I have a 2017 Outback. Get the Touring model and it comes with Thule rails. I have the standard rack and haul two 17 ft seakayaks without extra bow and stern lines, a kayak/canoe trailer and a big roof box not necessarily together . The rear rack can move back several inches. It’s in technique. Not available to some users.
@tjalmy said:
but with the method we’ve got to load the boats on the Silverado, we usually take the pick up truck for ease of loading and hauling gear.
What method? I greatly prefer loading boats on my 1999 Mercedes E320 4Matic wagon compared to loading on my pickup truck. My 2000 Silverado has a standard cab and unsecured bed with soft tonneau, so my secure storage for gear is practically non-existent and I can’t use my rack and the tonneau at the same time, so the bed is open when I have the racks mounted.
I may be getting a used topper for the truck tomorrow, so maybe my semi-secure gear storage will improve. Soft tonneau covers can be a beast to use in temperatures under 40 degrees F.
Edited to add that I almost always load boats by myself.
Volkswagens are nice when they are new but fall apart quickly. Terrible reliability. Look at the Acura TSX Wagon. Nice car and good Honda dependability.
@canoeswithduckheads said:
@kayamedic said:
“…and the 2009 we have now has 140,000 miles even though at 4000 miles it suffered 9 grand of damage from hitting a bear in New Jersey.”55 and a black bear!!!?
Bet you RU A BUS parked there.(Sort of what your SUBARU, logo and car, must have looked like. As for the Joisey bear? Well, he’s probably still running strong and in a panic, what with FatElmo in rut.)
It was 35O lbs with four broken legs. still alove in foul mood and the Joisey State Trooper said he had to wait for Fish and Wildlife to come shoot it
Troopers are not supposed to. IMO thats a bunch of BS. Who wants to stand by angry bear in pain?
Kinnelon NJ 2009
not sure why the bear came running FROM a Jersey diner
My neighbor had a VW wagon in his driveway. It got replaced with the Impreza. VWs are in the shop for repairs way too much.
What about a Hyundai Elantra GT? At least they are guaranteed for 10 years, or 100,000 miles. That is the drive-train, but it’s bumper to bumper for 5 years.
I’ve been waiting for Citroen to get their C4 Cactus approved for the US market which they have been working on for a while. Rented one when I was in the UK last year and loved it. Price point in the UK now is around $20,000 to $24,000 in US dollars. Has a relatively low roof and the feel of a larger car in the interior and on the highway. Totally a blast to drive (even with the stickshift on the left!).
Kia Sorento.My son has had one several years and it is still going strong.
@willowleaf said:
I’ve been waiting for Citroen to get their C4 Cactus
Those are the most unique door panels I’ve ever seen. I think I’d prefer smooth though. I wonder if they fair better with shopping carts and other car doors?
What Magooch said… Hyundai Elantra. They quit making my wagon, the Elantra Touring, so maybe they offer the new GT with roof rails? Anyway, my ET was great with the 5 speed manual transmission. If I lived in the country where I could stash cars here and there I’d still have it.
Sparky: The 2018 and 2019 models of the C4 have shrunk the door protection panels to about a 1/4 of their size, probably due to people’s complaints about them (saw them referred to as “Lego bricks”). Honestly, I liked them – I live in a city where I always have to park in tightly spaced lots (including grocery lots) and the doors of my cars always get dinged up in that area. The design also hearkens back to the “woodies”, those real or faux wood panels that used to be on station wagon doors in the 50’s and 60’s and then hung on for a while with the first minivans.
I actually prefer the pre-2018 Cactus. I’ve actually started looking into what the option might be to take a month long European trip and buy a used one while I am there and then have it shipped back. With the chaos over international tariffs right now, I wonder if Citroen is even pursuing the US market any more.
The major drawback to owning a Citroen would be getting it serviced, though I have always had good luck with my cars not needing much in the way of service or repairs, with the exception of the absolute lemon of a 2002 Subaru Outback I owned for a miserable 2 years. Car cost me more in repairs over 28 months than I paid for it in the first place, even though it only had 70K on it when I bought it. And it was miserable to drive, excessive wind noise due to window design, brutally stiff shifting (even after a full transmission rebuild) and rough ride. I always felt exhausted any time I had to drive it 4 hours or more. I will never buy another Subaru.
You might not want to pursue Citroen given this article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/gallery/the-20-best-car-brands-listed/citroen-reliability/
Was sort of afraid of that. Oh well, guess I am stuck with the Mazda for a while. Fun car to drive and very economical but the short roof is a pain. Just ordered a T-bar rack (the kind people use with pickup trucks) that will mount into my Class 2 hitch to extend the rear support a bit.
I am pleased with my 2014 Subaru Impreza. Bought it because of it’s low roof, and all wheel drive. I mounted a yakima rack, and can get two 17’ sea kayaks on top with the 48" crossbars. I like the all wheel drive, and avg 30 mpg overall. Much of the time I have a kayak or canoe on top. We also have a 2013 Ford Edge all wheel drive which has been excellent and trouble free, but it is high enough that I like to have help loading boats.
My son had a VW and he had numerous problems over time with it.
Hey Andy, you might want to go to the library and look at a new car buyer’s guide because it shows the expected 5 year depreciation for all new vehicles which gives you some idea of reliability and problems. My sister in law has a VW Alltrack and loves it and I’ve been in it and it’s very nice and for sure it looks like a great vehicle for carrying boats. I warned about VW quality but I think it is improving over time and one consideration is that they now offer a 10 year warranty. I’ll also mention that if you considering something at a Volvo price point you might want to look at an Audi Allroad too since it is an exceptionally nice vehicle. Finally, I used to work in automotive engineering and I have 2 friends that now work at GM and both have worked at other manufacturers and both of these guys are impressed with GM’s focus on engineering so that Buick may well be worth looking at if it appeals to you.
I have had one for several years and it is still in good state.
I would not in good conscience recommend any Audi product to anyone. I have never known anyone who owned one who did not have massive mechanical and electrical problems with them.
I wish Volvo would go back to making rugged, low- and long-roofed squared off wagons. Those were by far the best vehicles I ever had for hauling touring kayaks and canoes.
In the '70s and '80s Audis were absolute crap. I heard of one couple having one ‘stolen’ and set on fire so they could collect the insurance on that lemon. Somehow they managed to stay in business. Maybe they’ve improved.
I test drove a Jetta wagon back in 2010 and really liked it. Couldn’t bring myself to risk the pain and misery of owning another VW product, though. Bought the Hyundai ET and loved it.