lexus. I've had one before and it was the perfect vehicle, for what we use vehicles for daily.

I have debated just putting in a sprung seat. Not sure how well that'll work in in a light, stiffly sprung hatch.

Sciatic pain sucks. I do have some, but it only pops up once a month when I do something stupid. I do not envy anyone that has it bad.

I was taking Lyrica. It helped some. Wife and I made a deal, no more prescriptions (I was on 5 different things at the time, and had tried over a dozen prior). She lets me stay stoned (7/10) all day simply because it works. I vaporize instead of smoking for both financial and health reason. Helps me relax, lowers pain level without knocking it out, no violent return of pain like with Rx narcotics, and makes yoga, normal stretching & PT very effective.

It also helps me keep a positive attitude, which is honestly the largest factor in dealing with chronic pain aside from the mechanics of what is really going on.

LS430>GS400, but the GS isn't terrible. The LS is just magnitudes more bad ass. The only purpose of the GS400 is to hold a 2JZ.

ftfy




And yes, the LS is a true badass of a car...for being a car's sake and nothing more.

My wife pretty much ended the argument when we sat down and talked about it last night. She remembers our LS400 pretty well, and though I barely had it a season we knew it was a fantastic car. Literally months before I was bad enough to go into surgery I was driving that car 1100mi/wk...and arriving only slightly car-lagged.


I think I found mine:

http://www.lexusclearlake.com/Vehicl...-TX/1745189843

Just the right part of the depreciation curve for me.

This is true, my grandfather has one, and I love it.

Another vote for the LS. I drove a friends LS400 when it had like 420k miles on it, and it still was pretty nice - just a little sloppy, even on original shocks. And very comfy. He finally unloaded it at a little over 600K. Routine maintenance only. Pretty impressive..

They are for sure tanks. Out of all of the cars we had come in to Lexus for repairs, I only recall one or two 430's coming in with any kind of major issues. The rest were just there for routine maintenance or something simple like replacing a window motor or blown shock at 300-400k miles. Compared to every other car Lexus makes/made, which we had a steady stream of. I regret not having the pleasure of spending more time driving around in the 430's. The best early morning car to test drive, when you were still half asleep. Put on the a/c and turn on the radio and take it around our "test loop" and relax. :giggle:

I guess I never updated this. I've been driving this couch on wheels for quite a while now. Absolutely love it. It's a flawless car. Doesn't look or drive its age.

Thanks for the suggestions. Driving this car has changed my daily commute, which was pretty long at one point. I also drive differently, slower, more to the right, and more considerately. Being in a noise-insulated box helps. I can still carry on a conversation with my 7yr old in the back seat.