A Lounger's Guide To Vehicle Buying... Hatroom!

[Woodfluter]

Woo Hoo. What a topic.

Well, I'm about 6' and usually don't have problems - currently in my Nissan compact pickup or my wife's Saturn. Drive rental cars fairly frequently and always get the cheapest which is usually the smallest. Just a few of these have posed problems - not usually with headroom, but rather the *headrest*.

On the last one I rented, problem solved by removing headrest (in transit actually) and re-inserting it backwards. That way I kept the benefit of whiplash prevention (well, mostly) but lost the brim jam. Even without the hat I needed this - it pushed my head forward no matter what height I set it at! Hyundai as I recall.

But this gets me thinking. Maybe I've had less headroom problem because of how I adjust my seat? Nearly always all the way back, maybe one notch less, and then tilted back a good deal. Only comfortable on long drives when my arms are pretty much straight. That may (a) put my head farther back where most rooflines are a bit higher, and (b) lower my head height a tad.

So those who routinely have problems and aren't like 6'4", maybe you could tell us how you adjust your seat? Just a thought.

- Bill

 

[Cracker]

Honda Odyssey and Accord

I am 6-5, and perhaps tend to recline my seat a bit farther than most. I have very little problem wearing hats in my 2004 Accord, though I occasionally will brush the top against the ceiling if I sit up or rubberneck, and so have to be extra careful when wearing my panama so as to not crack the straw. I also had no problem with our 2006 Odyssey, it afforded even better headroom than the Accord.

However, I have discovered in our 2010 Odyssey that Honda has redesigned their head rests (excuse me, their head restraint system ) such that they extend forward at a sharper angle than the previous types of head rests. It makes wearing a hat fairly impossible, because I am constantly hitting the back brim against the head rest. (Note: even non-hat wearers have problems with this design. My wife sits more upright in the car than I do, and she consequently has to lean her head forward and ends up with great neck/shoulder pain in just a few minutes. A cursory google search shows that many people have this problem with the new head rest design.)

I have found a solution, however: the older type of head rest fits in our 2010 model. Until I order some older head rests off the internet, I just switch the head rests out of my '04 Accord whenever I drive the Odyssey. On a couple of occasions I have driven sans head rest, but don't feel comfortable doing it. I don't want to pull a Dale Earnhardt in a minor traffic accident.

 

[dwebber18]

Surprisingly I have no problem with my 2 panamas(only hats I own) in my 2007 MINI Cooper with a sunroof. I'm 6'4" and my hat only hits the ceiling if I adjust myself and sit up straight quickly. My only problem is when my dog is in the car and she keeps nosing my hat from the back seat, haha.

 

[Undertow]

I made sure I could wear a fedora in my recently purchased auto. It wasn't the very first thing I looked for, but it definitely wasn't last.

 

[carldelo]

Surprisingly I have no problem with my 2 panamas(only hats I own) in my 2007 MINI Cooper with a sunroof. I'm 6'4" and my hat only hits the ceiling if I adjust myself and sit up straight quickly. My only problem is when my dog is in the car and she keeps nosing my hat from the back seat, haha.

Yep, my 2004 Mini Cooper with sunroof has plenty of space, granted I'm only 5'9". Also, the door opening is quite wide, so there's no contact with the frame when entering or exiting.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I own a 2007 Subaru Outback, and the head room is fine, but wearing a 2.5 inch brimmed hat, I hit the head rest. The most headroom of any car I looked at was a Honda Fit, which is effectively a clown car. Nice engine, lots of interior room, but still a clown car.

Later

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Yeah, Jeeps have plenty of hat/headroom...but not a lot of people room. We love ours, but without the gear rack...well, you have to choose between people or gear (in our case dog or gear.) And the average height male will have to tip the seat as there are no adjustable head rests here. Not to mention, they are fairly terrible in the snow for the most part (though several different things can improve this.) Oh well, we will keep ours forever, too fun of a toy. But I really think you should actually get in one before you buy one - most people have no idea what they are getting into...though, I hear the new ones are a little better for space.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yep, my 2004 Mini Cooper with sunroof has plenty of space, granted I'm only 5'9". Also, the door opening is quite wide, so there's no contact with the frame when entering or exiting.

Im 5'10" and have an 05 Cooper. I wear my Fed III, a big fedora, in it with no probs whatsoever.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Best of both worlds, the good old-fashioned American Station Wagon. My Caprice, in all her wood paneled glory, can haul 8 people, with seatbelts, a full luggage rack, and has a tow package. Not to mention the hat room!

Yeah, Jeeps have plenty of hat/headroom...but not a lot of people room. We love ours, but without the gear rack...well, you have to choose between people or gear (in our case dog or gear.) And the average height male will have to tip the seat as there are no adjustable head rests here. Not to mention, they are fairly terrible in the snow for the most part (though several different things can improve this.) Oh well, we will keep ours forever, too fun of a toy. But I really think you should actually get in one before you buy one - most people have no idea what they are getting into...though, I hear the new ones are a little better for space.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I have a 2005 Scion tC, and have had no problems wearing a hat while driving. I'm 5'9" for reference.

 

[Neophyte]

How's about, instead of listening to us, you put on your lid and test out cars at the surrounding dealerships in your area. Find cars that fit you and your lid, and then do some research into pricing, features, safety and whatever else you're looking for in your car.
All of our opinions may not apply to you, as we all drive different cars and wear different hats.

 

[Tango Yankee]

PT Cruiser!!

PT Cruiser! Hat room and a retro look!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

This is the last year to buy one new, though. As usual, Chrysler didn't know what to do with an actual winner so they blew it again despite it being a very popular model with a strong following.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Mr. John Smith]

My hats fit well in my '09 Pontiac Vibe. Got mine as a used fleet vehicle for $12K. I bought it because the engine is a Toyota, and with tinted windows its quite slick.