A small coupe or hatch that can take a mountain bike?
Discussion
If the knowledge of PH like a wide ranging discussion I would like to hear your views.
I am in a fortunate position where I could jump in a car and travel two hours and be within fabulous countryside basically anywhere south of Birmingham, alone riding my bike. The car to do it needs to be fast compared to its weight, comfortable, smallish but carry me and my bike.
I would look at any car from the last 40 years, have considered quite a few and rejected many but not absolutely.
in summary, carry a person and a bike in comfort over a long day with enough power/handling/brakes to make the day no effort, price other than real extravaganza is in a wide wide range please give me your thoughts.
I am in a fortunate position where I could jump in a car and travel two hours and be within fabulous countryside basically anywhere south of Birmingham, alone riding my bike. The car to do it needs to be fast compared to its weight, comfortable, smallish but carry me and my bike.
I would look at any car from the last 40 years, have considered quite a few and rejected many but not absolutely.
in summary, carry a person and a bike in comfort over a long day with enough power/handling/brakes to make the day no effort, price other than real extravaganza is in a wide wide range please give me your thoughts.
Thank you for the help so far.
Yes the wheels will be taken off, I would like to carry the bike inside the car not on a bike rack on the outside.
The Z4 coupe would be perfect but I don't think a bike will go inside it.
An older 3.2 V6 TT would probably be good. I had considered an XK or even an F type but again I don't think the bike would go in. I have driven a Focus ST and it wasn't for me, I prefer larger capacity naturally aspirated cars but that doesn't necessarily rule out something like a Scirocco. I bought a Mk2 Scirocco new back in the day and that would have been perfect for this job, big hatch, fold down rear seats, three door coupe styling.
A Honda CRV would be just right if only it had a sensible and more powerful drivetrain, a modern Honda CRX if was made is the sort of thing I am thinking about upto bigger coupe's, I think a Monaro is booted not hatched, but if it was hatched that would be good for the job as well.
I hope this gives some ideas around what I am looking for and need peoples kind help in finding.
Many thanks.
Yes the wheels will be taken off, I would like to carry the bike inside the car not on a bike rack on the outside.
The Z4 coupe would be perfect but I don't think a bike will go inside it.
An older 3.2 V6 TT would probably be good. I had considered an XK or even an F type but again I don't think the bike would go in. I have driven a Focus ST and it wasn't for me, I prefer larger capacity naturally aspirated cars but that doesn't necessarily rule out something like a Scirocco. I bought a Mk2 Scirocco new back in the day and that would have been perfect for this job, big hatch, fold down rear seats, three door coupe styling.
A Honda CRV would be just right if only it had a sensible and more powerful drivetrain, a modern Honda CRX if was made is the sort of thing I am thinking about upto bigger coupe's, I think a Monaro is booted not hatched, but if it was hatched that would be good for the job as well.
I hope this gives some ideas around what I am looking for and need peoples kind help in finding.
Many thanks.
Thank you samoht.
Unfortunately that is a road bike, my hardtail mountain bike has a wheel base about 75mm longer, forks that are about 100mm longer to allow for suspension travel and handlebars 36cm wider (if that road bike has 40cm bars). My mountain bike is huge compared to my road bikes, I just don't think it would fit into a Z4 coupe, a shame. I don't ride road bikes after being squished on the road by a driver who was convicted for the "accident" they pleaded guilty, I just can't face riding on the road so the car has to function within the boundaries life has set for me.
This wasn't supposed to be about this but more than a decade on from the "accident", I have had to change the way I work and my hobbies due to that moment. It is nowhere near as bad as 10 pence's story for everyone involved in that "accident" but please take care out on those roads.
Anyways, maybe the very best V6 Brera I can find?
I have always liked these and seem to fit the brief. I have owned a few Alfa's over they years and could take some pleasure in fettling a Brera to a good standard where any PH'er could look at it, even if they don't understand the car, and go yep good car mate.
