VW Golf
I drive an aging Golf with three sea kayaks an Orion NDK Explorer, Makkovic right now . Sometimes a plastic cape;;a or Sealution 2 rests there.
The car works fine and is cheap as dirt to drive.
The Golf is a 1993. I have a Jetta 2005 with two boats up there.
Both diesels are great.
Prius
Another vote for the Prius. The only problem is that it doesn’t have great ground clearance. About 4" which could be a factor depending on the road conditions of your launch site. FishHawk
Also Loved my Forester…
I was able to get sometimes up to 30 mpg with my Forester (with kayak). And pretty good hauling capability. Plus, you can’t beat Subaru’s AWD. Their plant in Indiana is suposed to be the greenest automobile manufacturing plan in the nation.
my $0.02.
I second that for cheap used end.
My first new vehicle after college was a '94 Sidekick four door. Not many bells or whistles. The JLX model did have auto-locking hubs, rather than manual. Mine was a five-speed and I owned it 8 years, 130K miles. Only money I put in it was a new battery after 7 years and new tires/brakes after 70K. 'Can’t remember the mileage, didn’t have a roof rack or kayaks back then, but I chose it because it was surprisingly big inside w/o being huge outside, had more leg room than most other small SUV’s and I wanted occasional 4wd.
The other nice thing (for a kid just out of college) was that it was rear-wheel drive when not in 4wd mode, and was a hoot in the snow. FWD is no fun in the snow, although I guess that’s what one wants for “safe” driving, lol. . . .
YoS
Toyota Echo?
They don’t make them anymore but if you’re in the market for used one it might be worth a look. I drive a 2000 Echo about 30K-35K miles per year and it’s essentially been a no-maintenance car other than oil changes, tires, and brakes (I’m currently approaching 100K miles on this set of tires and they still pass the state safety inspection). I get between 40-42 MPG on the highway; don’t know about city driving since I do so little of it. I haul a 16’ kayak on a Yakima rack and it does just fine - no noticeable degradation in MPG (although it does feel distinctly like I have a skeg on top of the car when I’m hauling my boat). Shouldn’t be any reason you couldn’t haul a larger boat or two. The trunk is surprisingly large for such a small car - it holds everything I need for a week-long camping trip plus kayaking gear. The split rear seats drop down, too, in case you have more stuff than will fit in the trunk. It will also hold a few 8’ pieces of lumber - with the trunk lid CLOSED! - if you slide them through the trunk (with the back seats down) and in-between the two front seats. It hauls one extra passenger without a noticeable drop in performance but if you’ve got 3 or 4 people in the car you WILL notice the difference. It’s no speed racer but has plenty of acceleration to handle rush hour traffic maneuvers and on ramps.
Just bought a Passat Wagon last night
Similar dilema as my '98 Chevy Silverado suffered catastrophic engine failure last week. Needed something that I could haul 4 people, 2-3 boats, gear for trips, garden stuff, etc. I’ve had a pickup for a long time, hard to let go, but have decided to buy a utility trailer, which will cover 90% of my hauling needs. EPA rating is 29 on the Passat for highway, but lots of reports online of people getting low 30s consistently. We’ll see.
Diesel is a HUGE part of Europe!
Diesel is not a small part of any market… accept the US. Europe is 50% diesel right now which is why it is so expensive, we ship ours over there. Remember, oil is a global economy and price right now, not just any one market.
I’m in the auto industry…
and I get to drive ALL types are cars and look at the engineering side of it. The Mazda 5 is a great car too, but I wanted to recommend as my top car an American made car.
Scientific test
Brought to you by the friendly folks at Edmunds.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46nMnCt75qI
Here ya go!
– Last Updated: Jun-11-08 10:30 AM EST –
http://wardsauto.com/ar/bmw_diesel_us/
http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/03/bmw_beats_prius_in_mpgs.php
Most people have outdated assumptions about diesel fuel and diesel technology. Diesels power combined with electric will play a major role in fuel efficient cars / trucks.
