That was mean. I'm gonna waste the rest of my day on their site...

Ah yes, the old tri car thread.

From what I recall, the answers fall into two camps

1. Get a giant semi trailer with car styling, perferably with 8 wheel drive, that you throw everything in the back, including the kitchen sink, without any packing skill.
2. Something sensible

I can't believe peoples car choices in general, let alone tri cars. For example, years ago I had a VW camper van. Great vehicle. It rusted out (Canada). I was a student so got a 1981 Honda Civic 3 door. Then we had a kid. We still wanted camping holidays so we put the kid in the car seat, and packed everything we needed for 7 day canoe camping holidays, in the back and put the canoe on the roof. Worked a treat, but in strong winds, a lightweight car with a canoe on top, was a bit of a challenge. It handled like a double disk bike would at Kona! LOL.

Several years later, kid number 2 arrives so we had to up car (still just one). We did a 2 week car camping trip around Eastern Canada, Vermont, NY State etc. By then we had a 1985 Mazda 626 2 door coupe :-). We bundled the kids in the back, cooler, camp stove, tent, all the gear in the back and away we went. All good.

A few more years and we headed off for another 2 week trip with the kids, this time with my first IM in the middle. All the people and gear went in the back, with the bike on a rack on the roof. All good.

About 3 years ago, I headed off for another 2 week holiday. This time, 3 adults, all our stuff for the road trip, with 2 of the people doing a 1/2 IM part way through the trip. I have a Mazda 323 sport hatch, 2 litre engine. People inside, 3 bikes on the towbar rack and away we went. On the way home we came across some really awesome canyon type roads so I was giving it death, red-lining the engine and making the sidewalls of the tires earn their keep. Bikes stayed put, all the gear stayed put, driver grinned from ear to ear, one passenger squealed with delight and trispouse kept mentioning that it was our only car and we didn't need it parked in the river below! :-)

For some reason, that still eludes me, these days, as soon as a kid comes along a truck or a van seems to be the entry vehicle. And if the owner is a triathlete, then it's an Escalade sized planet destroyer.

That said, I'm currently looking at getting a 2nd car and top of the list is a 1970's Fiat 124 Spyder with a tow bar. It would be perfect for tearing around like a teenager, and great for taking to races with the bike on the back.

All I can say is to assess your real needs honestly and get a reasonbly responsible vehicle. More importantly, drive it like you want people to drive when you're out riding.

To each their own......

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TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

This is the truth. End of thread.

I'd also recommend an outback. You can fit your bike in without removing the wheel if you fold down the back seats. If you want to bring the kids then you can go for hitch or roof rack.
It's one of the safest cars out there, which is why my insurance is super cheap despite being a brand new car. It has pretty decent gas milage for an AWD that can truly go off road. I'm averaging 29mpg with mostly city. It's also not that expensive for everything that's included.

BMW X-5

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

An out of warranty BMW X-5 is a huge money pit; almost as bad as a VW Touareg

I'm with you. I've been reading so much about the VW Sportwagen Alltrack and Golf Alltrack. I want a TDI, Manual, AWD Wagon so bad! Wish the A3 Tdi Wagon came in Manual but everything I've read says they are done with manuals. I completely don't get people that don't like wagons.

I have been very happy driving a Volvo XC70 to Triathlons all over the east coast of the U.S. for the past 8 years. I just did a Iron Man in Sweden and I would have gotten a new one at the factory if my money situation was more stable. Tim

Blushing ... certainly LOVE mine and perhaps the first car I've owned that I may never part with.

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Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

i wish they had the new passat wagon here in the US.

Wait so you (most likely) overloaded a vehicle beyond its GVWR and beat the snot out of it driving recklessly with your family in the car.. then you tell people to drive like you want people to when they are out for a ride? huh?

Some people like cars, I'm listening to the music of straight pipe V8s and some flat 6s strung out on the track outside my office window.. to me a 323 is not a sensible purchase, so it goes more than one way.

There is nothing wrong with not caring about cars, belittling people who like things you don't (like cars) is quite lame.


Also you do realize that if the escalade gets 20mpg and holds 8 people but the little "sensible" car holds 4 but gets 40mpg and means either two cars or two trips that the escalade was actually the same or more efficient right? Average mpg being reported on fuelly for 323s is about mid to high 20s, that isn't good at all compared to vehicles of that same class produced in the past few years.


We had a 1980 civic wagon growing up used it for camping and such, 2 adults 3 kids.. it was MISERABLE.

The only answer is the Toyota 4Runner

the 20mpg escalade is only better if you are regularly loading it to the gills with 6-8 passengers and all their attendant luggage (and even then, a minivan is the more practical, sensible vehicle). Most people aren't even close to doing that.

