Is your car any good for fitting bikes and 'stuff' in?

[fossyant]

Done all the bike transporting stuff. Best was my dad's Toyota Space Cruiser, loaded two bikes upright (less front wheels) into the boot, hooked brake levers over rear seats, jobs done.

I've got a saloon, and we shove the bikes up top, 4 bikes, 4 folks, and holiday stuff in boot. Hammers the fuel economy though.

 

[Drago]

All at the same time?

I feel a photo competition coming up.

Aye laddie, all that the same time. Had 5 humans, 4 adult bikes and one kids bike aboard before now. With some careful packaging in pretty sure I can get 2 in the towbar mount rack and 4 in the bed. There's still room to stuff a bag or two as well. A tasty advantage of using a commercial vehicle as a.'car'.

I've had several V8 landies and the significantly more powerful v8 Disco, but while they sound delicious they ain't remotely quick - The relatively sluggish L200 diesel kicks them in the bollocks and steals their lunch money up to about 65.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I've had several V8 landies and the significantly more powerful v8 Disco, but while they sound delicious they ain't remotely quick - The relatively sluggish L200 diesel kicks them in the bollocks and steals their lunch money up to about 65.

I had a 90CSW V8 (genuine factory V8, with 134BHP, via SU carbs, not a bitsa)
That was quick, for what it was, & surprised quite a few hot-hatch (& B*W) drivers

Whilst I'd love another Landie, I'm torn between what to look for
1. Series 1 (86" 'rag-top')
2. Range Rover (be it an early 70's, with vinyl seats, or a late 94/95 Tdi/air-suspension)
3. 101FC (love one of these, for the school-run!!, but probably with a 300Tdi)
4. Discovery (300 Tdi) Commercial (yes, I know!!, it's finding a good one!)

 

[Drago]

My last Landy was the Disco 3.9. Lighter than the Defender or SIII V8 and with 33 and 70 more ponies respectively. Sounded orgasmic, but slow.

I'd love another but wouldn't have a Landy that didn't have manufacturers warranty.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

The higher transfer box gearing can make a difference

 

[KneesUp]

tbh if you're tall, I'm six-two, and want to carry bikes upright then, ime, there ain't many cars you can put a 700c, 29er or even a 26" mtb in the back of without removing/dropping the seatpost. My old Kangoo with the rear seats out is the only one I've owned which did. A Multipla will too, iirc, with the bonus of three seats up front.

(EDIT: oh yes and a 2CV with the back seat and front passenger seat out makes a fine single seater mtb transporter.)

I'm only (just) 6ft - the Picasso does have enough height inside in most of the car, but the lowest point lines up with where the saddle ends up - the easiest way to get it through the actual opening, which is the lowest bit , is to lower the saddle or take it out. Before I had guards fitted I used to put it in the back sideways (across the footwells) and it fitted fine with the front wheel off. This is another advantage of having old bikes and old cars - you can't get precious about upholstery and paint

Three seats up front it nirvana for the three person family - no-one is isolated in the back, and you get tons of load space (unless it's a Matra Bagheera) Unfortunately the Multipla is not very well made (and underpowered as a petrol) and the FR-V is out of my budget. A 9-5 wagon is still looking most likely.

 

[KneesUp]

Hi,
I have had estate cars for many years with similar demands for camping, kids and bikes.
To fit your bill for price and needs I would say go for a Peugeot 406/407.
I had a 1999 406 Diesel (if you get a diesel one get the 110bhp not the 90) I ran it for about 6 years and 60,000 miles and it was perfect and never let me down. It got a good 50mpg normal driving and up to 60mpg on a run. Really good to drive and I sold it to a friend who has put a further 20k on it this year.
With the back seat down you can lay one or two bikes flat in them with nothing taken off and they have roof bars to take a rack easily.
Even as diesels they are really cheap to buy and you can get a very good one for £1,000 to £2,000.
Not a car you fall in love with for looks but a really good car to drive and far better than they are given credit for. It was running on its original exhaust at 13 years old and aside from a service had never broken down in that time (it was my father in laws from new).

I quite like the 405/6 but they are *all* diesel it seems - and my reason to change is that a lot of journeys don't suit a diesel anymore (short, frequent stops) plus a feel a bit guilty about all the soot and carcinogens. I'd be happy to keep the Citroen (also not a car to love, but one to admire for being so useful) if I were happy to run diesel I think.

