Any Honda Fit/Civic owners?

[Tuckervill]

In the Element, with both seats down in their passenger position, you can fit two bikes (front wheels removed) crossways in the back. You have to put the bars on opposite ends. Mountain bikes are harder, but they can be done, too, and you can't put anyone in the back seats unless they don't mind riding ramrod straight up.

With one seat folded up and one seat in the passenger position, you can put at least two bikes with front wheels on beside the seat. With that seat removed, you can put three (but not my husband's, without the front wheel off).

When I haul my bike to my weekly group rides, I usually just fold the rear driver's side seat up, roll my bike in and bungee it to the the carabiner that holds the seat up (as depicted above). Right now that seat is just out, because there are only 3 of us, and I rarely need the 4th one.

ETA: I don't bother strapping down like in the picture above. I just put a bungee around the top tube, and attach to the thing that holds the seat up. The bike usually raises up on its rear wheel a little depending on the bungee that's available, then it's just safely hanging there.

Karen

[Blueberry]

The bungee trick works for 2 bikes - more than that, and it gets a little...challenging

CA

[twin]

My Fit is a little over a year old and it is awesome and it is good for two bikes in the back. I take the front wheels off and put my large bike on the side with the shortest person in front. I have traveled many miles with one other person two bikes and bags. My sister bought a Civic at about the time I bought my Fit and she gets pretty good gas milage on the freeway. I think she would buy a Fit if she could re-think her choices. The Fit holds so much more than a Civic. I used to have an Element and it worked great I wanted better gas milage. Either way all three will last a long time.

[Tuckervill]

The bungee trick works for 2 bikes - more than that, and it gets a little...challenging

CA

Oh, with two bikes I use fork mounts on a piece of plywood. Just because if I'm putting in two bikes with the seat down, we're doing some serious traveling, and I need them to be fixed in place for all the other crap we have with us!

Karen

[Tuckervill]

A Fit is definitely what you call "basic transportation".

I never ever drove one, because when I was looking for one, they were new and hard to find. The only one I even saw in person was sold to someone else and waiting to be delivered. I didn't even get to sit in it.

Karen

[malkin]

I have a Yaris hatchback which I love:

-will never take another road trip in it--fwy noise is crazy obnoxious over long distance.

neut: two doors not four, but not a problem for us
haven't kept track of mileage, but this means it isn't bugging me, so it must be ok.

+ lots of room to carry stuff inside
+ Hollywood Rack is great for the tandem on the back
+ Very high cute factor
+ Easy to park!
+ Fits into small condo garage with bikes, and mountains of other carp in there.

[smilingcat]

I just heard on the radio that the "vintage" (excuse moi a vintage?? what does that make me??) civic cvcc and other 4 cylinder engine cars are going up in prices from $1,000 to two, three, four and even six thousand dollars.

Oh my

[Tuckervill]

My mother drove a '90 Civic hatchback for a long time, and then we bought it from her for my middle son, who rolled the odometer over 300,000 miles. It was a good little car. Wish we still had it. Every time I see one for sale on the side of the road, I think about buying it. It was so roomy!

Mid-son upgraded to the '96, which is right now getting its timing belt changed, and then hubby is going to fold himself into it and drive it the 25 miles to work as much as possible.

Karen

[Trek420]

What's showing up a lot on Craigs are the rebuilt Geo's of the 90's. These cars average over 30 mph. I would not buy a used car on Craigs but why did they ever stop making a car with mileage that good?