Whats up guys, hope all is well in your world. I just recently totaled my 2000 Audi A4 1.8t and am in the market for a new car. I put over 23 thousand dollars in maintenance and upgrades into the audi over the course of a year!!! A new engine a turbo needed to be put in due to an oil sludge issue which Audi has just decided to recognize. This means i may see a good portion of that 14K repair I made to the vehicle.
Putting that whole mess behind me I now look forward...and I cant seem to get my thoughts off the crossfire. There is a problem, Im 6ft tall and 220 lbs. I went for a quick test drive and while i found myself comfortable I wasnt sure how I would feel after my daily 1hr 15min drive to work and my 3 hr weekend drives. If i sat up straight my head touched the roof. Im thinking it wouldnt be good if I hit a bump. Also, I could see the roof line meeting the windshield, and massive blind spots in the rear...I dont know, I mean the car was great on my 5 min test drive...we had to turn around to go put a plate on it but i was in a rush to get home anyway so i cut it short. The car had plenty of power the car burnt rubber when i shifted into second which put a huge grin on my face cause I havent done that in well over a year (my audi was AWD and an auto). Im thinking of the Mitsubishi Evo but its a cop magnet and doesnt have the class the crossfire has. Neither do the 350Z or the Mazda RX-8. Bottom line is guys, are any of you as big as me and go on long drives? Are you comfortable? does the roadster have more headroom? Is it good in bad weather? HELP ME OUT GUYS, I love the crossfire but i dont want to make yet another financial mistake....I seem to do this to myslef. perhaps there are more buttons on the seat. I know another test drive is in order...thanks

 

At your height the best bet would be a Corvette. The Corvette is good up to 6' 5" because one of the designers was this tall....

It also sounds like you would be putting a ton of money in upgrades even if you got a SRT-6, if you add it up you could probably be in a C6.

Now getting back to the crossfire - I am only 5' 10" and my hair touches the roof If my chair is at a 90 degree agle (I have short legs and a long torso). I have had to modify my comfort habits to get use to leaning back a little to compensate. The car is comfortable on long trips. I put in about 700 miles durning labor day - the longest single streatch was about 2 hours and it was way better on me than my SUV was. The trick seems to be getting the seats in an angle where you don't wish you had lumbar support.

I would take another test drive and take the time to see if you can get the seat into a comfortable enough position before I made any decision. I took two test drives before making a decision myself.

-marc

 

Well, I'm 6'1 and have over an inch of head room. It all depends on how you've got the seat adjusted. Sometimes going over bumps I'll feel my hair touch the headliner, but that's about it.

Overall I'm comfortable in my car. The first day I got it I noticed my back hurt after driving for an hour. I had to ask myself why the hell I bought the car. I played around with the lumbar support on the seat, however, and now it's as comfortable as anything else. I can drive around all day and not be bothered by it.

I suggest you go back for a second test drive. Really get the car adjusted to how you like it - put the seat where you like it, adjust the mirrors to how you like them, and then put the steering wheel in a comfortable spot... Then drive around for a while and see how you like it.

The front visibility is surprisingly good. You might just have to duck your head a bit to see street lights if you happen to pull up too close. Generally this isn't an issue, though. Rear visibility, I think, is crap. The rear pillars are so huge that checking your blind spots when merging in traffic or backing out of a parking spot becomes a real chore. Sometimes I just have to guess no one is there and make my move.

As for bad weather driving - assuming you get the all season tires and put some weight in the back, it should be like driving any other RWD car. If you keep the traction control on, start in second gear if necessary, and try not to accelerate too quickly, you should be fine...Driving in snow will be a big change from the AWD of the Audi, though.

The EVO is a nice car. The interior is a little on the cheap side, but mechanically it's pretty sound. It really is a different class of car, though, so can't be compared equally to the Crossfire. Additionally, if you're driving within the speed limit while obeying all other traffic laws, it shouldn't matter whose attention the car attracts.

Oh, and I don't think you'll notice any more head room in the roadster...unless you've got the top down, of course.

 

I'm almost 6'4 and I can't drive the crossfire enough! The key is getting the seat set correctly, which took me weeks to figure out the optimal way.