 

[KneesUp]

Golf 1600 tdi. Three bikes two peeps. 60 mpg.

Smoke that.

Apart from saying I was after petrol and room for three people and stuff, perfect

 

[Cavalol]

The best I've had was a Renault Kangoo (car, not van) as I could stand two XL sized mountain bikes up in the back (with the wheels on, too!) and get loads of other gear in there, too.

My Vectra can take a big bike c/w wheels but so does my 206, and my Xantia. In fact, even my beloved Corsa B could manage a bike. I think probably only saloons are no good for bikes. I prefer the 306 and the Xantia I own though, purely because both run on veg oil which the Vectra diesel can't.

 

[dan_bo]

Apart from saying I was after petrol and room for three people and stuff, perfect

Ah.

 

[Drago]

The higher gearing compensates for the smaller wheels.

 

[Piemaster]

The other that springs to mind is the Skoda Roomster 1.2TSI. Remove 1 rear seat and I think you might squeeze 3 bikes and 3 people in. 50mpg economy and cheap to run.

We've got a 1.6 which is fairly gutless coupled to the DSG box, but then it's still the smallest engined car I've had in the last 30 years since I bought my first car, a Vauxhall Viva HC 1.3 and wasn't expecting it to feel anything else really after the last car.
Might manage 3 bikes people with one rear seat and centre console out. But can confirm a double oven fits in very easily.

 

[Piemaster]

[QUOTE 3421664, member: 45"]
They don't have the bells and whistles though. Safety-wise they do. Airbags everywhere and stability control. I did a 1200 mile trip to Belgium in it in September and it was completely comfortable.[/QUOTE]
I could live without the tyre pressure warning system. Ok, that and stability control are arguably safety systems but dealer had bother getting it reset when we bought it, and now the light has come on again, several days after putting some more seasonal rubber on it. . Pressures are all spot on.
I'd rather have something more useful to me, like cruise control, or a drivers armrest, on journeys that length.

 

[young Ed]

Defender 110. Fit anything in it, go anywhere, selfservice and repair, lots of parts available, and as there is only one pertol option, a V8 it is. Got a 300tdi though and insurance this year is £180.00 fuly comp.

My OH has driven a Land Rover in a previous job. She will not entertain the idea of owning one.

landrover's, horrible to drive and awful on fuel economy but bloody practical!

i am getting one at 17 as i need to get anywhere in pretty much any field, farm track and occasionally places such as woods and need to tow heavy livestock and plant trailers. not because i will be doing lots of driving in town with stop start and am incredibly conscious about my emissions on the environment or need an incredibly cheap to run car.
oh and i like fettling!
Cheers Ed

 

[young Ed]

I've got a Nissan Note at the moment* and I can get a bike in easily, although the front wheel has to come out. I could probably get two in easily enough.

One of my claims to fame was that I managed to fit a Trice Q:

into a Smart Roadster:

*I'm thinking of changing it for a BMW...

the bikes bigger than the car! sure you didn't fit the smart roadster on the trice q?

my parents have had 3 mondeos (they are on their 3rd now) and before that a sierra sapphire so they are hardcore ford fans!
all have been dead reliable, the last one went to the crap due to the rear suspension starting to go and MAY need it changing to pass the next MOT, this was the original suspension and everything majorly mechanical was original and had never had a single problem........ it had over 210,000 miles on the clock! and it towed a caravan weighing over a ton and 5 people and a dog and all luggage up and down welsh mountains every year and never complained

i expect you could fit 3 bikes and 3 people in if bikes were lying flat on top of each other or with wheels off maybe standing up.
only 2 things i don't like about them is they feel rather low down (if you are used to vans and trucks etc) so i find it is the only vehicle i suffer anything like feeling ill in and being 6 foot (tallest in family even taller than parents) i tend to end up smacking my head on the door frame as i get in and have almost knocked my self out a couple of times (again used to taller higher up vans and trucks) and especially when in the back i have the kick the door in to get out with size 12 or 13 boots on!

also i don't really like the fact that they have such fast acceleration if you want to use it even though under normal circumstances it is fine and dead smooth (i know it's weird but again i think it comes from being used to vans and trucks)
Cheers Ed