Unfortunately that is a road bike, my hardtail mountain bike has a wheel base about 75mm longer, forks that are about 100mm longer to allow for suspension travel and handlebars 36cm wider (if that road bike has 40cm bars). My mountain bike is huge compared to my road bikes, I just don't think it would fit into a Z4 coupe, a shame. I don't ride road bikes after being squished on the road by a driver who was convicted for the "accident" they pleaded guilty, I just can't face riding on the road so the car has to function within the boundaries life has set for me.
This wasn't supposed to be about this but more than a decade on from the "accident", I have had to change the way I work and my hobbies due to that moment. It is nowhere near as bad as 10 pence's story for everyone involved in that "accident" but please take care out on those roads.
Anyways, maybe the very best V6 Brera I can find?
I have always liked these and seem to fit the brief. I have owned a few Alfa's over they years and could take some pleasure in fettling a Brera to a good standard where any PH'er could look at it, even if they don't understand the car, and go yep good car mate.
Thank you ZX10
I have a lot of love for older Mercs, our "family" car is a 2007 C class saloon, high specced when new we are the second owners and it is really good at being comfy and munching miles.
I like those E class coupe's that you have linked but they are booted not a hatch so I think, but would be happy to be wrong, that the mountain bike will not go in the boot. I think I would require a hatch with rear folding seats, I would love someone to provide pictures of a booted coupe with a 29er mountain bike in the boot to guide me that my thinking could be adjusted to a better solution.
I have a lot of love for older Mercs, our "family" car is a 2007 C class saloon, high specced when new we are the second owners and it is really good at being comfy and munching miles.
I like those E class coupe's that you have linked but they are booted not a hatch so I think, but would be happy to be wrong, that the mountain bike will not go in the boot. I think I would require a hatch with rear folding seats, I would love someone to provide pictures of a booted coupe with a 29er mountain bike in the boot to guide me that my thinking could be adjusted to a better solution.
Macron, I have tried really hard to not set a budget to be not one those "ph" guys but lets try.......
It could be 10 it could be 40, I tried to message this information over many posts about age, cars I have looked at but I am sorry you didn't pick up on this.
What you also haven't managed to understand, it is my fault not being able to communicate this to you, despite many postings about boot entry, boots and hatches, that a booted coupe is no use else how am I going to get my "huge" bike into the car without scraping the sh!t out of the front of the folded down front seats of the car as the frame is put into the back. Here it has to be entry by the rear car hatch, front storage is not available.
It could be 10 it could be 40, I tried to message this information over many posts about age, cars I have looked at but I am sorry you didn't pick up on this.
What you also haven't managed to understand, it is my fault not being able to communicate this to you, despite many postings about boot entry, boots and hatches, that a booted coupe is no use else how am I going to get my "huge" bike into the car without scraping the sh!t out of the front of the folded down front seats of the car as the frame is put into the back. Here it has to be entry by the rear car hatch, front storage is not available.
I would also like to say sorry to Macron many many many times over. The thread title said I would like a car that can "take" a mountain bike but I can see his point that I took half a page of his reading for him to understand that meant inside the car and not on a bike rack.
I say jolly well done to Macron for clearing that up, I obviously misused the word "take" in the thread Title against, for instance, what the OED might have opined what the word "take" might have meant?
Macron, jolly good bloke.
(thanks Techie Dave, jolly well done)
I say jolly well done to Macron for clearing that up, I obviously misused the word "take" in the thread Title against, for instance, what the OED might have opined what the word "take" might have meant?
Macron, jolly good bloke.
(thanks Techie Dave, jolly well done)
Macron thank you.
I am homing in on a V6 Brera, obviously it would have to be in red.
I think a TT is the most obvious answer but I struggle with VAG products even though the first "new" car I bought and enjoyed for 50,000 miles was a VW Scirocco.
My thinking is the very best Brera I can find, re-trim the interior to make it how I would like, probably lowering the drivers seat and bolting it into "my" position, ditch but keep the electrical seat height adjustment.
