What do you drive to transport multiple bikes/gear?

[alleyoop]

What does it get without the bikes on the roof?

Good Question! Our Prius gets 53mpg on the freeway, without bikes. However, with the bikes on the back (low hitch carrier, the most fuel efficient way) it goes down to high 40s. Still good MPG, but the bikes do take a bite.

[ny biker]

Good Question! Our Prius gets 53mpg on the freeway, without bikes. However, with the bikes on the back (low hitch carrier, the most fuel efficient way) it goes down to high 40s. Still good MPG, but the bikes do take a bite.

Yes, I find that with my Prius, even under "bad" conditions I still get higher gas mileage than other vehicles and it does everything I need it to do. I can easily fit 2 bikes inside, and have hauled lots of other stuff in it too. I didn't suggest it here because I didn't think it would work in the OP's case.

I had to drive a Matix for a few weeks over the summer and it killed me to have to fill the tank so much more often than my car. I also preferred the way my car drives (quieter, etc.).

[ACG]

Just a suggestion: I measured my bike in all different directions. Then I went to the car show. I live in Pasadena, so I went to the big one in Los Angeles. It was quite the site, a woman with a measuring tape climbing in and out of station wagons, SUV's and sedans. Yes I even climbed in a few trunks. I also had the specs and measurements of car racks, both roof racks and sedan racks. I looked at the most expensive to the least expensive. Because it is a car show, you don't have the sales person following you around. And you can pull the phamplets and get other vital information without much contact frome the dealers.

My favorites: FJ Cruiser, 4 Runner, the Element.

In the end I bought a Lexus GX mid size SUV, it fits 2 bikes in the back, has a barn door. I never have to take a tire off my bike just slides right in, I only have to fold up one seat.

Good Luck

[Fredwina]

You could take the bike and assorted parphenlia along with you to the car dealership. it does help weed out the less-helpful sales staff

[ny biker]

You could take the bike and assorted parphenlia along with you to the car dealership. it does help weed out the less-helpful sales staff

I brought my bike with me to the car dealer but by looking at the car I could tell that it would fit without having to try it. I know a guy who always brings his golf clubs when he buys a car so he can make sure there's plenty of room in the trunk for them.

[SheFly]

I brought my bike with me to the car dealer but by looking at the car I could tell that it would fit without having to try it. I know a guy who always brings his golf clubs when he buys a car so he can make sure there's plenty of room in the trunk for them.

We did this too. Test drove the van, then told the salesman that we needed to come back with our tandem to make sure it would go inside, and that it was a deal breaker if it wouldn't! We can get two tandems inside, as it turns out.

SheFly

[Pedal Wench]

I did the shopping for my BF's PT Cruiser - he lives in another state, and our local dealer had an amazing price. So, I take his bike and mine to the dealership and make the poor salesman remove the backseats, leave them on the curb while I put the bikes in and took a bunch of pictures.

That guy earned his commission that day.

[GLC1968]

Good Question! Our Prius gets 53mpg on the freeway, without bikes. However, with the bikes on the back (low hitch carrier, the most fuel efficient way) it goes down to high 40s. Still good MPG, but the bikes do take a bite.

Wow, you must have one hell of a Prius! Those MPG's are impressive!

My husband and I drove our two cars (2005 Prius and 2004 Matrix) across the country together. We started with the bikes on the Prius but found that our gas mileage was barely above 33 mpg on the highway. The Matrix was getting the same mileage! We switched the bikes to the Matrix to cross the mountains past Denver because the Prius battery drain was soooo intense that we feared we'd get stuck before getting over the big mountains. When we put the bikes on the Matrix - it continued to get 33 mpg on the highway while the Prius shot up to it's normal 48-49 mpg. We never averaged better than 50 - but then again, it was the middle of winter at the time.

Gas mileage aside, my biggest little complaint about the Prius was that the sloping back window wouldn't allow us to fit both dogs in the far back without putting the seat down. On the Matrix, we can do that (more head room). Other that that, we really liked the Prius and mostly sold it because it was fetching such freakishly high prices in the fall of 2008.

[eofelis]

We are also a Toyota family. In fact, we just traded in a 1987 Dodge Dakota (farm truck) for a 1996 Tacoma.

