What's the perfect car for a triathlete?

It will depend on how you want to carry your bike as much as anything. I have an Accord coupe, it carries all of my stuff with a bike rack on the trunk. A buddy of mine drives an HHR which is like a station wagon, but my bike is to big for his car. If you get a convertible make sure you can get a bike rack on the back, some will not support a rack without getting a trailer hitch. What do you want the most?

You know your a triathlete when a key requirement for a new car is that it will carry all your tri gear!

Can't help with the thread I'm afraid.  I spent my 'first car' fund on a new bike...

the one that leaves and extra 5k in your pocket for a new bike...

my lease is up april 2010, I'm already thinking....

definitely used, definitely under 15k, and I'll definitely be buying a new bike with the money saved

I just traded in my Honda Civic for a Honda Fit a couple of weeks ago.  My requirements for the new car were to have good gas mileage and to fit the bike in the car without a trunk rack.  The Fit accomplished both of these.  It is a small car but feels really big inside.

I love mt Honda Element that I got 4 years ago when I got into doing triathlons. It is great for my purpose. I can carry my bike inside without taking off the wheels along with all my gear. I also use it as a mini-RV and camp in it using the cabana designed for the rear hatch.

My wife calls my my mobile locker room. I carry everyting I need for all the sports most of the time.

Chevy Truck!

The one you can afford and like.

If I didn't have to tote all my gear AND 5 kids around I'd likely go for the Element. 
Considering my requirements I have an 8 passenger option Toyota Sienna that I love!

With a microwave in the back!  LOL

Edited by KeriKadi 2009-05-09 4:29 PM

X2, have a friend with one.  We got three guys and three bikes, standing up., to a tri once.  Add a roof rack if more bbikes needed, and holy cow, the thing really is a rolling locker room. 

I have a 99 Chevy Suburban.  It's been paid for for the last 7 years. I keep the seat folded down in the back.  If I want to take my bike somewhere, I open the rear and just toss it in.

I had a Mitsubishi 3000 that I could also put all my stuff and the bike in the back.  I didn't have to remove the front wheel for that car.

Of the cars I've had:

VW Jetta:  Had a hard time hauling my bike around in.  It was possible.

VW GTI:  I could fold down the rear seats and fit the bike in the back with the front wheel removed.  Kind of a tight squeeze.

Porsche 944:  Could fit the bike in the back with the front wheel.  Not too bad for hauling stuff due to the hatch back.

Porsche 993C4:  Not recommended.  I had a rack for the top.  Looked pretty silly.

Porsche 993TT:  Incredibly fast car.  Could not hold bike.

Dodge Viper:  If you remove both the front and rear wheel it's like a rubic's cube, there is one way to get it to fit.  But, it does.

Honda CRV:  Must remove front wheel.  Otherwise no problem.

Personally I would find the vehicle you want and can enjoy, and then see if there's any way possible to get the stuff to fit.

I want to get a Toyota RAV4 just so I can put my bike in the back instead of on a trunk rack. Oh and because I've always wanted a RAV4.

Nissan Xterra - wetsuits can go in the cargo bin on the top and are often dry by the time I get home.  The interior has room for 2 bikes with the back seats folded down.  I can also fit my white water kayak inside, or 2-4 kayaks on top with a stacker. Neoprene seat covers mean no stress about wet people or dogs getting in.  Mileage isn't so good, but I love my X.

Defender 90

I'm actually going to be doing this in the next few weeks! My priorities are: car that can hold bike inside and dog at the same time. Civic is having a real hard time doing that - I spend way too much time driving the Jersey turnpike with my bike to feel comfortable leaving it on my trunk rack...  I'm looking at the Element, CRV, Fit and Ford Edge. I'd say CRV is in first place right now

I, too, have come to embrace the minivan.

But, if I had no kids, I think I'd look into an suv of some sort. 

I've got a Honda Civic right now.  It has enough space that my husband and I can fit all our camping/biking stuff in the trunk and on the trunk rack, and still have room for the dog in the backseat.  I just don't like driving on the highway with my bike on the trunk rack, especially since the bike is worth more than the car.  It's still the perfect car for me, because I don't owe any money on it and it gets me from Point A to Point B.

If I could get any car, I'd probably steal my dad's VW Passat wagon.  It handles like a much smaller car, gets good gas mileage, is way more reliable than most VW's, and has enough room in the back for either two large dogs, three to four small children, or several bikes. 

Whenever our tri club goes to races, we always use the pool van, can fit in about 3-4 bikes and 5-6 people.

It has a penguin on the side, which gives us street cred as well...

Hands down.  GMC 2500HD 4x4.  You can haul all of the gear you want plus 6 people.  If you still do not have enough room you can easily pull a trailer up to 12000 lbs.  Mileage sucks @ 11/17 but it does a great job.

I ended up with the Fit for the good gas mileage.  Also, I don't have to go to work in the really bad weather, so I didn't really need to pay for a 4WD vehicle.  If I needed 4WD, I would probably have gone with the Element.