Need a car that can hold a bicycle without a rack
I need a new vehicle. I would like one that is used but not too old, easy to hold a bicycle without a bike-carrier, fuel efficient, and comfortable enough for a pleasant trip of 2-3 hours.
Room for 2 is enough, but more is better. Any advice on vehicles or local car shopping will be helpful. Thanks.
Jan 3, 2017
Parent Replies
The Kia Soul can do all of that and at under $19000 it's a pretty great value. I bought one in June and love it!
See Phillip at Hilltop Kia. Cheers!
hi, we test drove and researched a ton of vehicles (I'm a librarian and we had a lot of time to save up and research) and we discovered that the Volvo XC60 is a dream car. We bought both used (5 and 6 years old, bought in 2015 and 2016) and love, love, love them. Great prices on used Volvos. #1 Incredibly comfortable. This really pays off on daily commutes to work as well as long drives. Also very quiet, which is something we really love - it's so much easier to talk in a quiet car. Safe: incredibly safe. I've seen enough accidents to know this matters a lot. Protecting our health is a smart thing to do. Fabulous to drive. Yes, I think you could fit a bike in the back if you put down the back seats. Also racks are pretty cool - we put two kayaks on top pretty easily. Back seats split in 40-20-40 so you have options depending on what you want to haul in the back. All of this is true for pretty much any Volvo - we test drove a few models. I think the Subaru Forester is a decent car (we owned a used one for 2 months before getting rear ended and the car was totaled) however there's a lot of competition ($$$) and not a whole lot of them available, plus it was incredibly uncomfortable and loud. Visibility was excellent, though.
Oh, and Volvo just announced that if you get service done on anything that should last (alternators, etc) (doesnt include tires, batteries, things like that that wear with time), they warranty the repair and labor for life. So if you bought a 1960's (or any year) Volvo and replaced the alternator, you'd never have to pay for a new alternator again as long as you owned the car. It's a pretty incredible deal: http://volvo.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9411/~/volvo-lifetime…
We tried out a lot of different cars at Buggy Bank in Berkeley which helped us a lot in figuring out what we wanted.
I couldn't begin to assume I know what vehicle will hold your bike (without a bike-carrier) so I'll offer the following advice. Go to the Buggy Bank @ 2821 Shattuck (or any other used car lot that has many different brands.) Bring your bike to see if it fits. Take a test drive. Work a deal with the owner. (The Bank facilitates deals between owner and buyer.) Buy a vehicle. Enjoy it!