its not easy being a 1-car household, but definitely easier without kids in the house. Also not easy riding an hour+ to the start of some group rides, but ultimately worth it.
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20+ year VW/Audi mechanic who owns a European repair shop (currently full of jeeps because money is money).
Audis are rarely more expensive to maintain than VWs, even my allroad which is considered one of the most unreliable vehicles ever made isn’t bad. MB parts are surprisingly cheap more often than not, but most have a grocery list of small stuff to get them right (if you’re being picky). BMWs are not that bad either, I think avg ticket on a new customer is about 1200 bucks fixing oil leaks and then that is about it once that is sorted other than brakes and other normal stuff. Volvo I don’t see many of, GF has an S60 with 150k on it that previous owner basically did oil change and tires.
Point being, if you’re a wagon enthusiast and the outback isn’t your thing the used german stuff isn’t bad. Especially when you consider the steep depreciation on many of them in the first 5 years. Sure you might spend 5k in repairs over a few years on a 10 year old BMW but you’re near the bottom of depreciation if you keep it in good shape and can come out a head vs what you’d lose on a new or 2-3 year old vehicle. Fully understand that 400 a month is different then a surprise 1200 buck repair mentally but often cheaper in the long run.
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I don’t understand these words being used together
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Thats what happens after you blow the budget on a (used) BMW 535i and sell it when the warranty runs out!
I had a 2015 manual transmission TDI Sportwagen that was bought back. Liked that car and was worried I’d regret giving it up. Ended up replacing it with a 2019 Tiguan, and it turns out I much prefer the Tiguan. Similar outside dimensions but way more interior space, for driver, passengers and cargo. It is just a more comfortable car. Drives pretty well too.
I had an element for a while. I had to sell it when I moved across the country. Def. the worst decision of my life. I would roll my bike in, set up a sleeping bag next to it and camp out at events around my area. Easy to keep clean, easy to pop the seats back down once you got back in to town. I had over 280,000 miles on it when I sold it, never had any major issues with it.
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Not possible without removing the front wheel and dropping the saddle.
I’ve done it a couple of times and it works ok-ish with two bikes side by side with the rear seats folded flat.
Need to use a bag or two to ‘hold’ them upright though.
If I was going to do it regularly I’d build myself a wooden ‘chock’ to clip the forks into; as it stands I have the Thule roof rack that is brilliant. 
Recently took a chance with Subaru (bought an Ascent), and I’m sold. Probably my favorite vehicle I’ve owned.
Even makes a decent tow rig:
Also managed to fit a tandem bike in the back, though I had to take the wheels off and fold down one of the middle row seats.
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Yeah, if I wanted a larger capacity vehicle (than the OB or Fozzy at least), I would check out the Ascent. Much better 2nd attempt at a larger rig from Suby than the ill fated B-9 Tribeca (even though they are quite similar in essence at least).
The Ascent hits lots of great notes without being to adventurous or edgy, which makes it a solid choice, IMO. Props on that and what looks like a fun W.I.P car 
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Oh, great to know. The Ascent is one of my top two choices for my next car (the other being a Honda Ridgeline, which apparently can fit a bike in the back seat). I really wish the Odyssey had an AWD option, it’d be the perfect car-camping/bike-carrying car for me.
If I was looking I’d give the Toyota Sienna a hard look. Hybrid so it gets 36mpg both in town and on the highway. You can fold down all the rear seats and have room for sleeping and/or storing bikes (not my pics). The second row when left in is pretty cool. Lots of leg room and can lay back and has a leg rest a la la-z boy recliner
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Well, i have my toys, bicycles and motorcycle that also are use for transportation (for 2 years i was trailering the 2 kids to daycare on the bicycle…) but we could do without them. I live in canada and the motorcycle can’t be used for about 1/3 of the year lol.
I am the only person in my household and I still can’t live with one vehicle. AND I commute on my bicycle! 
(my van and my motorcycle. I couldn’t handle living without something with a clutch)
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Reviving this thread. I’m falling out of love with my Transit Connect. It has a running issue three shops have failed to remedy and, really, it’s just not a good daily driver.
I’m a big fan of the cargo space with the Transit, I can fit two large mountain bikes in the back with a single bucket seat without any wheel removal. And while I placed a high priority on this feature, the driving characteristics aren’t worth that convenience any longer.
I’ll probably give this last mechanic another crack at solving the running issue (engine shudders under acceleration) but I think I may go a different route now (assuming I can fix it well enough for resale).
Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna? I’ll give up the bike storage convenience but with a hitch rack I doubt it will be an issue. To my knowledge there are no other small city style cargo vans like the Transit that are worth a salt. I know Mercedes makes one but it looks terrible and it’s out of my price range anyway. Nissan NV200? Again, not great reviews.
Why Honda, why won’t you revive the Element? Maybe I should just pay cash for an old one? I’ve not seen any under 125k miles…
Anything I’m missing bike friendly higher capacity vehicles?
That’s too bad on the TC. I have always had a soft spot for them since I like quirky looking and very handy rigs. To that end, a decent minivan is actually a fantastic option. We had one of the original Dodge’s when I was a kid and it was such a good and functional vehicle. The modern ones with the in-floor storage seating and other options make them super hand.
Finding a cherry Element is a chore these days. A person who wants to put in the time and money (or pay someone else) can obviously take on an engine swap and other drivetrain maintenance to get it back to “near new” condition.
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We have a Sienna on order. Will pull the seats, defeat the rear airbags and put a platform in. It will drive well, be comfortable and get good MPG. Dealer tells us so many people do this they want Toyota to offer it as an adventure van option.
Honda needs to make a new Element and Toyota needs to offer the Sienna in camper ready configuration. Don’t hold your breath for either.
I like the look of the RAV4 Prime, but it’s not quite big enough for the whole family and gear.
Good luck!
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I thought about posting that for fun. I can’t bring myself to actually buy a VW, but l like their styling so much. And the bus (old and new) is just the right type of quirky cool.
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I love my Odyssey…but man when I saw that VW 
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