Drive it for a while and change suspension/ride height if wanted. Re-bush everything suspension/engine mounts straight away.
The boot lip is high but would be lifting in a maximum of 8Kg at a time so should be ok.
Fix any paintwork needed then keep on top of it. Doing all that I think the car would be £20k on the drive and sorted and would see me out. My current car (thread elsewhere) is 20 years young owned from new. I like sorting "things" and then not worrying again.
Thanks for your input, everyone else in this position should buy a TT!!!
I am homing in on a V6 Brera, obviously it would have to be in red.
I think a TT is the most obvious answer but I struggle with VAG products even though the first "new" car I bought and enjoyed for 50,000 miles was a VW Scirocco.
My thinking is the very best Brera I can find, re-trim the interior to make it how I would like, probably lowering the drivers seat and bolting it into "my" position, ditch but keep the electrical seat height adjustment.
Drive it for a while and change suspension/ride height if wanted. Re-bush everything suspension/engine mounts straight away.
The boot lip is high but would be lifting in a maximum of 8Kg at a time so should be ok.
Fix any paintwork needed then keep on top of it. Doing all that I think the car would be £20k on the drive and sorted and would see me out. My current car (thread elsewhere) is 20 years young owned from new. I like sorting "things" and then not worrying again.
Thanks for your input, everyone else in this position should buy a TT!!!
OP sneaks back into the room after buying a coupe.......
OP has even posted a picture of said coupe on PH in the JAAAAG forum!
It will not take my mountain bike, it would take my road bikes.
ALOT of man justification has gone on here, I hope you all will be kind. It has come down to trying to manage too many conflicting needs/restrictions into one decision and then splitting all those needs out.
Basically I live in a too crowded SE area of the UK where chilling, riding a bike and avoiding stressed roads and people is impossible.
Personal situations have changed and a much quieter location a little way north has become available to me where I can keep a bike and stay/visit. I can keep a second bike there and not worry about having to carry it there.It is a one and a half hour drive away. Keeping a bike there means I don't have the restriction of buying a car to manage the bike. At the same time I wanted a second car/coupe.
So I bought a frivolous coupe in the best PH fashion to carry me to my bicycle.
I am aware that this all first world problems, appreciate all the input given and dearly hope that overall that the best PHing traditions have been upheld here.
It's a 2012 XK, FSH 22K car, have owned it two weeks now and it is "simply wonderful".
It will carry me in space, grace and comfort to my second bicycle to be ridden on quieter roads and tracks far from the maddening crowd.
First world problems, as the recently and great Michael Gambon said, "Welcome to the layer cake" we all try to take less s
t and more cake.
Please be kind.
OP has even posted a picture of said coupe on PH in the JAAAAG forum!
It will not take my mountain bike, it would take my road bikes.
ALOT of man justification has gone on here, I hope you all will be kind. It has come down to trying to manage too many conflicting needs/restrictions into one decision and then splitting all those needs out.
Basically I live in a too crowded SE area of the UK where chilling, riding a bike and avoiding stressed roads and people is impossible.
Personal situations have changed and a much quieter location a little way north has become available to me where I can keep a bike and stay/visit. I can keep a second bike there and not worry about having to carry it there.It is a one and a half hour drive away. Keeping a bike there means I don't have the restriction of buying a car to manage the bike. At the same time I wanted a second car/coupe.
So I bought a frivolous coupe in the best PH fashion to carry me to my bicycle.
I am aware that this all first world problems, appreciate all the input given and dearly hope that overall that the best PHing traditions have been upheld here.
It's a 2012 XK, FSH 22K car, have owned it two weeks now and it is "simply wonderful".
It will carry me in space, grace and comfort to my second bicycle to be ridden on quieter roads and tracks far from the maddening crowd.
First world problems, as the recently and great Michael Gambon said, "Welcome to the layer cake" we all try to take less s
t and more cake.Please be kind.
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