[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
with the roof rack, do you mean roof rails (like on the 9-5/9-3 wagons), or just any factory rack (like you can buy with the 9-5 sedan, og9-3, 9-3ss etc)? what sort of bikes?
Rail systems are available on most wagons/suv's... factory racks are around for many cars... Sometimes the thule/yakima solutions work pretty well + sometimes they don't. I've had to deal with quite a few cars + racks, and each setup has pros+cons. Even for the 9-5 sedan: I like the factory racks ergonomically, but they aren't wide enough to put a ski box + 2 bikes on the roof (whereas I can do that on a c900 with the thule or yakima gutter setup). The Thule aftermarket setup for the 9-5 sedan stinks for many reasons (I have one of those also), but it will carry 2 bikes + a ski box... now I'm up to 3 mountain bikes so I hang them off a hitch rack on the back of the car + just put a ski box on top. That works alright (saves trunk space: no wheels to put in there), but I think it works better on a wagon than a sedan aerodynamically. I noticed a pretty big change in fuel economy with that setup on the sedan, though it's not fully verified as I haven't owned the 9-5 for long enough, but it was significant. But I point this out if you are set up for towing anyway... otherwise, it is also reasonable (depending a bit on the bike) to do a 2 wheel bike carrier on the roof (like a thule swingarm or yakima highroller), but a pair of those will set you back the same as a high quality hitch rack (if you have nice bikes, avoid the cheapie stuff)...
as far as cars... I've driven quite a few long term rentals (but not Audi or Volvo, those would be on my short list if Saab was not an option)... anyway nothing I've driven really would make me consider buying one (this includes Subies - I really wanted to like them, but I was very disappointed with the driving characteristics)... if you've held on to an ng900 this long, there will still be lots of nice used Saabs around when you start to look...
James...
posted by 216.59.245...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.