Narrow sill, semi low, sporty cars?

On my never ending quest to find a companion fun car for my '91 Miata I've discovered some of the critical criteria that I've been missing as necessary requirements.

Most of you who follow my arcane, bizarre car requirement threads will remember that I use a wheelchair to get around.

My Miata is nearly perfect, narrow sill to allow me to swing my legs out, low enough to plant my feet on the ground, making the transfer back into my chair doable. An inch or 2 higher would be optimum, but my vanity would in no way, shape, or form allow me to raise the Miata 2 inches And since the a/c is long since gone I've been craving something with a few more amenities.

I tried a Conquest TSI, but the doors only opened about 10 degrees and the body cladding created a deeper sill than was easily workable for transfers....and the seats were like sitting on pieces of plywood.

Another nice thing about the Miata is the seat base relative to the sill level, damn near equal....so a 'short' hop in would still result in a somewhat easy 'hop' to get into the seat. My ZX3 was miserable in that regard...a short hop left me in a gulley between my chair and the driver's seat.

I've been eyeballing Boxsters, but they are out of my price range, and FC RX7 drop tops, although a power top is on the very top of the amenities list.

I'm open to ANY suggestions.

thanks guys, mark

E30 BMW? The 325is is huge fun and easy to mod and the 318is get amazing fuel economy. Great seats, plenty of room behind the seats to stow the chair. I'm on my sixth one now, so I'm prejudiced. 2760 lbs, great steering, big greenhouse so you can see out. What's not to like? Check out E30tech.com for smart information.

IIRC, he's had an E30, and didnt particularly like it. Something to do with the steering wheel location not being adjustable?

Maybe I hang out on this forum too much to remember stuffs like that.

Irish, I had a 325i drop top last year. I loved the looks, but unfortunately the bus style, non adjustable steering wheel angle played holy hell with my right shoulder. My right hand/arm handles the steering duties, while never leaving the steering wheel, residing in a hand grip. So cranking up and around 12 o'clock was beyond uncomfortable. A tilt wheel that could be adjusted to nearly perpendicular with the floor would be optimal.

failboat - that's one helluva memory!!!!

FC RX-7?

Dave, Yup...on the list http://terrehaute.craigslist.org/cto/3110008215.html

I may be completely out to lunch here, but... people seem to complain about Fox Mustangs because they feel they're sitting "on" them instead of "in" them. If I understand you correctly, that's exactly what you are looking for. Have you ever given one a test sit?

mthomson22 wrote: Dave, Yup...on the list http://terrehaute.craigslist.org/cto/3110008215.html

I hate to be a downer, but i don't think you'll like that if you drive it. Automatic RX7s are pretty awful, in my experiences.

Stealth, I prefer the 'sitting in' to the 'sitting on'. A driving position similar to the Miata would be ideal.

HalfTrac, How so? Gutless Wankel at low r's?

mthomson22 wrote: HalfTrac, How so? Gutless Wankel at low r's?

Pretty much. It might be ok with some mild-ish modifications though.

If it were a vert i'd flat out tell you not to bother.

Data point: The S2000 is tougher to get in and out of than the Miata. The door begins further back so it's tougher to get your feet in & out.

It does have you sitting slightly higher and there's more room inside but you'd need to check out the door entry & exit.

You really need to be able to row the gears to truly enjoy the Wankel.Or add a turbo...

carguy123 wrote: Data point: The S2000 is tougher to get in and out of than the Miata. The door begins further back so it's tougher to get your feet in & out. It does have you sitting slightly higher and there's more room inside but you'd need to check out the door entry & exit.

Agreed... the Miata isn't great to get in and out of (especially with the top up), but the S2000 is downright TERRIBLE even for me.

Not available in an automatic anyways, though.

And Honda saw to fit to only offer a proper gearbox in the S2000

I know the C4 Vette has the world's widest sill, but that may play to your advantage? By being so big (and totally level with the seat) you could use it like a shelf. It might be worth a try, anyway.

I was tempted to say C4, but my concern would be that you're going in and down a little. This photo isn't great but you can probably make out what I am referring to:

That said, I would consider it one of the few sporty cars that work pretty well with an automatic and the quicker rack that ours has (Z52 package) might make it a little easier to drive for Mark.

Mark - potentially stupid question, but do you have to stow the chair in the back of the car as well? That would rule out a C4 convertible at least as they don't have an opening trunk.

BoxheadTim wrote: Mark - potentially stupid question, but do you have to stow the chair in the back of the car as well? That would rule out a C4 convertible at least as they don't have an opening trunk.

The rear hatch in a C4 has to be at least as big as a miata trunk although the lift over height would be much worse.

C4 Targa gives the hatch plus an open top.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

Std C4, then? Then man-handle the chair over the passenger seat into the rear space? The panel roof is sort of like having a convertible.

That said, from the few times I've been in any Vette, ingress/egress is not a strong selling point.

In reply to JThw8:

I think the hatch and trunk space in a C4 coupe is bigger - my comment was solely referring to the C4 convertible. That trunk loads from the inside of the passenger cabin and I can just about see how I as a reasonably able bodied person can get a wheelchair in. Maybe, but only with nobody in either the passenger or drivers seat as you'd probably have to fold both forward for reasonable access.

Ian F wrote: In reply to BoxheadTim: Std C4, then? Then man-handle the chair over the passenger seat into the rear space? The panel roof is sort of like having a convertible.

That's not a bad idea.

Ian F wrote: That said, from the few times I've been in any Vette, ingress/egress is not a strong selling point.

Well, it's better than my Miata with bucket seats, but not by that much. But the higher sill that you can actually sit on might actually work in Mark's favor if the door opens wide enough.

http://huntsville.craigslist.org/cto/3073545956.html

This but swap to automatic.