back to the cars thread

[ehirsch83]

mine does, but it is over 10 years old...
I drive a silly little 1997 ford escort station wagon. I get around 28mpg, more if i turn off the ac, and I just have to fold down my back seats and I can get 2 bikes in, one with wheels. or I can slide one across the back seats if I take off the front wheel.

[DebW]

How about a wagon like the Subaru or VW Passat? Fold down the back seat and one bike can lay in the back without removing any wheels, probably 2 bikes if you put a blanket between them and laid one on top of the other. My Passat gets 26-32 mpg.

[OakLeaf]

I think the operative word here is bikeS. Lots of cars, including my 46 mpg Prius, will carry one bike in the cargo space, without even taking the front wheel off. Put another bike on, and that's when you start to have trouble. And of course the smaller car, the bigger the hit it takes in gas mileage when you start hanging bikes off the outside of it.

The Prius would take two bikes one on top of the other as well, but nothing else would fit in the cargo space then.

[Crankin]

My son has a 2001 Hyundai Accent. It gets like 30-40 mpg and with the back down, you can easily fit a bike or 2 in there (it's a hatch back). He had to rescue my other son all the time when he would get flats and be unprepared when he first started riding. Hyundai is a very nice company that treats its customers well, even if the car they have is a cheaper one.
I guess I'm pragmatic about gas prices. We still pay way less than in other countries. My car gets 19-25 mpg and I'm fine with it. I just don't drive much, except to go to work and most errands are done on the way home. My husband has an SUV (don't shoot me) that we love. It's one of the ones you all make fun of, so I won't say which one. But, we can carry 4 bikes and our canoe (with a bike rack). We also do all of the pick up and delivery of home improvement stuff ourselves. Both of our cars are all wheel drive, which I would not be without here; wouldn't be able to get up our street without it. We want to keep the SUV forever, but not drive it so much, so my husband got a 2 seat sporty car to drive when it's not snowing or we're not out doing some sports stuff. It gets much better mileage and looks cool.

[mimitabby]

what about that ugly SCION? Anyone have one of those?

(I'll check out the passat, thanks)

[Starfish]

Well, I have an Element, and it is true that it does not get great mileage. Better than what I was driving before, though. And, since I travel and camp alone, I like being inside the rig. Also, in this climate of rain, it is nice to camp in the rain and be really snug inside, without all the soggy-tent-drying, etc. This thing is great in the snow, too, and with the space inside, I have found myself enjoying just going up for a day in the snow, knowing I can hang out in the back and warm up with full headroom, computer jack in the back, etc.

The bike and I can both "sleep" inside...and the bike fits great without taking any wheels off, and no need to lay it down, etc. And, I can sleep stretched full out with room to spare for myself, bike, and stuff, and still have room on top for kayak (which is part of the plan for this summer).

Since I do travel alone, and since that has sometimes made me use hotels more than I would like, I will save more than $400 on hotel costs this summer on one already-planned trip alone. And, for instance, tonight I am going camping to get out of town and relax, and with the forecast for rain, I don't know if I would bother if I was tent camping. But, definitely cheaper than renting a cabin on the coast for the night, for instance.

So, of course it all depends on the mix of attributes one wants/needs. I know you made this thread about mileage...just thought I'd chime in with some of the mitigating factors for my car choice.

[Zen]

Shoebox on wheels.
The Fit will carry your alpaca...

[mimitabby]

Well, I have an Element, and it is true that it does not get great mileage. Better than what I was driving before, though. And, since I travel and camp alone, I like being inside the rig. Also, in this climate of rain, it is nice to camp in the rain and be really snug inside, without all the soggy-tent-drying, etc. This thing is great in the snow, too, and with the space inside, I have found myself enjoying just going up for a day in the snow, knowing I can hang out in the back and warm up with full headroom, computer jack in the back, etc.

The bike and I can both "sleep" inside...and the bike fits great without taking any wheels off, and no need to lay it down, etc. And, I can sleep stretched full out with room to spare for myself, bike, and stuff, and still have room on top for kayak (which is part of the plan for this summer).

Since I do travel alone, and since that has sometimes made me use hotels more than I would like, I will save more than $400 on hotel costs this summer on one already-planned trip alone. And, for instance, tonight I am going camping to get out of town and relax, and with the forecast for rain, I don't know if I would bother if I was tent camping. But, definitely cheaper than renting a cabin on the coast for the night, for instance.

So, of course it all depends on the mix of attributes one wants/needs. I know you made this thread about mileage...just thought I'd chime in with some of the mitigating factors for my car choice.

Thanks Starfish, I am appreciating all comments; that's why i started this thread.

[NoNo]

I used to have a MINI (don't even ask about it) but I now have the Mazda3 5 door. Perfect size. I can fit 2 bikes inside the car and still have a passenger up front. On the highway I easily get 30mpg, maybe more. Nice pick-up and handling, too.

[csr1210]

If you don't mind folding down the back seat (and stacking for more than one bike) our Pontiac Vibe gets 30+. We have a hitch rack for when we want to take more than one bike because I'm not that thrilled stacking or using all the cargo area for bikes on longer trips. It's definitely a love or hate car though! We have one in a screaming orange color and LOVE it!

[Pax]

Starfish - How tall are you? I like the Element but I'm wondering if, at 5'10", I can fit into one for sleeping.

[Aggie_Ama]

I have a Dodge Caliber and with the hatch rack it gets right around 25 mpg. Not a bad little car and cheap. Mine was loaded up for about $18k brand new and now the 2007s are technically 2 years old since they came out in April 2006. I can fit my bike in the back with the seats down and the wheel remove but not DH's. He is 6'2" so his frame is rather large. With 42k on the car my only complaint is it is a little loud. Otherwise it runs like a champ.

Our friend had a Scion, the first ones and he claimed to get 38 mpg. I test drove one and didn't mind it but wasn't in love.

[IFjane]

I guess it's all in our definition of good gas mileage. I traded in a truck on my Element. Had to fork mount bikes in the bed of the truck, still could only carry 3 people at the most (using the incredibly cramped and uncomfortable jump seat), and got a whopping 15 - 18 mpg.

My Element (2006 model bought used) gets 28 local and over 30 traveling. I can't complain. Roll in two bikes, bungee each to one of the "oh s**t" handles, throw in the rest of the gear and take off. I love it love it love it.

[tulip]

I seriously considered the Honda Fit because it's quite large inside. And it's a Honda, which means reliable, reliable, reliable. The mileage is quite good, although not as good as the same car gets in Japan, for some reason (hot topic on the Honda Fit forums).

I love my VW Rabbit, but I wish it came in a diesel. Diesels get much better mileage than gas cars, and there are several biodiesel stations in my area. My Rabbit carries one bike, wheel off, with the seats folded down. I have a rear rack for when I need to carry more bikes. I chose the Rabbit because it had extras like seat heaters and blinkers on the side mirrors, and it's just damn fun to drive (5 speed, yeah). And it's cute, and relatively inexpensive at $17k.

Toyota Matrix was also on my list--lots of room, Toyota reliability, good mileage, good price.

For a pricier vehicle, the Volvo XC-70 is awfully nice. It gets about 25-27 mph

[Starfish]

Starfish - How tall are you? I like the Element but I'm wondering if, at 5'10", I can fit into one for sleeping.

I'm 5'6". You might try asking over at http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/index.php .There are a lot of guys on that forum who love to sleep in their Elements, and I have to believe that some of them are at least 5'10".