We have 2 vehicles. Both fords, the latest is a 2009 Ford Fusion. My husband loves it but I feel like I am sitting in a hole. The other is a 2007 ford Explorer. I have to climb up into it. I like the fact that once I am in it is high up and comfortable. But my problem is climbing into it. The fusion i just flop into it. I also walk with a walker and with the fusion I have to pull myself up to get out. So far my husband hasn't noticed my difficulties. I hope this helps you. The seats are both comfortable for me.

With one that you have a problem climbing into,and one you have to flop into, maybe you too need a happy medium. ;-)

What's a comfortable seat for one person may not be comfortable for someone else. I don't think there's a short cut, you need to try different ones to see which you find comfortable. Some cars have seats that are easily adjustable in several different directions, that can make a difference.

Grandmamary, are you suggesting you have difficulty with each car but you're waiting for your husband to notice? Why not just tell him?

Cars these days are built low into the frame for safety reasons unlike cars of old. They are all a PITA to enter and exit. It's like sitting in a bathtub.

I believe that is why so many are going with smaller SUVs and crossovers. It's easier to step up into vehicle than down into one for most people. I will never own a car over a truck or suv/cross for that reason and I am in relatively good physical shape.

Although I don't have medical issues, I am a stickler for how the seat feels. My previous car was a Ford Explorer, but I wanted to go smaller, but not that small! I have the Ford Escape. I love this car. It is high enough for good visibility and low enough so that you don't have to climb up.

I agree with Snidely. It's funny. I like the escape in my town's dealership but really didn't want a white car. We went a few towns over and looked at a silver one. The seat wasn't the same!

I was hesitant, but my DH got a good deal and called me and said, it's done! said, but I don't want a white car! He said it's not white, it's pearl. So, pearl it is. It's fine and I really don't have to wash it any more than my silver cars.

I love all the updates. I hadn't driven a new car in ten years and I felt like I was in the stone age. Things sure have changed!

I have a friend who loved his old vehicle but it had a bazillion miles on it and the engine, according to a trusted mechanic, was worn out. He thought it was time for a new truck. I looked up the value on Kelly Blue Book, and the value was equal with or without a working engine! He shopped carefully, and didn't like the new cars. I don't remember if he bought a new engine or had the old one reworked, but he's doubled the millage, and with good maintenance it keeps going. The seat squeaks sometimes, and the dome light doesn't reliably come on when the door opens, but otherwise it's in fine shape.

There was a media storm a couple of years ago when Chevy killed the last of the front bench seats. If you love your current car, it might be worth putting in some money to fix it up and keep it.

Another possibility is to have a customizer alter or replace your seat. Talk to one first and get the seat fitted to your comfort, then discuss which cars it might fit in.

Maybe look at crossover vehicles, which are somewhere between a car - low to the ground, and an SUV - high.

Something like a Subaru Forester.

You can also get pads for car seats, which might help you with your hips.

I sure do miss the bench seats and think the current seats are mostly tailored to a specific body type. When I was looking for my current car, I tried the Toyota Rav 4 and the Honda CRV and sitting in the seats made my mind up for me. For some reason, the Toyota seat was very uncomfortable but the Honda felt good. However, my dh doesn't find the Honda comfy. Can't win for losing! Pllog might be onto something...

Possibly a Toyota camry.

Look at the Subaru Forester

I agree with Snidely, what's comfortable for one person isn't necessarily comfortable for another. Just went out to look at DH's Hyundai Sonata, which he loves and he's a big man. Indeed, the seat has "lips on both sides. Seems to me you could get a piece of foam, trim to fit between the "lips", and have a flatter seat, or find a seat cushion that would fit.

I'm not sure what you mean by "lip." Do you mean the seat is flat in the center but the sides rise up a bit at an angle? A lot of desk chairs are like that, and I don't like it.

If you check out the Subaru Forester (suggested above), you might also look at the Subaru Outback. That's what I drive (2011 Limited model), and it works for me. Good luck!

If you look at Subarus be sure to compare the Outback to the Forester. My friends are on their 5th Outback and drive it from NW Washington to California and back maybe 5 times a year. They tried the Forester and said the seats are much more comfortable in the Outback. They've had great luck mechanically with their Subarus and swear by them.

My sister has had both knees, hips and one shoulder replaced. Her DH went shopping for a car with seats that would be easy for her to enter and leave. They settled on a mini SUV type car. She can slide in and out easily. She only wishes that the rear door could close itself, as it does on my daughter's SUV.

It could get pricy, but a customizer could also install a hatchback closer. The big issue would be the wiring.

I read something that said that the reason they're all front bucket seats, rather than flat or bench, is that it improves the function of the safety harness. What they don't account for is that when they make the car so uncomfortable that people are stuffing towels into the "hole", they're making the cars that much less safe in reality. Legally, that would be outside of the manufacturer's liability, I'd guess, unless, maybe there was a big enough problem for a class action.

I know your situation exactly but you can't really take suggestions since their comfort won't be your comfort and people who haven't had the surgery you (and I) have had won't have a ratzsnot worth of experience or idea of what you need. Chairs that some people find extremely comfortable, you will find approaching painful to sit on for a while. I'm sure you've found that some chairs you USED to find very comfortable are very uncomfortable to you now. Head to some used car lots and talk to someone and find one who'll work with you and let you literally sit down in each vehicle. Ask friends and relatives to sit in their vehicles. But you're probably going to have another issue, that you can stand it for a certain period of time but after a while you have to fidget.

I know what you're going through. Good luck.

My aunt, who had both hips replaced, used to take a wooden yard stick with her when car shopping. She measured the distance from seat to ground and was able to avoid falling into the seat or climbing up to the seat.

Her last few cars were small Cadillacs, specifically for seat comfort.

My wife has an 09 Saturn vue, the sub thing. I hate the seats because they are flat ( no bolstering). The seats on the 2013 Nissan altima are next of kin to zero g seats.

Must try the Ford Flex! Our 89 year old neighbors have one and it is a great car for them she's about 5'2" and he's about 5'10". Both get in and out with ease. Plenty of room for his walker too, with the auto lift back door. I drive them a lot and we use the Flex, as my Dodge minivan is a bit high for her. Nice riding car I must say. Oh yeah, they have 3 knee replacements between them!

The car seats can kill the deal. The last time I went car shopping, it was because my own car had gone kaput, and I was driving my husband's Cadillac. I was very happy driving it - he wasn't though. Gave me the go ahead to look at anything and everything so I'd have my own car. And looked I did ....Jeep, Mustang, Sonata, etc., and something I can't remember but as soon as I sat in it I hated the seat and knew it was out of the running.

Unfortunately others are correct that you'll have to test the seats out yourself, which might end up being painful. If there's no rush, only check out a couple makes/models every few days or so. The good thing about asking is that someone may mention a car that you might not have considered. (Like for me, Olychick's suggestion about Subarus.) Good luck!

According to the Google search, the Chevy Impala was the last model that made the bench seats in 2013 and I can not find any of them in my area. Darned bucket seats! I really appreciate all of your comments and am making a list of your suggestions and will start looking whenever this weather gets a bit cooler and I get to a town with more choice than a GM dealership. Keep them coming!