Any rust problems around the rear wheel well with the Mazda 3? I was ready to buy one used when my research brought the rust problem to my attention. Every one I looked at with 50,000ish miles had paint starting to bubble. A shame as I really liked the interior and how they drove. Then I took a Jetta 1.8turbo for a ride, rolled easy into the throttle 5th gear at about 50 and almost immediately it pulled to almost 100 mph. New then it was the car for me :D

The Mazda3 was a real nice ride though. I'd say adequate power, nice handling, nice interior and driver ergonomics. I thoroughly enjoy the peak torque at 1950 rpm and flatlined through the rev range of the VW turbo though.

Interesting. I'm going out this weekend looking for an 05-07 hatchback for my daughter. Didn't know about this. Thanks.

My moms 2013 (?) honda crv fit my bike like a champ, though I have only had it in there once. It was MUCH easier than putting my bike in the back of my civic :lol: I am also a fan of the subaru crosstrek and outback.

Both subarus get similar gas mileage (somewhere in the ballpark of 26 city 30 hwy) but the outback has A LOT more space

Like my Toyota FJ Cruiser. Keep the back seats down and plenty of room. Awesome truck.

"Honda Element. Bikes roll right in, and held in place by seatbelts. I'll keep mine until it falls apart."

Careful what you wish for, it won't be long till it does. While good in theory, they are one of the biggest peices of crap Honda has come out with. Get a CRV and be done. 02-06 second gen cheap, skip 07-11, 12 up is decent.

x35i with space gray metallic paint, black leather interior, tech/premium/driver assistance/plus packages, heated seats, 19 inch wheels...

this 6 cylinder version only comes in AWD with the 8 speed ZDF trans...

We use a Jeep Compass when we transport bikes. One fits inside easily, two on the roof rack and four on the hitch rack.

Volvo V70R Less than 10k, less than 100k miles, plenty of room, awd + 6-speed, and 300 horses, and incredibly safe for you and your bike.

jeep cherokee. There are a billion of them out there so you can find a really nice one pretty cheap. The i6 4.0 is a bulletproof engine with plenty of power. replacement parts are inexpensive. Good 4 wheel drive systems.....10k gets you alot of truck.

It's a '12 with about 28K miles, so no signs of rust. We've owned a couple of Proteges, and the '01 rusted out around the rear wheels pretty bad, although the '94 didn't. Other than that, we never had a problem with them. The 3 is a lot of fun to drive, even with the auto transmission and Skyactiv motor. Even the 5 has the "fun to drive" thing going for it, it just feels bigger than the 3.

This is an issue with '04-'06 Mazda3's. Mazda even extended the rust warranty in Canada and Europe, but refused it in the US. It starts in the wheel wells, but develops into explosive growth patches all over the body.

Supposedly it is because of a metal prep/plating issue on the sheet metal, but I don't know that Mazda listed exact cause. I owned an '04, and only got rid of it due to losing the rust war.

There is a cool M version of the X3 on youtube with sticker of $53K. Seems too much for that vehicle.
I have owned a few BMW's and won't own another one. To me, they aren't worth it but they are nice cars.
If you don't wrench which I do... and own one out of warranty, every time you go to the garage its $1K.

Gas hog and rides like a cattle truck.

I too like the CR-V sardond. Why skip 07-11?
Thanks

Can't argue this...even thinking the word "value" in the context of the X3 is laughable....I probably could have bought two nice RAV4s or Kia Sportages for the MSRP of this X3

I have a 2014 WRX Hatch. One bike inside is not a problem. Two bikes inside also works.

Dog inside, two bikes on top with a roof rack also works.

It is a great car.

As long as you are good with it and sounds like you are, its gonna be a sweet ride.
Hope you post your pics and impressions in this thread when you get it.

2 sides to every coin. I still think its a good value.

I know the culture of the engineering behind their cars...short sighted and incomplete. I wouldn't buy a Chrysler product.
The only bureaucracies more screwed up is GM and our government. The car business is tough and competitive. Some companies get it right more often than others. Btw, BMW mentioned here is no prize with quality and either is VW. BMW struggles partly for the complexity they release on their cars to set themselves apart from the competition. Oh, they set themselves apart alright, just not in a good way. So much for german engineering.

My bike (54 cm frame) fits in the back seat of a Porsche 911 with both wheels in trunk, don't buy an SUV unless you have five kids.
& a 1983 Porsche cost the same as last year's mini van.

I've got a Prius V and can fit my bike inside without taking the wheels off. I've also been able to put two bikes inside without taking the front wheels off. One of the bikes was a 61cm!! I separate the bikes with a thick cargo blanket.

Good luck on your search!

If there was a perfect car, then everyone would have THAT one. Instead, we get varying degrees of either mediocrity or astronomical prices....youse pays yer money and youse takes yer chances....

Honestly there are best in class cars within genre groups. Take BMW, back in the day when I played around with Bimmers, the 3 series and M3 won honors year after year. Now it isn't the incumbent it was. Small sedan...Honda Accord won year after year. Now there are many new kids that can compete. Some cars within given groups or genres are more perfect than others for the same money. This largely what makes a given car popular....like the Prius for a hybrid. Hyundai and Kia are big game changers. Toyota and Honda probably make the best cars in the world overall for a combination of classes. There are pockets of decent cars. Even beleaguered GM who laid off 40% of their engineering staff coming out of bankruptcy still makes some good cars in spite of one of the worse car company cultures ever. Ford is probably the most solid American maker but they are almost Honda like in their conservatism. But you are right, you pays your money and takes your chances and the more money you pay buying a car with greater complexity, the bigger the chance you take. Simple statistics. With more complex cars, there are greater reliability challenges because the systems are more complex. This is why BMW has such poor resale. Nobody or very few want to own a BMW out of warranty because of the high maintenance cost. A 5 year old BMW 7 series is worth about 30% of its $80K price tag new.

