Contemplating changing (bike carrying) car – recommendations appreciated

Currently drive a small basic estate car so would be looking for similar size, not bigger and no ego chariots for me either.

Up to 2 years old, petrol, no gizmos and can an estate be beaten for bike carrying duties? Is only for me but occasionally would carry passengers with their bikes.

Thanks awfully. 🙂

Friend has a Skoda Fabia estate. ‘Tis very good indeed. Easily copes with two up trips to Wales. Feels like a very well put together car as well.

Not big enough for me, but then I am compensating….. 😉

VW Touran is a good place to start, most will be diesels tho’ or at least seem to be on UK roads. Very flexible seating options as the rear ones can be removed , un-clipped or moved into various positions. We really like ours as it is so flexible and comfy easy to drive economical etc.

Clio estate, as said the Fabia, however a friend has just bought one of these
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/mitsubishi/space_star/postcode/ch71gu/radius/1500/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/quicksearch/true/page/4

He used to be a car dealer and raves about the durability/used price of theses. Fits 2 bikes easily too….

C-max. You can remove individual rear seats for van-like carrying capacity.

Octavia? Though I’d probably go diesel.

Best bike wagons if that’s really your priority are people carriers with removable seats. I reckon the ‘non-van based’ ones are probably better for absolute comfort but compromise on interior space a little. Higher roof means more chance of bikes going in vertically rather than lying down.

– Berlingo
– fiat multipla wide rather than long
– Old Ford Galaxy (or VW/Seat equivalent) but is big
– VW Caddy Maxi Life big again
– Crysler Voyager Ok – these are huge

Newer MPVs tend to have folding rather than removable seats but removable always gives more space.

I’ve always been intrigued by the potential of the
Skoda Roomster – small
Yeti (2wd version) – doesn’t seem huge
as bike carriers.

It may be the uncoolest car on the road, but i drive one of these:

Peugeot Partner Escapade, only had it a few weeks after previously having a Berlingo van, but very impressed, I have the 2.0 turbo diesel, but it has good mpg, rear seats either fold up against the front ones or can be taken out completely and because the average person that drives one is 84 and does 25mph on dual carriageways, it is low insurance group. They do petrol variations also.

I’ve got a berlingo called ringo – it’s a car version with ply boarded and tinted rear windows. I leave 1 back seat in so can take 3 passengers and a shed load of gear and 3 built up bikes easily… the car version actually has more space than the van version as the footwells for the passengers are deep with storage boxes in them.

It’s getting close to being a bit too boring to drive though after 3 years

Have Galaxy, works nicely. Seems huge, but isn’t *that* much bigger than other MPV type things. Easy to drive & even I can (usually) parallel park it 🙂

@cg you can get a lot into a small hatchback, with the front wheel off I can get my bike into a Yaris. Rear seats down passanger seat forward. For the occasional trip you take backwheels off too or carry bikes on a rack.

The older Rav4’s where very good for bikes as you could remove the rear seats completely, bit expensive on fuel and fail the 2yrs old test as the new ones don’t have removable seats.

As per the other thread how about a Toyota Verso (the Corolla based one), no one is going to accuse you of being in an ego-mobile if you drive one of those 😉

Thanks for the both helpful and frankly ridiculous suggestions. 😆 Jeez, no way do I want a people carrier as I won’t be having any grandchildren!

I do however pass a Landy graveyard sometimes when cycling and quite fancy a small one. Obviously modelling myself on the inimitable bag lady Vera (on telly). 😆

Toyota Verso (the Corolla based one)

A friend has one of those and the interior space is disappointing – folding seat again so not much height. We looked at a new Galaxy about 5 years ago and the problem was the same but some on here recommend.

no way do I want a people carrier as I won’t be having any grandchildren!

no ego chariots for me either.

Make up your mind – so you *do* care about the image your vehicle projects rather than it’s practicality as a bike carrier. We don’t have any kids or grandkids either but I’d not be without our Caddy Maxi. It’s not a people carrier, its a ‘lifestyle vehicle’ (gags). All the convenience of a van but all the comfort of a modern car.

Land Rover is the ultimate ego-wagon. Slow, noisy, expensive, uncomfortable and really not much room in the back of a SWB. The only reason I can see for having one if you’re not a farmer is because you think it projects a certain image. I can buy into that – it’s the only car I can think of that looks better the more you dent it – but makes very little sense as a bike carrier.

One more MPV for the set –
Renault Espace – loads of toys, stacks of space inside for bikes

On the Van vs People carrier thing. The van has more ‘image’ but I reckon for value and comfort a stripped out people carrier with the rear window heavily tinted probably better value second hand

Just pick one you like the colour of 😉

I’ve got a mk1 VW Touran for bike transprt and general lugging around.

External dims about that of a Golf but shorter than a Golf estate (or Bora). Can get three bikes (front wheel off and held in with a fork up), plus kit, plus riders comfotably.

I’ve removed the back two seats (they are a factory delete option) so have the fronts and middle row (one or two are removed to get the bike in.

To be fair I was very surprised how small it was when I got it.

Handlings not too bad either.

