[stumpjump]

Ok, so long story short, civic got badly rear ended and since it had a rack on it the frame is completely unfixable. So new auto time. I want something that I can put a hitch on (I'd do roof rack but Im short and it would look silly), something that gets decent gas mileage (think mid to high 20's city and better highway), and something that roomy enough to store a rack of bike tires in the trunk.

Ive considered trucks but I live in Washington DC so parking space is realllllly limited. So Im looking along the lines of anything car or SUV. Throw all good suggestions at me. Im looking in the realms of something under 30K.

All suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sghost]

Honda civic.

 

[DirtMcGirk]

I hear Rob has a Subie he can sell you...

 

[ultraNoob]

Honda element
Scion XB
Toyota Rav4

 

[jonKranked]

new impreza. comes in sedan or wagon. should be able to get a hitch on it (tho not yet confirmed). AWD, mpg is better than what you're looking for - 27 city, 36 highway.

then again, i put my pre-order in a month ago and am still waiting on it.

 

[IH8Rice]

mazda 3 hatch?

 

[chillindrdude]

Vw tdi

 

[zdubyadubya]

agree with Jon, IH8Rice, and Chillin. 5-door for the win. LOVE driving my impreza in the city in the wintertime.

 

[CBJ]

Jetta Wagon. Used to have a similar size car in Europe and you could fit 3 DH bikes and 3 guys inside the car.

 

[stoney]

wagon ftw. pretty uch any will do if you don't demand power or awd.

 

[skyst3alth]

Wagon for sure. I've got a MazdaSpeed3 that I put a hitch on, and ski racks on the roof for the winter. The only thing I miss is ground clearance, FWD isn't a problem with snow tires unless you're an idiot in the snow. Fold the rear seats down and there's plenty of room if you need to haul bigger stuff. Small enough to park in the city, and plenty fun.

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

Toaster, Honda Element. It's small, can haul a bunch of sh!t, and perfect for parking in tight spots.

 

[DirtMcGirk]

The upside is when you see Kristin again you two can compare and contrast your lesbian styles.

 

[kickstand]

I just bought a 2012 ford focus. I have 3100 miles on it. 33 mpg average since I bought it. I can average about 28 mpg in the city, and I have seen as high as 40 mpg on a highway trip.

I haven't tried to stuff a bike in it yet, or looked for a hitch online so I can use my receiver rack. But it should have enough room for a "rack of bike tires" in the trunk no problem.

So far I am pretty impressed with it. I wish it was a little sportier like the impreza RS it replaced, and a little faster, but overall it's been fine. I have driven it in the snow a few times already, and my neighborhood ices over pretty good and has a few hills that are tough to get up I also made it out of my parents driveway no problem, which in the past has been a major problem for many cars including some of my own. No complaints so far (coming from a guy who just got rid of the Impreza AWD, and also has a 4wd superduty).

I didn't go all out on the car, but I did upgrade to the sport package, winter package, a stick shift, a 5 door hatch ($800 option), and I upgraded the wheels a notch or two and I still came in under 21k out the door. Another of my buddies went all out and got a titanium edition and paid almost 27k.

 

[kickstand]

 

[Mo(n)arch]

Audi A4 Avant quattro with hook mounted bike rack.
Reliable, comfortable, with enough space for tires and anything else.

Or a Lambo:

 

[IH8Rice]

Audi A4 Avant quattro with hook mounted bike rack.
Reliable, comfortable, with enough space for tires and anything else.

this made me LOL.
and there really arent any racks like that here in 'Merica

 

[ICEBALL585]

Buy a mini-van... ladies love dudes with mini-vans

On a serious note, I do actually own two mini-vans (Honda Odessey and Dodge Grand Caravan). It's sweet that I can fit tons of stuff without any trouble. After riding I can fold down the rear seat and roll in a few bikes without having to take off any wheels (although the wife gets pissed when I track in a bunch of mud). They both average fairly good gas milage... 20-25mpg.

 

[jonKranked]

Audi A4 Avant quattro with hook mounted bike rack.
Reliable, comfortable, with enough space for tires and anything else.

you haven't seen rufus' thread about his audi, have you?

 

[Mo(n)arch]

I have to say yes.
All I can say is that here in middle europe the A4 Avant and the VW passat are the most liked kombis.

And almost everyone I know is pretty damn happy with their Audis.

 

[stumpjump]

Did a ton of looking last night and found the subaru leg hatch, mazda 3 (I was considering this till I saw it here), mitsubish lancer sportback and a few others. AWD is a big plus, but not 100% necessary depending on which dealer wants to work with me. I looked at the Audi A4 sportwagon but I think its a little above my price range. I was condering the VW TDI but at the end of the day parts on that car are retarded expensive so over time the cost of the car rises significantly, and at the end of the day Im not an anesthesiologist, NEIL.

I had a Honda civic but after going through 2 transmission and was almost ready to move on to engine no. 2 before it got hit. The dude hit the hitch at like 15-20mph and it compressed and bent the frame nearly half the length of the car. They said it was about as much to fix the car as it was to replace it. I will miss having the honda because of the gas mileage was unbelievable (even with 2 DH bikes on it) but at the end of the day I feel like a 18 yr old in that car. Im not sure that the hitch rack on the back of the car was too much or why the transmission died so early on, but after spending 5K on transmissions Im done with Honda for a while.

Anyone know about what markup they throw on the A3 so considering a 27K base price can be negotiated down to?

