Need a new ride [car] for my ride [bike]...

I'm partial to the Honda Element.
Super cool vehicle for someone who is active.

Buy a shitty old volvo wagon or subaru so you can get a couple new bikes for the same total price as any of those cars.

I really dig her setup

Quoted for double entendre.

Kn.

Diesel golf

I considered the FIT after my TDi golf was stolen but I got a truck instead

they do have a LOT of room if thats what you need

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Fitta

wiki has pretty good info on any type of car you want to buy things like when the models changed and what model came wiht what options or engine type

i just bought a new Subaru WRX 5 Door!

Nice. Me too (last Sept)

But I don't haul my bike on it - that's what the wife's Outback is for.;)

If you are looking at the small SUVs, the Ford Escape has a 2" hitch available, it comes with a 4 or 6 cyl, 2 or 4 wheel drive. It is also a hatch back.

We went with the 4 cyl, 4 wheel drive model. It isn't as good on gas as the 2006 Civic we also have but isn't bad (we have a 1.25 hitch with a 2 bike rack on it). I still have to get the 2" hitch installed, Ford has a 1.25" hitch available, the 2" is aftermarket.

I would first look for a hitch for your car for your bike first.

An 1-1/4" hitch is useless if you want to carry 3. You need a car that can take a 2" hitch receiver that is readily available.

That's wrong. I used a 1-1/4" hitch for 6 years without issue. That included 3 bikes on a 6000km road trip.

As for the OP, what's the max you want to spend?

Also, 15 feet (180 inches) with hitch might be hard to do. A Fit is 162 inches, and a Mazda 3 180 inches, so a Mazda 3 with hitch would be too long and a Fit would barely work, if it could.

I had a 1[HTML_REMOVED]1/4" receiver on 2 golf's for 10yrs and I could carry 3 bikes

alright fine. Just don't get a Class 1 reciever. 2 bikes on a NSR bent my Class 1 that came from the GM dealer as the cheapest piece of chinese shit they could dig up since I had them include in the price of our Vibe.

I'm partial to the Honda Element.
Super cool vehicle for someone who is active.

Agreed, and it fits the size requirements (14' 3"). We used to have one, and it was possibly the most versatile car for our outdoor lifestyle. Easily fit 3 bikes standing up inside with 3 people.

I was thinking I had to go with a 2 inch hitch (I see class 1 = 200lb, class 2 = 300lb), I was going to call up E[HTML_REMOVED]H or Rack Attack and ask them what options were available and for their recommendations.

Rode in a Subaru today, very nice car… but damn they need more dealers locally.

Love the Element, hadn't realized the length, will take a second look - just looked up the Element, Honda no longer is making the Element - jeez guys, no hatchback, no Element…

Most of SUVs are just too big or wide, we have two spots for parking, one long and one short - the boss is looking at the Mazada 5 or a CRV, these would fit easily in the long spot, but too big again for the short one (and more than we want to spend on a second commuter runabout).

I tried the Fiesta, nice interior, lots of electronic gadgets, and I did try the one with the sun/moon roof - which might explain my tight fit.

I get the feeling that, like bikes, pretty much everybody makes a good ride, and it will come down to best fit and bang for buck. I tried the Scion xd, and really liked the steering wheel set up - which oddly is one of the complaints some reviewers have - as being too up right, which makes Scion the Rocky Mountain of cars.

As to price, I'm not going with a base model, nor the top of the line - and I would settle for used 2008/09/10 - as long as it is not grey - so many grey cars in the used lot, with dull grey interiors, what's up with that - shows all the, er, stains left by the previous owner…=/

that's 300 lb tongue weight, with the tongue being a 6" long bar with a ball on the end, not a 4' long rack (thinking NSR-4) of leverage.

Mazdaspeed 3.