Utility Trailer
– Last Updated: Jun-11-08 1:02 PM EST –
I drive a CR-V with J cradles on top, and I also have a small utility trailer for the trips to the home center. I got a 4'x6' trailer from Tractor Supply for $369. It cost me about $15 to register, and it didn't increase my insurance premiums at all. So far, the most I have hauled at once with it were about 8 sheets of drywall, a set of prehung french doors, and another couple of doors. It is rated for 2,000# - same as the CR-V.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_33983_______14297|14337|14342|33983?listingPage=true
I also plan on using it for hauling bikes and camping gear this summer. It has already paid for itself in saved delivery charges (and state sales tax...shhhh...), and it is way cheaper than buying a small pickup. It is small enough to roll under the deck for storage.
Our two cars are a CR-V and a RAV4, and both of them are usually way more car than we need. I can't justify buying a smaller car now just to save gas, but when it comes time to replace one, I will definitely go for 40+mpg. I'm looking forward to more small wagons coming back onto the market.
Go sit in one at a dealership.
“Does the Matrix have the necessary headroom?”
It should (it’s pretty tall). Go sit in one.
YES! bring back SMALL WAGONS!
until then I’m driving my ‘99 Saturn SW2 into the ground. It’s the most reliable car I’ve ever owned and pretty fun, too. Very affordable used … 99-01 are best according to Consumer Reports.
I once got 34mpg with a 15’ sea kayak and a fat SOT on top – going nearly 70mph. This was totally flat highway but even in the mountains with a buddy, two bigger dogs, multiple whitewater boats/gear, it rarely drops much below 30mpg.
Racks on wagons are WAY easier to load solo compared to any SUV, especially my 18’ QCC and my dog’s heavy double rec boat.
I plan to get a plug-in hybrid, or just hybrid, such as:
Civic wagon
Corolla Wagon
Prius wagon
GM Volt wagon
etc. … Hopefully they’ll come out with at least one of those by 2011.
Even small SUVs like the RAV4 and Forester get bad gas mileage – 30mpg highway for a small new vehicle with 4-cyl is in2008 pretty sad. My heavier, low tech, and much more fun 1966 Mustang with 4barrel carburetor V-8 could get 22mpg highway!!
Small pickups have been going away
Everything but Ford Ranger has gone to midsize instead of small, and who knows how long they will continue to produce that.
The upside is that the new midsize trucks often get better mpg than their smaller precedents.
What a kayak hauler needs most is either a long, flat roof or the ability to use an old-fashioned bumper or a hitch (for trailering). The rest of the variables depend on things such as other uses, climate, terrain, availability of important options, whether there are multiple vehicles in the household, etc.
Matrix has SO little cargo space …
with the rear seat up – PLEASE ask Toyota/Honda/etc., to just give us back real station wagons with real cargo areas … and make 'em hybrids 
Mini Cooper
Ok, maybe not the best plywood hauler, but it will do everything else. The non S model gets above 35 mpg and the S clocks in at about 30. My S gets around 31 MPG in combined city/highway commuting type driving. And that’s driving the car the way its meant to be driven, that is, hard! The reason to buy other than it’s practicallity is its personality. This car puts the fun back in driving. It is a blast to drive. No anemic puddle jumper lack of go when the peddle is depressed. So, for those of us who enjoy driving as much as we enjoy paddling the Mini is the fun practical option.
FORD ESCAPE HYBRID
I own one of these. Havent checked mileage on a long trip with canoe…but went to the Outer Banks with one of the car top luggage things, 3 people and a dog etc. Got 30 MGP on the highway.
Costs a little more than a regular Escape…but check your state tax credits…here in WV I got all the extra money back
You’re absolutely right…
…buying a new vehicle to replace one that’s still got good life left in it is almost always false economy and worse for the environment. Unless a vehicle is completely worn out and must be replaced, it makes no sense to buy a new one. In a case where a vehicle must be replaced, buying a slightly used vehicle is always the most economical and environmentally friendly strategy.
fingers crossed for the VW Tiguan to be
available in diesel…
Perfectly pleased with my second Jetta in diesel…test drove the gas burning Tiguan and really liked it. So hoping by first of the year the Tiguan will be here in Diesel–4x4 and around 38mpg.