Best Car for Bike Owners?
 

I find myself in the market for a new car. Need to pick something up fairly soon.

Would be interested in hearing what you like and dislike about your vehicle in terms of bikes.

I usually carry only one bike. Was thinking used Toyota Venza or Honda CRV.


-Tim-

Either of those would work. They are known reliable cars too. You will get mini van recommendations here, but it's up to you if you want to drive one. I would say give the smaller Chevy and Nissan SUV's a look as well.

I have a Ford Explorer. Not the new crossover version. Mine is from before they moved to a car platform. I love it for sports. My son plays youth sports year round and my Explorer handles everything just fine.

I have no personal opinion but a friend has been shopping for a new car in the same category as you. He is leaning heavily towards a Toyota Rav4, I am not sure the reason but I know he does his due diligence.

I know minivans are not cool by any stretch, but that are incredibly useful. They hold a lot and fit more people. Though you take a small of a hit on mileage.

I was typing my mini van recommendation as you posted this.

My boss' husband just got a Nissan Rouge and really likes it so far.

Depends a bit on how far and where you drive. Both yours sound good.
I think you want to keep them inside the car?

I am partial now to big trunk cars that can take two bikes - and + if it is a Diesel. The bike stays both inside and out of site.
I think the Camey would do that.

I have a 2001 Civic 2 door that I purchased 5 years ago with 106,000 miles for $4500. It now has 256,000 and still gets 39mpg on the highway. The AC is freezing cold, the heat works and it has a cassette player so I can use insert and play Pandora from my cell phone over the audio system.

The rear seat folds down and I can easily get a bike in the trunk as long as I remove the front wheel. Both my road and MTB will fit so the bike is protected from the elements, low overpasses and being rear ended.

And it's low buy in and low cost of operation allows me to comply with Rule #25 .

//The bikes on top of your car should be worth more than the car.


When it dies, i'm thinking of replacing it with a used Subaru Impreza... if the price is right. I already confirmed that the bike fits in the trunk.

Many of the crossover and small SUVs are deceptive in terms of size since they appear to have a lot of cargo space, but you really need more length and not just cubic volume. Some hatchbacks have more space than some crossovers.

With the front wheel removed, a road bike will fit in the trunk of most mid-sized sedans. As long as you're only going to transport one bike, buy the car that suits you best, not your bike.

Here's an idea---take the bike with you when you test drive the car(s) and see whether it'll fit inside. ;)

I have a $30 bike rack on a '97 E320. If I don't secure the front wheel it'll flap around. If I'm doing 80+ the bike will start to act as a flag in the back and lift up. All other things considered it works 100% correctly.

I'd get whatever is cheapest for you - you don't need an suv or crv... a civic would work fine. More important question should be what rack do you plan on using?

Do you want a roof rack, an attach to your trunk rack (what I have), or a hitch rack?

I'd rule out a roof rack because I don't want to climb on and off the car or remove the wheel everytime I hook her up.

Trunk rack is OK and will get you by, not most secure.

Hitch rack is probably the goal for stability, not having your garage eat your bicycle, and ease of use.

Put a hitch rack on literally anything and enjoy. Unless you're trying to stash your bicycle INSIDE of your car.. then yeah sure get yourself a CRV...

but I'd wager to say that a hitch bike rack with a locking mech is probably harder to steal than a bicycle out of your crv..

Busting a window is easy - pulling a few locks apart would be more a pain in the butt.

I've got a 2008 Honda Fit. The back seats go down completely flat, and in that configuration I can get my road bike in the trunk without removing the wheel. I also have a 2004 Civic coupe, and can fit my bike in it with the seats down and the front wheel removed. As long as you're not expecting to be able to fit 5 people and a bike, pretty much any small car can fit a bike in it, and if not, they make racks.

Not for nothing, but if your bike is worth anything, you may want to keep it locked up inside. That means NO BIKE RACK.

I have '15 T&C Mini van. Leather and nice inside.

The advantage to me is that I can toss the bike in the back, and not have to worry about it if I decide to make extra stops while I'm out.

I can also carry tools, building materials, furniture, and almost anything else I might need to move, haul, store, buy, or repair.

After driving a few smaller SUVs (including the CRVand RAV4) I bought a Subaru Outback. Nicely equipped for the price and I can fit my 29er in the back with the back seats down. I have a rack on the top in case i am carrying passengers and need to put my bike on top. Have had it for a year and really like it. Only downside i found is it has a powered rear liftgate so I didn't want to put a rack on the back and block the gate.

I have a Subaru Forester. Really good in the snow and ice here, and on some of the worst dirt roads. (I'm a hiker, too.) I can fit my bike in the back with the wheels still on, size 58. I'm a little too tall to sleep in the back but wouldn't want to.

What's your budget? A used Venza or CRV could mean 10 years old or 1 year old.

I know lots of bicyclists with Honda Fits. This is a small economical car with a huge cargo capacity. You can fit 2 bikes inside pretty easily by just removing the front wheels.

I'm not getting an outback. Forrester would be nice. Hadn't thought of the Impreza. Do they still have the 2.2 liter engine with the head gasket problems?

Aint getting a Merc either.

Just getting out of a 2013 Ford Focus - standard transmission so I was spared all the problems people have with the automatics. That doesn't mean that the radio didn't break twice or that the passenger doors wouldn't lock. But that's another story for a different website. Bike fit in the back though with the wheels on.

RAV4, CRV, Venza is a little bigger. Maybe an older Explorer. Need to carry pine straw, mulch, etc.

Looking at a 2010 and up, maybe spend $20k-ish.

Best suggestion yet in this thread!

If someone buys a vehicle just for cycling, they must have a boring existence. Comfort, handling, acceleration, reliability, maintenance costs, and just the fun factor are very important things to consider. If bikes fit in reasonably well, even with the front wheel moved, that's really all that matters to most.

We got our 2014 NOS Dodge Grand Caravan for $18,500 Canadian Dollars.

no car... ride, ride, ride....


*not applicable to people who live in the hellish northeast or other harsh winter climates... but then again, there's fat boy bikes...

I have Toyota Tundra double cab. I can fold up the back seats and slide my bike in. It fits without taking the front wheel off.

:thumb:

Mercedes-Dodge Sprinter van I suggest ..
you can have room for a bunch of bikes and even sleep in there..



I liked my 86 Saab 96 V4.

Rain gutter mounted Roof rack works on the part over the fastback.

I use a roof rack

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=510155

Why not out of curiosity?

I am actually in the same position as you are. After putting my bike inside sedans for years, I am finally switching to a hatchback. Too bad they do not make more non-luxury wagons. VW has one, but I have read issues with reliability.