4wd and AWD is far overrated, IMO. We had one of our worst winters last year, and the snow clearing was a fiasco. the city handled it terribly. what I noticed was that good snow tires are key, and AWD allows drivers to drive faster than their brakes can handle in horrible conditions. Saw just as many AWD vehicles in the ditch as front wheel drive.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

With the emissions and crash regs coming more in line between europe and the US, the allroad TDI jjust might be a possibility. I wanted one badly when I was shopping around 3 years ago. 4 doors and AWD were a must because of my work requirements, but I was also planning to drive 600+ miles/week so an SUV was out of the question. I got a Mini Countryman All4 for the 34+ MPG highway and adequate snow/mud traction with a 6-speed. It would have been an Subaru STI hatch, but the performance was too good in that (didn't want a justification to get rid of the Elise) and mpg too bad (25??). Neither of those options are great for a gear heavy sport with family in tow as the hatch area is very tight. The mini is a decent city runabout, but a Prius (or BMW i3 or Leaf) would be better if you don't need AWD.

To the OP: if you're in the PNW and want winter capabilities to head into the mountains, get a Subaru. There really isn't anything better in the US right now. The crosstrek is a solid option if you want good MPG and don't need a lot of power. With 4 people in the car, it was a bit sluggish when I test drove it. Handling is good and space is good. And they'll get you about 35 mpg. The new outback is a bit larger, a bit nicer, and a little more expensive. Similar performance in the 2.5 engine spec (0-60 in about 9 sec...).

That CTS-V is looking better and better... but highway mpg of 20, while commendable for a supercharged V8, is a bit of a deal breaker.

There are so many cars I wish were available in the US, from wagons to more diesel options.

I've NEVER seen 20mg highway - maybe at 65mph cruising ... more like high 18s to 19. City about 12. I've put 30,000+ miles now on mine (BTW, they are no longer made) and have averaged 14.6 mpg combined over that time per computer. Of course, now around 680 hp (crank) though ;-)

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

I was simply pointing out that things are not always clear cut. And overloading a 40mpg car is not going to get anywhere near 40mpg. loading up that escalade to the same will make no difference.

It almost never pays to have a bunch of different vehicles, I say this as someone with a bunch of different vehicles. So if they need the escalade once a month it is actually usually cheaper, more efficient and overall better to have that then 2 cars.

And I did recommend an Odyssey didn't I :) well aware the minivan is practical. But that goes back to overload, check the GVWR of most of them and it isn't that much, they are very easily overloaded.


I don't disagree with you, but don't really agree either. :)

Tires are a massive factor though which is very right and unfortunately the issue is many people think oh I have AWD I don't need winter tires.

Good video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfuE00qdhLA

short version

fwd summer no go
fwd winters lots of go
awd summers somewhat go
awd winters best

I rounded up.

What did you do to boot it to 680? My neighbor has a Hennesy spec V sedan (I'm in Houston, so they're pretty close) that kicks out 650. I wan't to make him a little jealous. The best part is watching him try to drive it in the rain. Hilarity. Though he does have Pilot sport cups on it which aren't helping anything. Until he gets to the track.

Yep. I got caught in a 1/4" of snow in Chicago once when the Elise was my only car. Had to get my then girlfriend (now wife) to get out and push me into the garage...

I prefer to be minimally practical.

Fits two bikes on the roof, two labradoodles in the back seat, my wife in the passenger seat and gear in the frunk. It CAN get good gas mileage, but I rarely let it :)

[URL=http://s1334.photobucket.com/...zpsnehocgsm.jpg.html][/url]

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

The way I figure it, you buy for 98% of your driving. You'll wind up with a cheaper, more fuel efficient vehicle than if you buy to cover any contingency. the remaining 2%, you rent a vehicle for the day / weekend.

If you are using the capacity of an Escalade once a month, thats 3% of the time you need the big vehicle. Then it might be worth it.

Of course, that doesn't even begin to factor in the frustration factor of trying to park a boat in the city. My ex in-laws had a Suburban. You couldn't get it into a number of parking garages around here. I hated driving it. Hated filling up the tank too....

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Is it automatically only 3%?

What if your commute is 10 miles each way so 20 a day or 100 a week so call it 400 a month.

You need the space to get to grandmas which is 200 miles a way so 400 round trip.

That is 50% of its use not 3%

That isn't everyone I'm well aware, but neither is the 3% person either.

nah, by "day"

if you need the huge vehicle once a month, it makes sense to buy it. if you need it once every 3 months, then rent.....

that's the thought process that I went through when I bought my various cars. Otherwise I'd be driving around in a Mercedes G-Wagen . after all, we usually go camping once a year and might decide to drive down a dirt road...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

You sir are doin it rite!

I've said this before, but BMW 520d wagon 6sp manual