vehicles to carry bike/kayak

[costarica95]

Hello all,

It's about time for me to upgrade my vehicle, and thought I'd solicit input from this group. I currently drive a ford ranger, which has been great for carrying my kayak & bikes. It's so easy to put them in the back! I have a V6, and love the power, but am thinking of making the switch to 4 cyl for the gas mileage. I've been considering a sedan & putting a roof rack on top. The benefits being gas mileage, having a trunk so potential thieves cannot see everything inside my vehicle, plus extra seats if I run shuttle when kayaking. I'm sure it's a little more effort to raise the toys up to mount them on the roof. I've also heard roof racks can be noisy - anyone know about that? Ideally, I'd win the lotto and have a truck, a sedan, and a sports car. Being a single homeowner though, that's not practical. Any thoughts??

Thanks,
Stacy

[wavedancer]

My other passion-sport is kayaking also, and I have opted for a long, low roof for the ease of loading kayaks. I have had VWs for along time and have been very happy with them. When my last Golf got totalled, I upgraded to a Passat Wagon. I have Thule bars mounted to the factory racks and find it is quite easy to load kayaks and bikes onto it myself. Lots of room inside with the back seat down, so I usually just throw my bike in there. I also have kayak cradles and a fork-mount rack on the roof rack. So I can carry two kayaks, two boats and lots of gear!

For use as a passenger car, it is quite comfy and the rear cargo area can be completely covered. I have a V-6, which gets about 27mpg, but they do have a 4-cylinder that probably gets a little better mileage.

I've seen alot of folks with Suburus, too.

Good luck in your search!

Linda

[runnergirl]

I'm gonna vote Subaru, I don't have one, but on of the LBS guys does. He can get his gear, a full size canoe, mt bike and road bike in/on that thing (it's an amazing sight).

I have a roof rack on my little saturn, and it does add a little wind noise, but if you cut the bars to fit your roof it's barely noticable. Even with my little car I could get a bike and a white water kayak on the roof.

[allabouteva]

Hiya Stacey,

Our family car is a Toyota Rav4, and we have Thule roof racks and can put on the roof 2 bikes and one bike trailer which we use to tow our disabled child. And on the back of the car, we put on another bike as well!

It's a two litre vehicle which is very economical. It's fun to drive, and not a full on 4WD, so it's not too tall.

However, my last car was a Subaru, and I agree with everyone else, that's a great car and very robust.

Anyway take your time !

Eva

[tatormc]

costarica95 - Check out this other thread I started to try and find the perfect bike hauling vehicle for more ideas. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=4602 We've not gotten a new vehicle yet but have been looking. I'll provide an update once we make a purchase in the next few months.

[SadieKate]

All these replies are essentially what I was thinking VW or Subaru wagon. My Old Subaru Legacy stationwagon, now the Outback, had a huge cargo area. I think with the seats folded down it was 6 ft long. The Sub Forester is taller but I think the cargo area is still shorter. Then, there is the Element but everything would probably have to go inside.

[janetsplanet]

Has anyone tried a hulinator or hydrolic lift for bike and kayak? Both Thule and Yaikama make them. I have a Jeep Sport and cant lift the kayak on the top. I also have a bike rack for the trailer hitch which is great but if I can get both on the top the better vision and access to the trunk would be great. It mounts to the side and you just pull it down and pull it back up when loaded.
I have heard good and bad but would be great to hear a womans point of view

[costarica95]

Thanks for the ideas. It sounds like Subaru is the majority vote. Next step: test drives.

Stacy

[Pax]

Thanks for the ideas. It sounds like Subaru is the majority vote. Next step: test drives.

Stacy

If you like your Ranger...I have a 4cyl. Ranger and it gets about 24mpg. I like the wide open back without having to worry about roof rack paraphernalia or messing the upholstery if I put stuff inside. Just my .02

[costarica95]

I do like the ranger. There have been times when I thought I'd like seating for 4, but the majority of the time it's just me and my dog, so my supercab is just fine. I've been wrestling with this over 6mos already. I'd like seating for four, a trunk and 30 mpg, i.e., Toyota Camry. But, I love the utility of a truck, and the ease of loading my bikes and my ww kayak in the back. Also, when I've run shuttle kayaking, it's been easy to toss about 6 boats in the back of my truck, while tying them to a roof rack on a friend's Subi proved much more challenging. I'm also not a fan of having to lift things over my head to rack them. I guess there's not going to be a "perfect" solution. I probably just need to drive different vehicles and go with the one I like to drive. Obviously, after reading people's posts, I can adapt pretty much any vehicle to suit my needs, be it roof rack, hitch mount, inside storage, etc. I need to go with the vehicle I'm comfy with. The other issue is that I've been spoiled by a 4L V6 in my ranger, and am not sure how I will cope with sacrificing power to get that extra 5 mpg.

[Pax]

...The other issue is that I've been spoiled by a 4L V6 in my ranger, and am not sure how I will cope with sacrificing power to get that extra 5 mpg.

Just to add to your Ranger thoughts...Where I live there are zero hills (unlike where you live I'm guessing ) but I can tell you the 4cyl. (automatic) Ranger is a complete POOCH, it can't get out of it's own way and has utterly pathetic acceleration. My Dad has the same truck with a 5 speed and it's much better.

[sarahkonamojo]

1992 Legacy hit a deer and a 1998 Legacy, 110k miles and going. We have not had an Outback. I like the low roof for loading gear. My kayak fits in the back. In fact, I can shuttle for two with both kayaks in the back. My issue with the subarus has been the power. Ours have always been underpowered but the gas mileage is closer to 30 mpg. We have been using a bike rack on the hatch of the wagon to avoid wind issues. Repair is reasonable.

When thinking of upgrade we have considered tha Passat and Volvo xc70. Not sure about VW repair costs. But the new Outbacks look nice. Always looking for AWD.

We also have a truck, a Toyota Tacoma SR5. It is a business vehicle, so it doesn't go out to play, but it can haul stuff and has power. Gas mileage is loooowww.

Sarah