Since we're talking cars, here is BMW 735iL I bought from a colleague in rough shape and I restored a few years back...lowered suspension, rebuilt the engine. Funny story goes, I said I would never sell it and of course I did to get another car to play with and the guy who bought it flew in and drove it home. He emailed me when got home...this was a few years ago....and said he got a ticket in Nevada going 110 mph. :) The car was made to run. Probably the premium large sports sedan in its day. On the highway, it was fun to run at high speed. The big 7 wasn't only starting to get warmed up at the ton (100 mph). Remarkable handling car for its size and weight.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...time/735iL.jpg

I had a chance to drive a 7 Series from the late 90's, fast and solid. It was like having your own personal locomotive. That exact car would be my choice if I had a family. Pretty sure you could fit a lot of bikes in the trunk too.

My wife has an older model Toyota Rav 4 with the side opening rear door. Carries a full size bike with no problems if you fold down the rear seats. I've got a Toyota Tachoma with a topper, so I'm all set.

Toyota Venza too. I haven't actually put it in there yet cuz it's too new & w/ beige carpet, I'm pretty sure the wife would kill me if I got any gunk on it.

I have a '98 Ford pickup w/ extra cab that I was surprised to see held my bike. I ride a 60cm frame and it has plenty of room. I take the front wheel off, slide the passenger seat forward a smidge and put a towel on the far end (mine's a 3-door so I just turn the handlebars to the left, let the handlebars side on the far armrest and make sure the rear tire clears the 3rd door & it's good.

I did take my 60cm EVO home in my Camry. That was a little rough. Front wheel off. And tried going into trunk w/ the 60/40 split kicked forward but no way. Ended up surgically putting it in the backseat area (again, surgical!!!) and made it home.

(shrug)

I have a Mitsubishi Outlander, 4-cylinder, and it is near perfect for hauling bikes. I can get two bikes in the back (front wheels off, upside down), and I get close the 30 mpg on the highway. I got a 4- wheel drive model, so I have 2-wheel, all wheel, and 4-wheel options. I did put a Yakima carrier on the roof for those times when I didn't want to remove the front wheel or when I was on a longer trip with a load in the back.

Rav4 works. We have a 2005 and I take the front wheel off... a buddy has an '07 and it's for sure a bit bigger. Nice AWD platform for skiing etc. Gas mileage isn't terrible. And.... it's a Toyota. Best vehicles on the road.

Back during the subprime crisis I bought a 3 year old loaded Corvette coupe (everything except navigation) for the price of a good new Honda Accord. It got me to numerous cycling events. I'm currently trying to sell it because I really need more than 2 seats, but I wouldn't mind having a 911. Though I'd hope that the price of a mini van would get me something newer than a 1983. (And potential cost of maintenance scares me. I DIY as much as possible, but sometimes you need to buy parts. I already had to pay $150 for a replacement sun visor in an online shop. Dealership wanted $250. Replacement lenses for headlights cost $300. And that's a Chevy. I really doubt that Porsche parts are cheaper.)

Porsche's part costs like BMW but even more so because of lower production volume...are expensive. So unless you are made out of money, if you can't wrench, then owning a used Porsche or BMW is not going to be cheap and even if you can replace parts, replacement costs are high on high end cars. There has also been a changing of the guard in the last 20 years. The 7 series I show above including its electric rear seats...load leveling rear suspension etc was perhaps more simple than a late model Chevy to work on. Car tech in the last 20 years has changed dramatically. Stability control suspensions is a game changer. Many more computers on cars now control sub systems. Circuits are more multiplexed. Nav and integrated HVAC controls. Even with the shop manual which is a must to own, you many times need special computers only available at the dealer to change the flash of the different computers or diagnose a failure. This is problematic for the home mechanic and sky rockets ownership costs out of warranty. But generally if not a BMW or Porsche which have the highest level of tech, a medium level vehicle can be worked on by a medium tech guy at home...especially all the basic stuff.

A final word about BMW. Back twenty years, a BMW was the sedan version of a Porsche. It was more purist and minimalist. No BS just like Porsches used to be. Slightly more comfort than a race car and what enthusiasts wanted. Not any more. BMW's are more luxury oriented now. Even Porsches have evolved in this direction which to me is too bad. The earlier BMW's and Porsches are my favorite for their simplicity. To me, the new ones are more about profit. More bells and whistles to set them apart from other brands which only translates to higher cost due to greater complexity not only to manufacture but to fix. Also, more bells and whistles further isolates the driver from the driving experience. Give me an earlier M car or 911.

I have a rich friend who just sold his 2001 Boxster S that I kind of wanted. He sold it for a song to buy a new one which has 50 more hp. :) I just don't have a place for it and so I passed. I fortunately have outgrown my car fetish a bit. Still would like a new Ducati motorcycle but am trying to stay away from that as well because I don't want to get run over by an idiot cager. Pedal bikes are a lot cheaper. :)

And a further walk down memory lane. A very low mile Porsche 914 2.0 liter I owned gulp, 40 years ago. I stripped it down to bare metal in my parent's garage and had a custom paint job put on it, and made some tasty upgrades....interior, sound system, Racemark steering wheel...free flowing exhaust. Car had solid lifters...manual steering...the way a sports car should be. :) Absolutely loved that car and being a young man right out of engineering school, got lucky more than once because of that car. :) Color was ice blue and lacquer and as deep as a pool and hand rubbed to a mirror and debadged.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...sideResize.jpg