Vehicle for hauling up to four bikes?

[emily_in_nc]

Hi everyone!

Long story short, as much as we love Belize, it looks like we'll probably be relocating back to North Carolina either later this year or early next year. We've had our looooong vacation (just what I needed after retiring from 25 years in the telecom software industry), met great people, had a blast traveling the country (and still have more traveling we want to do before we leave), but ultimately, we miss our road cycling, hiking, food co-op, reasonably priced wine, and privacy (we live in a first-floor condo in a resort and on an island where tourists are plentiful, so we feel like we're living in a fishbowl a lot of the time).

We sold our '04 Honda Element before moving down, and once we return, we're going to need a vehicle. We would love to be car-free like we are here (one of the big draws of moving down here), but that's just not going to work since we plan to travel in the US, and we will want to be able to drive to hiking/kayaking areas and some bike rides/events. We will only need one vehicle since we're both retired, so it needs to serve multiple purposes.

Our primary criteria are:

* Able to carry up to four bikes at times (by removing or folding down back seat) [EDIT: we want the bikes to fit INSIDE the vehicle with front wheels removed, not on rear or top racks.]
* Gas mileage as good as possible
* Reliable, safe brand
* Reasonably comfortable for long trips
* Moderately priced

An Element fits all of our criteria except for the gas mileage one -- it only got 20-23 mpg, depending on driving conditions, but it certainly ticks other boxes, especially the ability to handle multiple bikes. And since they're not made any more, we wouldn't have the option of buying new if we so chose.

We've been out of the car market since 2004, so I figured the collective wisdom here would know a lot more about the current batch of vehicles available than I do.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can make!

[Blueberry]

Do the 4 bikes need to be inside? If not, I'd look at the Jetta Sportwagen Diesel. If something happened to mine, we would buy another in a heartbeat (I traded my Element for it). We can fit bikes on the roof, one or 2 inside if need be, could do a trailer hitch, boats on the roof if need be, etc., etc. We routinely see 40 mpg on the highway, even with bikes on the roof. In town, we average more like 35-38.

Sorry to hear that Belize hasn't worked out for you, but glad to hear that you might be coming back

[emily_in_nc]

Sorry, I should have specified -- the four bikes need to fit INSIDE the vehicle. DH is concerned about security otherwise (for example, if we were staying at a hotel on a trip). We don't mind taking front wheels off, of course.

I know we're being picky, but he really doesn't want to resort to having to put bikes on the roof or back of the vehicle.

Thanks, Blueberry, and please don't be sorry! We have had an AMAZING time here that we would never trade. We have no regrets at all and are still so glad we came here. The life experiences gained, the learning experiences, the birding, and everything else we've done here, not to mention the wonderful friends we've made are worth every small negative; it just became apparent that there wasn't enough here to sustain us long-term. It has been a very eye-opening "growth" experience as we discover what we really want for our future. One huge thing we've learned here is that we LOVE to travel and want to do more of it. A lot more. We may even try RVing in the future, but we'll see how things go when we get back to NC for awhile first.

[Irulan]

This request reminds me of "light, cheap, strong; pick two" I think the mileage thing is going to be your sacrifice if you want room for 4 bikes inside. Element, Ford Escape...will fill the bill but yes, mileage is going to be average.

If you are coming back to the states, can we still pick your brains about trips to Ambergris Caye? That's on the radar for our next dive trip.

[emily_in_nc]

If you are coming back to the states, can we still pick your brains about trips to Ambergris Caye? That's on the radar for our next dive trip.

Of course! We don't dive but can help with other stuff...

And I do realize that I may be asking the impossible re. a vehicle. I just wanted to make sure there is nothing we've overlooked since we've been out of the car market for so long. You know, that proverbial fantasy vehicle that gets 100 mpg, never breaks down, and can carry a small home's worth of toys and gear inside.

[Koronin]

There is always the idea to take the bikes in the hotel room with you. (Yes we've done this actually). Anytime we take the bikes somewhere we take the Ford Ranger (small pick up) that we have a bike rack that attaches to the hitch. We just don't take the carbon road bikes on that since they have to hang by the frame. Typically it's the mountain bikes we're traveling with. But we do take them in the hotel room with us. When we took them to the beach (outer banks) we actually had them locked on an upper balcony under the roof and where you could not see them from the street instead of bringing them inside. Oh and they were locked right next to the door on that lvl.