 

[Mo(n)arch]

this made me LOL.
and there really arent any racks like that here in 'Merica

I know, but I haven't found a pic with a serious rack. This bike racks are more or less sh!t. A friend of mine uses one on his T5. It's a PITA to put three bikes on the rack. If I had to coose, I would take this one:

Ohh, Car suggestion: VW T5 with california Roof.

 

[stumpjump]

i wasnt considering the focus at all but I actually like the styling of that.

 

[kickstand]

i wasnt considering the focus at all but I actually like the styling of that.

I started a similar thread a few weeks back. Difference between us was I was trying to stay at or under 20k.

I considered the jetta wagon, tdi and reg, the impreza, and the focus.

So far I have been pretty pleased.

My criteria were mpg's first, hatchback, and stick shift.

I also got X plan financing (which I can probably hook you up with if you go that route) so it made the decision a lot easier.

Plus the back seats fold down completely flat.

 

[6thElement]

It amazes me it's taken so long to bring the more European styled Focus to market in the US. Particularly the 5 door hatch versus the more favoured sedan in the US. So much room in hatchbacks when you can fold the rear seats and remove the rear shelf.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Wagon for sure. I've got a MazdaSpeed3 that I put a hitch on, and ski racks on the roof for the winter. The only thing I miss is ground clearance, FWD isn't a problem with snow tires unless you're an idiot in the snow.

Haven't lived here long enough for "one of the big ones" yet, eh?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Audi A4 Avant quattro with hook mounted bike rack.
Reliable, comfortable, with enough space for tires and anything else.

Compared to what, pray tell?

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
I had a Honda civic but after going through 2 transmission and was almost ready to move on to engine no. 2

What in the hell did you do to that car?

 

[dante]

Buy a mini-van... ladies love dudes with mini-vans

 

[chillindrdude]

doesn't vw have free maintenance for the first 3 yrs? you'd save alittle money there. as long as you change the oils and keep up belts/hoses, the TDI engine is fairly reliable no?

the A3 is a horrible car for your intended uses. it looks good from the outside, but it really isn't all that roomy on the inside. the engine is...meh...and you'd probably have to use premium gas. i test drove one and most of the cars on your list.

i like the subies, if you stay away from the turbos, the engines are good, nice styling, plenty roomy, AND you get AWD.

my Outback is great, factory hitched, can haul plenty of stuff on the roof, or in the back. lacks the punch of the turbo, but mileage is consistently 25-27mpg on regular. on the gravel/dirt roads near frederick, it rides rock solid, with loads of confidence and grip.

 

[SkaredShtles]

doesn't vw have free maintenance for the first 3 yrs? you'd save alittle money there. as long as you change the oils and keep up belts/hoses, the TDI engine is fairly reliable no?

As with most cars from Deutschland, it ain't generally the drivetrain that's gonna send you to the poorhouse.

 

[stumpjump]

What in the hell did you do to that car?

Well honda had a well known problem with the 2004 civic transmissions but never did anything about it because not enough people spoke up about tranny problems. By 80K all of my synchros were pretty much gone and 1st and 3rd gear were really worn. So that got rebuilt. A year later (just long enough for the warranty to expire) I started having leaking problem from the rear main seal. Honestly everything on the car was fixable and I probably would have kept going but the motor was consistently leaking oil (about a quart a month) and Im pretty sure it was from either leaky valve seals or a deformed piston. Either way it would be a 2K engine rebuild. So really getting hit wasn't so bad because the guy hit the rack hard enough to bend the bars on it and snap one of the bike carriers completely off. It both bent and compressed the frame rails so I figured probably not the safest thing to tote my bikes around on anymore.

 

[kickstand]

Haven't lived here long enough for "one of the big ones" yet, eh?

You going to base your car buying decision on a big storm where nearly everyone gets shut down for a day or two?

Granted the east coast big ones can be bigger than what I receive where i live, but for 99% of my driving I can get buy just fine with front wheel drive, in all reality I could get through 100% but the convenience of 4wd is nice a few times a year.

The fuel savings from my awd car to my fwd car is worth the inconvenience of one or two storms a year when I just stay home until the roads are clear.

 

[SkaredShtles]

You going to base your car buying decision on a big storm where nearly everyone gets shut down for a day or two?

Granted the east coast big ones can be bigger than what I receive where i live, but for 99% of my driving I can get buy just fine with front wheel drive, in all reality I could get through 100% but the convenience of 4wd is nice a few times a year.

The fuel savings from my awd car to my fwd car is worth the inconvenience of one or two storms a year when I just stay home until the roads are clear.

<sigh>

Fenton is making you grumpy.

 

[jonKranked]

The fuel savings from my awd car to my fwd car is worth the inconvenience of one or two storms a year when I just stay home until the roads are clear.

this is kinda bogus now that there are awd cars that get mileage in the mid 30's.

 

[IH8Rice]

there might be a 2-3mpg difference b/w a similar model awd and fwd car. nothing to be concerned about.

 

[kickstand]

<sigh>

Fenton is making you grumpy.

I can not argue with this statement. But, it's true, he may only "need" the awd a few times a year. On the flip side he may "convenience" awd 20 times a year.

 

[kickstand]

this is kinda bogus now that there are awd cars that get mileage in the mid 30's.

every subaru owner I have ever known averages high 20's, my car averaged 27-28 mpg. I don't know about the new ones yet, but if they are averaging above 30 mpg I agree with you.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

this is kinda bogus now that there are awd cars that get mileage in the mid 30's.

This what the sticker says or what you actually get?

 

[skyst3alth]

Haven't lived here long enough for "one of the big ones" yet, eh?

I have, I just plan far enough ahead that i'm already parked somewhere fun to get stuck (read: the mountains).