Try this: While your out of the car, put the back of the seat all the way forward. Then put the bottom seat down as far as it will go (front and back of the seat). Then, move the entire seat back as far as it will go. Then recline the back of the seat as far as it goes. This works a lot better than having the seat reclined but too far forward. The only way to get it to go all the way backward is to have the seat back going forward, then recline it.

-\ _\ ----> _/

If your 6 feet tall, I can't see you having a real problem.

 

Seems like everyone covered the height aspect. I would like to mention how wonderful the heated seats are, unlike some cars only the lower portion of the seat heats up. The crossfire both portions of the seat heats up and feels wonderul on your back during long rides!

 

You guys are great, thanks for all your help!!! I will do another test drive as you have renwed the fire in my soul. Just to add, i did not want to make my audi a rocket, it just happened that way. When the engine and turbo went, it was thousands cheaper to have it done at a performace shop as opposed to the dealer. By the time i crashed it my mechanic said it felt like a chipped S4, but it was still a tiptronic and i long for a 6spd. As for upgrades Im hoping that not to many become available. I was paying 524 a month for my used audi and am looking forward to hopefully a lower payment and not putting an average of 2000 in upgrades a month. Stereo and tinit will suffice, love that clutch baby!!! Anyone with bad credit get one?

 

please note that there is no lubar support...

-marc

 

The cloth seats in the base models have lumbar adjustment. The limited leather seats don't.

 

Weird. I didn't know the Limited models didn't have that feature.

 

sound like someone in marketing messed up...

-marc

 

xactsci:

You won't have any trouble fitting in the Crossfire long-term. As I've said here b4, if I can fit, then just about anybody can.

If you want a fast car and can afford a higher price tag, then nothing can deal with the new Corvette C6 (for anywhere near the price). It will smoke a 360 Modena, Porsche 911, etc. I wanted the Corvette, but couldn't justify the price tag as I'm starting a new business. I'm waiting for the Blue Devil or new Z06 variant to come in 2006 - 2007? I saw bone-stock Z06s absolutely trounce high-end Porsches and Ferraris easily. Car and Driver mag tested a $57K Corvette Z06 against a $110K Porsche Turbo and the Vette won every performance category.

The Crossfire SRT-6 puts you close to the Vette in terms of price and that's why I ranted above. If you're considering the base or limited model, then the Crossfire is still a very nice blend of efficiency, performance, and style. I really enjoy driving the Crossfire because it's unique and it delivers just enough performance to make driving fun.

Go for the 2nd test drive and run the car through its paces this time.

 

I'll be honest, im 6'1, 175, and my legs barely, i mean barely fit. my right knee bangs all kind of crap and i have to sit in awkward positions. 3 hour long drives would be a pain in the ***. that being said, i love this car and the discomfort is more than worth the enjoyment of driving and owning it. maybe the 6'4 guy or other big guys drive the auto, but the 6 speed is sorta a pain in the ***, my knee always hits the steering column. i do prefer sitting very far back in cars normally though, so maybe that is why i have discomfort, or maybe im just bitchy.
mikes 2 cents

 

Yes play with the seat.

I'am only 5'10 but I'll be 62 in about three months
and i drove mine just outside Houston Texas to Gallup New Mexico
( 1047 miles in 16 hours ) and I wasn't that tired.

The next day I drove to Vegas

Hope this helps

oldcruiser

 

Yes play with the seat.

I'am only 5'10 but I'll be 62 in about three months
and i drove mine just outside Houston Texas to Gallup New Mexico
( 1047 miles in 16 hours ) and I wasn't that tired.

Hope this helps

oldcruiser

 

i'm just under 6 feet and just under 200 and it fits fine. did houston/l.a./houston in four days over last christmas and my usually weak back was fine.

the only way i could get the lumbar support was to stress it against the rear bulkhead. if it's set right then sliding it back kinda pushes the lower back out just right. have no idea if it's a bad thing for the car.

dan

 

Buy a used SL500 or 600.

 

no more used cars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

buy a new sl5oo

 

dan...did you miss xactsci above quote? an sl500 is not feasible.

 

Then he might try shaving his head I guess.