[goldfinch]

I have a Rav4 that easily carries three bikes, (though my spouse's Trek Navigator is awkwardly big and doesn't stand up nice like my bikes) but I question whether it would carry four. It is the two wheel drive version and gets better than 30mpg. I looked at getting the Honda minivan. The gas mileage was pretty good for a minivan and it would be such a nice vehicle for transporting bicycles. I kind of regret not getting the minivan as the bike stable has increased in size.

[emily_in_nc]

Yep, we've certainly taken bikes in hotel rooms over the years, and most do seem to allow it -- but four?! It's also nice to keep them inside a vehicle to keep them from getting wet, buggy, etc. We were spoiled having a Honda Element for seven years, so it's really hard to go back to a rack situation if we don't have to.

Also wanted to mention that we wouldn't always or even usually be carrying four bikes -- that would be worst case. More typical would be two bikes and a dog kennel, or two bikes and a kayak. We found a take-apart one that goes from a tandem to a single and breaks down into three pieces that could easily fit in the back of a vehicle when broken down:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/69097...ttrValue_0=Red

It's pricey, but so's a tandem kayak plus roof rack, and DH absolutely hated putting kayaks up on Thule racks when we had 'em b/c of all the bungeeing, wrapping, securing fore and aft, etc., so this would solve this problem. Basically, we want to be able to hike, kayak, and bike on a lot of our trips without committing to something like a Sportsmobile just yet.

[shootingstar]

Wow, another life change..returning to the US.

I can't help advise on cars and bike hauls since we're car-free for ( a long time).
Glad you enjoyed and learned from Belize. I guess North Carolina is best for personal reasons to relocate? It is an opportunity to consider another state.

[Crankin]

Emily, we don't have a car that can fit 4 bikes inside that gets the gas mileage you want... DH has an SUV (the kind people here make fun of) that easily fits 2 bikes with the wheels ON, but we have a Saris rack that has an extender for 4 bikes, that we use for trips with our friends. We just use a huge cable lock to keep the bikes safe. I've never worried, really. Once we get to our destination, the bikes are stored somewhere.
I know I must be spending too much time here. I just told DH, "My friend in Belize is moving back here."
I've never met you in person.

[Pedal Wench]

I have a Rav4 that easily carries three bikes, ....

I have a 2007 Rav4 and we can easily fit 4 - two facing forward and two back, and I'm sure we could even do three facing back - SO easy to load in from the back. I just removed the back seats to make it easier to load up for long road trips - we got a ton more storage space and can live out of it for months. Gas mileage is good, and will be better now without the seats and with the extra room, won't need the Thule roof box this summer either.

[jyyanks]

What about Toyota Highlander? Here is an article from Yahoo that talks about the most fuel efficient SUV and the Highlander is in there.

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/suvs-wit...my.html?page=1

[goldfinch]

Basically, we want to be able to hike, kayak, and bike on a lot of our trips without committing to something like a Sportsmobile just yet.

Emily, the perfect vehicle is the Sportsmobile. If you don't want to commit right away maybe you can track down a used Element.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, the perfect vehicle is the Sportsmobile. If you don't want to commit right away maybe you can track down a used Element.

ITA. However, to get the configuration we would want, we would most likely have to order one, and we need a vehicle in the meantime. Not to mention the cost is much higher, and since we'll have a lot of other "re-startup" costs in the US, we don't want to spend that kind of money right at first, until the dust settles. Maybe eventually, though.

[emily_in_nc]

I guess North Carolina is best for personal reasons to relocate? It is an opportunity to consider another state.

No, NC is best. My mother is getting up there in years and lives in the state, as does my brother. We love the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area and have many ties there, including friends, great doctors and dentists, and bike club friends. Not to say we'd never consider another area, but not for awhile. We just have too many roots there to start over in yet another new place.

We actually regretted committing to Belize by the time we actually moved. We had put money down on the condo in summer 2010 (40%, which was required), so we had to follow through, but by the time we moved, we'd gotten so into our lives in Chapel Hill, made new friends (we'd moved from a much more rural area in 2010 to "the city"), and by the end, we realized we wouldn't have moved to Belize if we had delayed our decision a year. But we had too much money in not to go ahead with it.

And we did give it our best shot; it just became apparent within about 6 months that it was not the best place for us long-term.