fstshrk

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.

Campag4life

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.

catonec 

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

Campag4life

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.

kraftwerk 

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.

Pokey Rider

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!

gc3

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....

Campag4life

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.

kraftwerk 

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.

GravelMN

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.

loimpact

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)

ddeand 

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.

Long Tom

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.

hamster

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.)

Campag4life

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.

gc3

If I had all that stuff in my past, I'd still be living there too.

Me, with my misspent youth, wasted early adulthood, and near death mid-life crises...I'm only looking forward.

I just wish I had the X3 on this trip I'm on in Germany, so I could unleash on some good autobahn stretches. As it is, I'm sitting in a hotel in Stuttgart outside the Mercedes museum and Porsche arena...but everything is closed on Mondays!

Campag4life

I'm not living in the past. I rarely think about it in fact. I got on the subject because of how cars have changed mostly.
So your are in Germany! Cool. I've been to Stuttgart. Now I am seeing the X3 connection a bit clearer. Are you going to import the BMW to the US? You should get the M version.

gc3

No, I'm just over here for work for a few days. The X3 will be delivered in the US unfortunately, and with electronically limited speed (that I suspect I can get around in coding). The current "M Line" and "X Line" packages that are available for the X3 are mostly cosmetic as far as I can tell, and not my cup of tea. There is no true high performance factory M version like you can buy in the sedan or coupe versions (M3 and M4), and who really needs that in a crossover compact SUV.... Maybe the Porsche Macan or the Audi SQ5, but the standard X3 x35i doesn't give up much to them, for my wants and needs anyhow.

gsa103

There's something to be said for classic American monsters. I was at a trail head and watched someone open the trunk on a 70-something Oldsmobile. He simply tossed the whole bike wheels attached into the trunk...on top of a full size spare. It looked like there was room for a another few bikes too!

PaulRivers

Just another note that if I fold the rear seats forward, I can fit either of my 56cm road bikes into the back of my (standard size) prius without taking anything off of them. If the bike was any bigger I might need to take the front wheel off to get it in and out, but it would still work.

Fitting 2 bikes inside it can be done, but definitely requires some dissassembly of the bikes.

kraftwerk 

When buying a used car (I have only bought used cars) look for one where many were produced over a long period of time. Parts availability is key. One year only models are expensive, such as some Corvette's. Another good rule, is the simpler the better. Porsche parts are not that expensive. For instance a headlight can be 30 to 65 ea. depending on the type of lenses and bulbs. A sun visor can be found used or an old one reconditioned, cheaply.
BMW's have way too many sensors and they all cost 100$ each and are a pain to replace. 1996 M3 experience.. Great cars though..
Consider the price of a bike tire at $50. It changes your perspective.



ps. Campag4life; I always knew we saw eye to eye on a lot of things I also have a 1971 914 mostly stock with a 1.7
it has after market rims w/ slightly bigger rubber and stainless steel fuel lines but otherwise it is a very pure experience indeed. Wanna buy it? It's tricky to get a bike in there!

Campag4life

Thanks for the offer kraft. If I were going to buy another 914, it would be the uber rare 914 6 with 911 wheels. A good example costs as much as a clean 911. Cool you have a 914. A car largely misunderstood and well before its time. My buddies 2001 Boxster S would be have the car to buy, and I had my chance. I got more into motorcycles later in life and now have sold off all my toys and honestly am happy to not have the headaches and am more into cycling and swimming without owning much stuff. Nothing matches the thrill of an Italian motorcycle.

I actually posted that 914 to see what kind of comments it would get. When I think about and and working on it its hard to believe it was almost 4 decades ago. I got a ton of comments on mine because the paint was so awesome and how the car sat...had the rare forged alloys and appearance package and the 2.0 liter which gave it a bit more grunt, but that car was about balance as you know. It just sang at 100 mph on the freeway. I wish I had it back....maybe more than other cars I have owned. I prefer Porsches to BMW's honestly which are such refined cars, I find them a bit boring. I like the early M cars because they were a bit more crude and had more character. When I was in college I built old British sports cars...Triumphs and MG's because I had no money and they were so much fun. This is well before the internet and I didn't even have a service manual. Would travel to the nearest British Leyland dealer and rummage though part catalogs to find the parts I needed. They were little more complicated than a farm tractor...and ran like one too. Great fun actually.

Carbonfiberboy 

We put our tandem in the back of our Subaru Imprezza. Fold-down seats. 2 singles works, too.

nokia8860

Toyota Prius C: For when I have to drive to the ride. With the front wheel removed I can fit either my Road Bike or my FS XC MBT in with the rear seats down and average 54mpg (57mpg if I really try) and its cost less than $25USD to fill up which means more money for bikey parts

IcySmooth52

I have a Honda Civic 2-door that I always have a 21" mountain 29er or 62cm track bike in. Just need the front wheel off.