Land Rover is the ultimate ego-wagon. Slow, noisy, expensive, uncomfortable and really not much room in the back of a SWB. The only reason I can see for having one if you’re not a farmer is because you think it projects a certain image. I can buy into that – it’s the only car I can think of that looks better the more you dent it – but makes very little sense as a bike carrier.

it’s also an eco wagon, so crap you wont ever want to drive it very far 😉

No way will I drive a vayn. 😯

No way will I drive a vayn

Cue lots of recommendations for different vans…

ps. on a more helpful note – get one a these (Golf)

Cars just don’t excite me, now bikes on the other hand …

DezB +1

Golf estate is a good option as you can hide a bike in the boot is you want to keep it concealed.

Take your vanist attitudes elsewhere.

You’re so vayn, I bet you think this thread is about you?

Up to 2 years old, petrol, no gizmos and can an estate be beaten for bike carrying duties?

I’ve been using roofracks for years. Keeps the mud off the axminster inside the rolls, you know.

Pretty much any car works for carrying bikes if you’re willing to hang them outside – and if you’re budgeting for a 2 year old car, you can probably afford to factor in getting a towbar fitted and buying a thule/atera towbar rack (or roofbars + racks).

Pretty much any car works for carrying bikes if you’re willing to hang them outside

Salt, Scrotes, Low car park entrances, low branches, increased fuel consumption etc. all put me off exterior racks in the UK.

A towbar and a decent platform style bike rack will work with most cars. Very small effect on fuel consumption as bikes are low down.

If you want petrol and room for bikes, these should work for you:
Focus estate 1.6
Octavia estate 1.4 TSI
Astra estate

…

deleted owing to not reading the OP

Doblo. Just bought one second hand from a bike shop. Life changing… has the seats for sharing trips with friends but is basically a big box on wheels. Super easy to load with bikes and kit.

The bonus is the flip up rear door which makes a good umbrella as you sit on the tailgate and towel off the mud.

Oh, and it’ll take just about everything…[/url]lamb holidays by BeateKubitz[/url], on Flickr[/img]

Look at the Vauxhall Zafira – still a few brand new (old style) ones around for £9,600 – possibly less than some 2 year old cars and a lifetime warranty.

Must be worth considering?

Edit – £9,350 now…

Is that not a people carrier?

would be looking for similar size, not bigger
+
Jeez, no way do I want a people carrier

+ it’s a blimmin Vauxhall!

I’ll get my coat.

from what year are the VW Tourans rear seats individually removable?

Just get a van and don’t look back (especially if there’s no rear window).

C-max. You can remove individual rear seats for van-like carrying capacity.

Jeez, no way do I want a people carrier as I won’t be having any grandchildren!

It’s ‘only’ got 5 seats, so not quite a minimbus.

Advantages are the boot is much taller than the estate (downside, a few inches shorter). The rear seats are actualy adult sized as you can sit upright rather than folding into a space designed for a 10yr old.

Removable seats are a double edge sword, you gain a few inches and footwell space over normal folding seats, but unless you remove them they take up almost a foot of the load space when folded.

Whilst I struggle to ‘love’ mine, I’ve done 40,000miles so far in it (72,000 on the clock) and will probably keep it for at least that again, and probably again after that. Having struggled to give it a feminine name, it’s Ron (as in ronseal, does exactly what it said on the tin).

[coatbackoff]

Gotta say I was impressed when I saw the folding seats on the Zafira in action – someone came to collect something from our house. He was on crutches yet he managed to quickly and easily flick the switch to fold the rear seats flat to make a huuuuuuuge (and perfectly flat) load area – perfect for bikes.

Doblo. Just bought one second hand from a bike shop

Bike shops selling cars? Whatever next! Cute lambs by the way, could I borrow them for my garden? 😀

Let’s have less of knocking Vauxhall. Been driving them for around 20 years and none of them have ever let me down. Not interested in what’s cool and what’s not and that includes vayns. 😀

Reliability and practicality is what matters. Bikes always inside as I’m precious about them. 😳

Thanks again folks. 8)

It was pre-used by said bike shop. Honest. They’d not gone bad.

How many would you like? They only need feeding at 6.30am, lunchtime, teatime and 9pm… 🙂

But don’t feed them after midnight…

If you want something that’ll swallow two bikes with ease, is extremely reliable, fun to drive and very comfortable, you could do a lot worse than the Honda Civic (old shape). Superb cars and whilst not an Estate they have one of the biggest boots in their class and have “magic” seats that fold down into the passenger footwell to give you a very big load space. I’m off on Friday for a weekend in the Lakes and will be carrying two big FS bikes (I’m 6’4″), a barbecue (weather forecast is good!) and a load of kit in mine with ease. I get over 50mpg combined (and I am somewhat heavy of foot) and the tax/insurance is reasonable as well. Both the 2.2 Diesel and the 1.8 petrol are to be recommended and they also do a 1.4 petrol as well.

Otherwise I’d probably have a look at the Focus Estate. Avoid the Zafira at all costs, nothing against Vauxhall per se, but they are not good cars.

Anyway, go and test a Civic, you won’t regret it!