Not long ago, Everyman posted the Top 5 cars for Triathletes. This post was a scream, but I'd like to recommend a 6th one: the new Honda Fit.I'm loathe recommend a car as "triathlon gear" but you gotta check this out. We were originally at the dealership stairing lustfully at the Honda Element and on our way out, we passed by a little bug of a car.
"What on earth is that?" I queried.
I stepped closer, fascinated. That sticker couldn't be right... 34 mpg city?? 38 mpg highway?? $13,850 starting price??
I'd been bummed ever since they stopped making a civic hatchback. My trusty 98 civic "geek girl", which I bought in grad school, was finally showing its age. The a/c was out, the front windshield was cracked, and it was starting to nickel-and-dime us to death. The "geek-girl" was so named because of the vanity plate that adorned her. (I was ready to get rid of this place, too, since I am now employed and no longer a college "geek" but then there's the whole Kahuna-get-yo
ur-geek-thing going on, so I'm staying with it) Plus, I have this ethical thing going: any car of mine has to be reasonable priced, get good mileage, and be a low-emission vehicle - which the Honda Fit is, in spades.ANYway,
This tiny car fits both our tri-bikes! lying! both Clydesdale Husband and Athena Me - both
our bikes fit diagnally in the back, without too much trouble, after folding the back seats into the back. It's astonishing - like one of those clown cars at the circus. It handles nice and tight.No more chewing on the side of my finger, wondering if any more aerobar pads or bikes are flying off the top of the car where we had the bikes mounted. No more wiping down a pair of furry bikes when we drove throught that big swarm of Texas gnats. Plenty of room for a couple transition bags, hot pot, extra bag
for makeup, bike tools and pump...all without having to maneuver or twist or scrape up the interior. The back seats can also be folded up in a different way, so that when they are lifted up and out of the way, there is a to leave a tall cargo area right behind the seats. Apparently, in this capacity, it will also hold a llama.Anyway, there it is. We're still getting the Element a little later, because as cool as this car is, we can't carry both bikes AND 15-year-old son, so we need a family car and the Element holds 3 bikes and 15-year-old son in the back. But for a pair of tri-geeks and their bikes, this car rocks.
If they ask if you were referred, tell them Misty in Rio Rancho, NM sent you. Maybe I'll get a door prize or something.
