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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO4cw565V98
This should work.
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Have you seen or experienced people using these kind of wheels for dirt bike transports?
You can also go with the Subaru Forester which can, and does haul a trailer, and has very good gas mileage. You will lose major cool points with this one. But it is an option none the less.
If you choose a minivan, you're pretty much stuck with getting a three rail trailer if you have to have 4 passengers in the car.
You can do a lot with a minivan. We raced for almost two years with one of these...
pulling this.....
It was a 4x8 trailer and the Mazda had a Class III receiver type hitch.
We moved from this through the ranks to a truck with a 7x16 enclosed to a current setup of a 3/4 ton diesel with a 32 f. 5th wheel toyhauler. I would have been better off staying with our first setup!
My family (father, father-in-law, brother and myself) have owned a total of 8 Astro/Safaris. Gas Mileage isn't great (16 - 18MPG) but they do last. All went 180K + miles before motor / transmission issues.
I currently own a Pontiac Montana bought new in 2000 with a receiver hitch that will tow 2500 - 3000 lbs. easily. It gets 23 MPG city and 28MPG highway -- without towing obviously. But a bike will NOT fit inside. Pretty nice amenities though. Mine has 143K miles right now and never any issues. With the self leveling rear suspension on the van, a bike hauler would work great.
You could do a lot with $5000.00
I stand my my original "goofy attitude" answer (which was supercross party fueled.) Even though, I probably did deserve the smackdown.
For $5000 in America your two best options are...
A Chevy Astro or GMC Safari (same model). You will have to use a tie down strap to compress the forks to get full-sized dirt bikes in the back.
Any full-sized van made by Chevy, Ford, Dodge. These are NOT minivans.
While it is possible to get bikes into minivans, believe me you will not like it. The openings in the back and side door are too small, and the overall cargo area is much less heightwise than full-sized vans. Many models of minivan will not allow you to get a bike in there at all, without taking off the rear wheel and letting the front wheel stick out the back. (Minivan rear windows cost $1000's and break easier than you can imagine when stuffing bikes in the back.)
A pickup (truck) would work great too, if you don't mind leaving your stuff in the cargo bed and eventually getting ripped off... But for $5000 you will only be able to find a completely beat to crap pickup that will likely cost you extra and leave you stranded, unless you are a top notch judge of used crappy vehicles. Pickups hold their value better than nearly any other vehicles in America, mainly because even a beat to hell pickup still is very useful to a lot of people.
As for the vans, I would definitely go for the larger full-sized vans, because the smaller Astro/Safari only save you a couple miles per gallon, at the cost of a lot of space. The trade off is not worth it. As well as there is a huge difference between a vehicle intended for mere consumers, like the Asstro/Safari versus a Chevy/Ford/Dodge 3/4ton or 1ton van. The full-sized cargo vans are built for commercial use, and with proper care can get 200,000 to 300,000 miles out of them. Astros will be dead and gone long before that many miles.
Now until April is a good time to look for cargo vans. Many small companies are broke, the winter has stopped business, and tax time is coming.
Good luck!
You can buy a nice fully loaded low mileage, extended cab 2000 Chevy truck in Texas for $5k. I don't know what they cost in Beverly Hills. Security isn't an issue unless you don't have a place to keep your bike and want to store them in your vehicle. I know plenty of people that have had their bikes stolen out of their vans and trailers so you can't rely on a van to be secure for overnight storage. I like to hang onto my bikes so they stay in my garage when I'm not riding.
Pit Row
1. Astro/Safari
- Have to compress the fork every time you load the bike, a bit fragile in construction, dirt and petrol exposure for driver.
+ When friends visit (which will happen every second month or so) we will all fit, ok fuel consumption.
2. Classic van
- A bit more fuel consumption, a bit more bulky to use as a standard car, dirt and petrol exposure for driver.
+ space is good for bike and people even in combo.
3. Pick-upp, ex Chevrolet Silverado extended cab.
- Fuel consumption high, only four seats, risk of getting a melon, more stuff gets exposed for theft like bike, luggage. Wife will probably don't agree to the deal because looks, image and fuel.
+ Very easy to load bike/bikes, don't have to bother about dirt, petrol etc.
4. Standard car, or SUV, or minivan and a hitch with Bike Rack or a trailer
- Bike exposure, if trailer extra cost, and storage, if rack, only one bike.
+ Very low mpg, I can choose the best car for daily travel, which will be the major purpose, wife digs this option.
I went from 3 to 1 and now I'm leaning towards no 4 (like what lwsmithjr did)...
CamP, Dirty? No 4 stupid?
Doc, after watching a parade of ideas, most legit, get yourself a Ford, Chevy
or Dodge full size van with a 6 cylinder motor. A Ford E100 is the ticket, imho.
UPS, FedX do it all day and night long.
But I just don't see the powers that be lettin the little guy get away with it...........
As for the poster, I'd look for an extended cab pickup. For the limited amount of miles you're going, no need to worry about the difference between 18 and 22. Plus with a truck, there is much less chance of blowing a tranny pulling a trailer, you'll have a much better chance of selling it for 90% of what you paid for it. I know I wouldn't buy a mini-van from someone who just pulled a trailer all over with it.
For $5K the pickup will be the most "used" for the money. Expect close to 200K miles.
The full size van will have most likely been driven by someone who didn't own it (most are company owned), so you would need to be picky. Still not a bad idea.
Conventional mini van, like grover748 pointed out, could develop transmission issues, primarily because they are all FWD. We did it with no problem, and I would pull a trailer with mine and it's 143K miles with no hesitation. Obviously this is what I would do because I've done it and know it works. So to address the minivan issues......
The Astro/Safari is built on a truck chassis instead of a car chassis like other mini vans. The transmission is the same as used on all of General Motors V-8s and the 4.3 liter V-6 is a Chevy small block chevy with 2 cylinders cut off. They are rated to pull 5000 lbs. You can find them in the 100K mileage range for $4 - $5000 pretty easily. The Astro with a small enclosed trailer would allow you to leave all the bike stuff separate. If it started raining at the track, just stick it all in the trailer and be on your way. You don't even have to be in a rush to unload when you get home. Around here, a used 4x8 enclosed will run $800 - $1000. Here is an Astro as an example...
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=271335273&dealer_id=6…
Good Luck!!
However, I'd lean toward the full-sized van. It'll do everything you're asking for except fuel economy (as Cam mentioned, the Dodges are extra thirsty). Because van's aren't "cool" in the US, you'll get more vehicle for your dollar. I actually think the biggest struggle with a van will be unloading it when it's time to go home. The very reason you can get a great deal on one is the same reason they're a bit harder to sell- low demand.
yes it is. he he
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