Cars for carrying bikes in

UK2004

I am currently considering purchasing a second car for carrying the bikes in, ideally somethign that fairly securely they can go in with wheels still on, two bikes max really. Am thinking along the lines of a land rover discovery, has anyone experienc of putting bikes into these? Are they easy to just slide a couple of bikes in without them falling and clattering around, any recommendations of other cars much appreciated.

Thread8

A van

nickfrog

A VW Touran.

Raymondavalon

Land Rover Discovery TDi, P/R registration
You get them at a steal now and it's spacious and very comfortable too, ideal after a hard day's riding.

joec1

i have a Seat Altea, can get 3 bikes in upright with just the front wheels of...

Not a L/Rover, but doenst have the tax to go with it either...

Surf-Matt

A Disco would be ideal TBH - get one!

Thewaylander

To be honest in comparison to like an S-max / galaxy or heading over to a van. The discovery is expensive to run and doesn't have the same level of room for piling bikes/gear/camping gear into. Also the discovery is rolly polly on road..

CustomReign

I get on pretty well with a newer shape Vectra or Mondeo if you want something inexpensive. I'd love a van but the toll over the M4 bridge to Wales would double.

Robbing rascals!!!

Alex

A disco isn't worth it unless you want a 4x4. The cheap ones are rotboxes, the expensive ones are expensive.

A Mk3 mondeo estate (previous shape) with a big TDCI lump in it will do 50mpg, handles OK, very comfortable, decent equipment levels and importantly swallows fully built bikes with room to spare. Oh, and they're cheap to insure, cheap to run, cheap to service, cheap to buy and don't go wrong much.

Granted I'm getting rid of mine, but that's only so I can buy something more expensive to run, insure, service, buy, get consumables for and is far less practical.

Anonymous

Alex wrote:

A disco isn't worth it unless you want a 4x4. The cheap ones are rotboxes, the expensive ones are expensive.

A Mk3 mondeo estate (previous shape) with a big TDCI lump in it will do 50mpg, handles OK, very comfortable, decent equipment levels and importantly swallows fully built bikes with room to spare. Oh, and they're cheap to insure, cheap to run, cheap to service, cheap to buy and don't go wrong much.

Granted I'm getting rid of mine, but that's only so I can buy something more expensive to run, insure, service, buy, get consumables for and is far less practical.

i had a mondeo and it was an ace bike car. shame the fly wheel decided to start disintegrating

i now have an old impreza estate, non turbo, 4x4, which i love. it is nippy, hndles very well, has plenty of space for 2 bikes 2 people and enough gear for a week including tents and whatnot. mind you, it only does 30-33 mpg. oh, and its ugly as sin!

Thewaylander

Find an older Ford Galaxy seriously, you can put the seats up and carry alot of people, then they go totally flat and it becomes a huge van in basics with only car bridge toll costs

Surf-Matt

Or Vauxhall Zafira? Rented one in SW Ireland and it was a flipping useful piece of kit. The seats do all sorts of tricks (one of them even tells jokes) and the load area is vast. Cheap as chips too.

GSI and VXR versions are also rather nippy but I'd got for a 1.9CDTi 150 - I had that engine in my Astra estate and it was a gem.

Thewaylander

Yeh not a bad suggestion the giant people mover vans are very flexible indeed.

nickfrog

I am surprised so many people suggest a Disco not knowing if the OP has any needs to go off-road. If he doesn't, it sounds like the worst possible idea for road use.

Surf-Matt

Thewaylander wrote:

Yeh not a bad suggestion the giant people mover vans are very flexible indeed.

Only downside - they look sh1t and are often driven very angrily...

P-Jay

A second vehicle primarly for moving bikes about?

A Van - anything else is just folly IMHO.

Why anyone would want a Disco for it is beyond me. They're big, but not on the inside. They're good off-road, but that's what the Bikes for. Thirsty, expensive to insure, brutally expensive to repair, unreliable and bad for the environment.

Steve_F

Volvo V70 tdi. Fits two bikes in without removing any wheels.

Not tried it yet but I have a feeling that 4 bikes and 4 people could fit in the car if all wheels were taken off the bikes.

clodhoppa74

try a vw transporter with a pair of rear seats bolted in. still loads of room for bikes and gear, plus you can kip in it too, if the wife's angry diesel too, so cheap to run, parts are plentiful and cheap if you know where to look...



i just stick a roof rack on the A6 estate. i can fit 2 bikes in, but i prefer the mud on the roof tbh,

Northwind

Decent sized estate (watch it, some modern ones have randomly small load bays, like the current Passat with its panels in the side) seems the obvious one to me.

But leftfield option, get a Mazda Bongo. Expensive to run but very cool, and you can live in it.

Surf-Matt

Chavved up T5 Transporters are soooo common around here.

Silly wheels that can't take the weight, tyres that kill the ride quality and daft lowering for something that a very modest hatchback can burn off...

They are great vans - the best in fact - but why oh why ruin them with stupid chav add ons? At the very "worst" get stock VW 18" alloys on a Sportline van.

submityournentries

if your very poor like me, i bought a 1988 peugeot 205 xl, so all the seats fold down, and i can get my bike in with its front wheel off, cheap as peanuts to buy, insure tax and run, but abit small for 2 bikes and 2 people

jmillen

I've been looking at some small vans which will either take the bike in full or take it upright but with just the front wheel off and a support fixed in the van.

Renault Kangoo, Peugeot Partner that kind of thing, may be worth a look? Will it just be the one bike you're wanting to carry ?

heez29

Get a posties van! or a fiat doblo or something.

rhext

Mercedes Viano. Like mine

garrynolan

I have a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso with a 1.6 HDi. Just fits (road)bike upright but could probably do 2+ MTB's or 4+ on their side. Loads of space all round.

garrynolan

I have a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso with a 1.6 HDi. Just fits (road)bike upright but could probably do 2+ MTB's or 4+ on their side. Loads of space all round.

The Pinkster

I've got as Fiat Doblo and it's great for the bikes. Wit hte back seats out (just 4 M8 allen bolts hold them in place - 2 for each seat) I've had 6 bikes in the back, upright and with all wheels still attached.

marksteven

mines a mitsubishi delica 8 seats can get 4 bikes & 4 people in fully built & all the seats fold down to make a double bed great 4 nights away & its 4x4 so goes any where

Surf-Matt

BMW 335d Touring like me - bikes on the roof, kit in the back and hated by everyone else on BR

UK2004

Thanks for the tips will have a look. I have done a bit of off road driving before and quite liked the idea of using the car for organised off roading at pay and play sites. Don't ideally like having to tkae any wheels off as worry the fork will get damaged in transit and dont like having to put the bikes next to each other. Has anyone used the bike carriers that go on the spare wheel on the back of an off-roader?

mr-brightside

ive also got a delica L300, they are handy weekend away wagons 8)