Finding a good used car that's also comfortable

People often make assumptions about cars. Anything with a prestige badge is expected to be more comfortable, for instance, than a volume-selling mainstream model.

But that's frequently not the case.

It's an important point: Don't buy a badge expecting comfort will necessarily come with it.

Ask for advice from someone who is a well-informed influencer – and preferably one without a lot of entrenched prejudice against certain products and brands. Make sure that person, your adviser, understands the sort of features you want in your comfortable car.

Imagine your influencer advises that you buy a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL from 1976, and your first question is: "How do I pair my iPhone to it?"

For many drivers, comfort begins and ends with the seating. But the softest seat in the world won't suffice if you're sliding around in it or bracing yourself under brakes or in corners.

Furthermore, the cushioning may be so very soft that there's no support for the bits of you that need it – like the small of your back, which is also known as the lumbar region.

If the seat is too close to the wheel, but too far away from the pedals, that can become very tiring on a long drive. That's particularly the case in a manual car, with a clutch pedal as well as brake and accelerator. You'll find yourself constantly adjusting the seat travel according to whether the car is on a long, open-road drive, or a short trip to the shops around town.

Don't forget headroom in the back for passengers either. If you have teenagers of a certain height, they'll quickly tire of feeling cramped. Once the kids hit puberty, the rear seat of a Mustang is no place for them, sad to say.

There's the hip point to consider also. Is the ground clearance of the SUV you want too high for the young ones in the family when they're climbing in the back? Or is that mid-life crisis MX-5 too low for your sixty-something wife with her arthritis?

Ergonomics are an important part of driver (and passenger) comfort. But it's more than just how the car fits you.

How about the controls? Are they in easy reach when you have the driver's seat set up appropriately? Do you find it easy to read the instruments at a glance? Will other drivers in the family, or friends and colleagues struggle to operate the vehicle correctly because it's a pig's breakfast of a layout for the driver?

What about noise, vibration and harshness? Too long behind the wheel, with that unstinting roar from the tyres hitting the road and you'll feel fatigued sooner rather than later. Do the headlights illuminate the road without you feeling like you need to lean forward and squint in the glare of the blazing light from on-coming cars?

The car's field of vision is important. If you are constantly on edge because the blind spots make it hard to change lanes or overtake safely, that will leave you disgruntled pretty quickly. Find a car that has that well and truly sorted.

Climate control is more a necessity than a luxury these days. Be careful to test a car's system on warmer days before you go ahead with a purchase. Many cars from Europe (and a few from Asia) just don't cope with even a Melbourne summer, let alone the all-year heat in the tropics.

If you enjoy a comfortable ride, for heaven's sake don't be sucked in by the salesperson telling you how good those big alloy wheels and low-profile tyres look.

Do test the vehicle for its impact on every one of your five senses. Even smell. The cheapest cars from the past were often saddled with the most toxic chemical smells from their cheap vinyl.

That not-so-special new car smell should have faded after a few years under the Aussie sun, but that's not to say you won't encounter the smell of mould or rotting food where one of the little dears has left a carton of flavoured milk under the seat.

Here's a tip: When buying a car, try to abscond with it for at least a good hour of driving. A five-minute test drive just won't tell you enough. After 60 minutes you should know whether the seats will suit you or whether there are any idiosyncrasies that will result in buyer's remorse. If you can test a car longer – over a weekend, for example – that's better still.

• Assemble a list of factors that are important to your comfort
• Compile a list of vehicles that should meet your comfort needs
• Ask someone (an 'influencer') to sanity-check your shopping list
• If you're serious about a car, ask the owner to take it for an extended drive
• Bring along a dispassionate friend or relative to help assess the vehicle
• Consider all factors that might be annoying or fatiguing on a long trip
• Don't be sucked in by electronic gadgets if the car is in other ways unsuitable
• Listen to advice from those who know