We just bought a 96 Tacoma too. First generation Tacomas are very expensive around here, even ones with 150k on them! Ours has 130k on it, 4wd, V6, 5 sp, xcab. We paid $6700. Seems steep for a 13 yo truck, but newer ones were $10k+.

It doesn't seem to be in too bad a shape. It has a topper on it. We have not yet been inclined to put a roof rack on the topper, we are thinking of setting up a fork-mount situation in the bed. Maybe some fork mount attachments on a 2x6 plank or plywood.

[Fredwina]

A good place for car comparions (as far as real-world repair and MPG data) is www.truedelta.com

[moderncyclista]

I drive a Jeep Wrangler. Not as fuel efficient as I'd like. But it snows in Kansas and we have ice storms - so I guess it's justified.

Jeeps and Bicycles sorta go together like Peanut Butter & Jelly. Well, at least I think so. Ha.

[GLC1968]

We just bought a 96 Tacoma too. First generation Tacomas are very expensive around here, even ones with 150k on them! Ours has 130k on it, 4wd, V6, 5 sp, xcab. We paid $6700. Seems steep for a 13 yo truck, but newer ones were $10k+.

It doesn't seem to be in too bad a shape. It has a topper on it. We have not yet been inclined to put a roof rack on the topper, we are thinking of setting up a fork-mount situation in the bed. Maybe some fork mount attachments on a 2x6 plank or plywood.

Ours sounds exactly the same but has 178K on it and we paid $6K, so you did better than us!

[channlluv]

We just bought a 96 Tacoma too. First generation Tacomas are very expensive around here, even ones with 150k on them! Ours has 130k on it, 4wd, V6, 5 sp, xcab. We paid $6700. Seems steep for a 13 yo truck, but newer ones were $10k+.

It doesn't seem to be in too bad a shape. It has a topper on it. We have not yet been inclined to put a roof rack on the topper, we are thinking of setting up a fork-mount situation in the bed. Maybe some fork mount attachments on a 2x6 plank or plywood.

What could I get for a 95.5 Tacoma SR5 - really, one of the first ones? I bought in in April 1995. It's in pretty good shape for a 15-year-old pickup truck. DH drives it about eight miles round trip to work every day. I'll have to go check the mileage on it, but I don't think it's over 100,000K yet.

He put a fork-mount on the rim of the bed right behind the driver's seat, but that's the only thing we've added to it.

Tacomas are so ubiquitous here, I don't think I'd get much more than $2,000 for it if I put it up on Craigslist.

Roxy

[lo123]

We did this too. Test drove the van, then told the salesman that we needed to come back with our tandem to make sure it would go inside, and that it was a deal breaker if it wouldn't! We can get two tandems inside, as it turns out.

SheFly

We test drove to our house to put the bikes in luckily we live close the dealership.

FWIW, I have a 2009 Escape. It will hold my 54cm and my husband's 58cm 'cross bikes inside with the back seats down. We can't bring ourselves to put both carbon road bikes inside together though. Don't want to scratch up the pain
We have a Yakima rack that goes on the back, though I'd eventually like to get a hitch mount rack.

[GLC1968]

What could I get for a 95.5 Tacoma SR5 - really, one of the first ones? I bought in in April 1995. It's in pretty good shape for a 15-year-old pickup truck. DH drives it about eight miles round trip to work every day. I'll have to go check the mileage on it, but I don't think it's over 100,000K yet.

He put a fork-mount on the rim of the bed right behind the driver's seat, but that's the only thing we've added to it.

Tacomas are so ubiquitous here, I don't think I'd get much more than $2,000 for it if I put it up on Craigslist.

Roxy

If it's really got less than 100K on it, you'd probably get about 8K for it here (or maybe more depending on the condition). There is actually a really good market for the early model Tacomas because Toyota screwed up in the later years and had a huge problem with body rust. There are stories out there about people who had less than 10K on their trucks driven in summer weather only and yet had to go after Toyota for replacement because the bottom was totally rusted out (like put a foot through it, rusted out!). I believe there was a recall, but I'm not certain. This is why the earlier year models are so popular - it was before whatever caused this problem, so much safer buys for used trucks.