Economy Car for a 4x12 bottom?

[Cottage]

Our keys guy has a Mazda R5, or something like that. Its the one with the sliding back doors, like a van. He fits all his keyboard gear in thier including a Leslie. Its a Hatchback with rear folding seats too.

[Jimi D]

Originally Posted by dangravano

I'd say $20,000 +/-
Thanks, There seems to be a lot of options. At one point & it might sound crazy, I thought of taking my gear to car dealers & try to load it up. It does seem hatchback is the way to go. Maybe a Fit or a V.W., however the V.W. is a lot more money.
I like the Smart & the Ford Fiesta, but when I looked @ them, there is no way to fit a 4x12 in it. I think it would be hard to fit a 2x12, head & guitar in it, unless the guitar rides shotgun in the Smart.

I went through this last year with my wife... We wanted to replace our Taurus wagon with an economy car - I'm in two bands, she's in a classic Harp group... 4x12s and Pedal Harps eat up lots of room!

We settled for a Hyundai Elantra Touring. It's the roomiest hatch back in its class, is well designed for load in/out, is loaded with great safety features (like ABS, ESC, 8 Airbags, etc., but you do have to go up from the base model for these), gets fabulous gas mileage (yay environment!), has a really great warranty, and costs well under your budget. A year later, I'm still very happy with the car. Check one out...

[ThePitbullofLove]

Before my girlfriend got her 2008 Mustang convertible, and while my SUV was in the shop, her little Ford Focus ZX3 carried, on numerous occasions, a Mesa Boogie Triple Rec Stack, and a Gibson Explorer in factory hardcase (the case that's bigger than most coffee tables!), as well as a couple of mic stands, a music stand, and a soft microphone case.

I was amazed with what we could fit in there. I know we also had carried the bassist's Carvin R1000 stack and his Ibanez five string another time, and we often had a couple of monitors and various side fills carried with us before we got the trailer.

[Marble]

naw man a smart car will work just get in it like a clown car

[dspellman]

Originally Posted by dangravano

What are my choices these days for a great economy car that can fit a 4x12 bottom, a amp head, a guitar (maybe two) & my girlfriend all @ the same time?
I guess the smart car won't work.

I have an old-ish Honda Civic 4-door that works a treat. I've hauled 4x12s around in it easily (once crammed a ported 2x15-plus-tweeter cab that was 48" tall by 30" wide by around 14" deep in it, but had to roll down the rear windows because the corners stuck out a bit). Ample room for guitars and an amp head, and the trunk was quite spacious for a medium-size girlfriend.

[Marble]

my buddy's dad hauled them both and a 4x12 cab, super reverb and at least 2-3 guitars and a couple briefcases filled with cables and stuff with room for a couple more smaller items in a Saturn sedan numerous times.

[strat56]

Chevy HHR

[boost]

PT Cruiser. You can fold the back seats up or take them out completey. Leaves you with a nice flat floor. You could get two 4 X12's in there and still have room for heads, guitars and pedalsboards if need be. Mines 8 years old and never had a problem with it.

Gat the turbo and get to the gig faster!

If your a Chevy guy, the HHR was designed by the same guy who did the Cruiser. Same concept in that one with the seats and all. Personally I like the Cruiser better, as long as it's a turbo.

[zul]

My white Scion XB is a true clown car. The amount of equiptment we have loaded into her is absurd, bordering on the insane. As a joke we have loaded the entire band; bass and guitar combo, acoustic drum kit, keys and two speaker,two monitor PA, pedalboards and mike stands and cables and the whole shit and caboodle...even small lighting rig into this mini Mr. Softie impersonator. It helps that three of us have prof moving/packing experience during college.

We've had club owners rolling on the floor at load ins and set up. The stuff looks like more when it is unpacked and on stage, so when at the end of the night people see us load it into this white tissue box on wheels, they think we're from Cirque de Soleil. One day I'll get the band to sit on the roof rack and simply drive away... with Benny Hill tune blasting.

Careful driving with that load though, she is a petite girl.

[HoboMan]

Originally Posted by Benny

In my '97 4-door Civic, you can get a Marshall slant 4X12 in the backseat (gotta ease it in sideways), guitars, heads, and stuff go in the trunk. Spouse rides shotgun. I only do this rarely - usually the rig rides elsewhere. When I was younger, I had an '83 Accord hatchback, the ultimate guerilla touring vehicle. With the backseat down, you can get a trio's worth of gear and 2/3 of the players in there. If I was trying to guerilla tour again, it'd be hatchback all the way.

I also have a 97 Civic Sedan. I had the compact Marshall 4x12 cab that fit in the trunk along with my gig bag & backup Marshall head. Backseat held my Marshall combo & guitars.
35mpg and drives like a sports car.

[ontariomaximus]

if you want to buy used a Pacer would be the way to go.

Actually, a 4X12 is best in the back seat. Much easier to take in and out. Trunks and 4x12's don't mix that well IMO. The heavy lifting gets old fast.

Most 4 doors will take a 4x12 in the back seat. Can't think of any that won't

[Sandy Cheeks]

Originally Posted by ontariomaximus

if you want to buy used a Pacer would be the way to go.

Actually, a 4X12 is best in the back seat. Much easier to take in and out. Trunks and 4x12's don't mix that well IMO. The heavy lifting gets old fast.

Most 4 doors will take a 4x12 in the back seat. Can't think of any that won't

Actually in the Honda Fit, you can fold the seats of the back seats up, and then there's plenty of room to slide tall things in. I can see a 4x12 cab going into a Fit like that, too.