ChelsDS

Ok so I've been looking to get a hitch myself and I've seen the U-Haul and Curt Class I's for sale around $150. Any idea where to find it a bit cheaper, if at all? I'm looking to get a bike rack so I can go biking again. I'd rather not use a bike rack that I attach directly to the hatch.

I have limited knowledge about hitches, but for just a bike rack I wouldn't need to get the whole wire system for the lights, I'd only need those if I were to get a trailer to tow so the lights would work. Right?

mcbrew

Chels, I got mine at www.etrailer.com. They have it for arouns $133. They do offer two other option, but I don't know anything about them. I have installed Curt hitches on other cars and trucks and they are nicer than most other brands I've dealt with.

Etrailers also sells bike racks, so you might be able to get it all in one place. I HIGHLY recommend getting an anti-rattle for your bike rack. I have the one that is item number 51942 on etrailer. It costs more than some of the other anti-rattle devices, but some of them don't work with some types of racks... that one will work with any rack.

You might also check with JC Whitney. They don't show the xD rack on their website, but they might be able to get it for you and they always seem to be running some kind of deal, like $50 off $200+ orders and stuff like that.

ChelsDS

Yea I actually found that site for the hitch but wasn't sure if they were a good online site or not.

I was thinking of checking my local craigslist to find a used bike rack instead of getting a new one. Cheaper that way lol.

Thanks for the help

mmarcuse

I like the flatbed bike rack that Performance Bicycle sells. It takes about two seconds to get the bike in and out, and it only touches the frame in one place with a padded hook, so no scratches on your bike. Because it's hitch-mounted, it creates less drag at highway speeds. I did remove the inside bike carrier bed on mine so I could open the hatchback without interference, so it's a one-bike carrier most of the time. When I need to carry two bikes, I just add the inside carrier parts.

RAGE

What are you people thinking?!

There is NOTHING that kills the resale value of a xD MORE than a trailer hitch! The xD is NOT a workhorse!

Aesthetically and practically, a trailer hitch only ruins a xD!

Zed

i think it's all of what you want to get out of the car. not everyone is looking to sell thier xD once they are done with it. i personaly plan to run mine into the ground over the next 15 years or 200K miles, whateve comes frist, so at that point i wont care about resale value. i think that it's great that mcbrew but a hitch on his, cuz it's his car and he can do with it what he wants. personaly i plan on putting a hitch on mine just for a bike rack.

mcbrew

What are you talking about? When has someone ever not bought -- or paid less for -- an xD that had a trailer hitch? You are completely making that up. A trailer hitch increased the perceived value of my Golf when I sold it. People wanted a place to put a bike rack or the possibility of towing a small trailer.

You are right that the xD is not a workhorse. It cannot tow a 10,000 pound trailer like a big truck. It can, however, tow a small 1,500 pound trailer with no problems.

People do a lot worse things to the resale valie of their cars: loud mufflers, crappy intakes, stupid paint jobs, etc. Not to mention the fact that a trailer hitch simply bolts on -- if someone is worried about resale value, they can just unbolt it! However, like I said above, a trailer hitch will improve resale if anything.

mcbrew

Aesthetically, a trailer hitch is barely noticeable (and completely removable)

Practically, ummm... trailer hitches are all about being more practical.

mcbrew

I guess it is a very "American" thing to assume that only trucks can pull a trailer. I don't want to come off like a jerk, but people tow with small cars all the time, especially in other countries. Here, with gas being relatively cheap and trucks being inexpensive, people tend to buy something that is really excessive for what they need. Pretty much every car I have owned has had a trailer hitch, and the xD is the most powerful car I have had (most horsepower, but not the most torque). Still, I know the limitations... I'm not going to tow a 4,000 pound trailer, like I used to do with my 125 horsepower Mercedes 300D. By the way, that car is still a daily driver with over 550,000 miles on the original engine and trans. I had a custom class III hitch made for it.

mcbrew

Thanks Zed. Still, there is an assumption that a trailer hitch hurts the value of the car. I guess you could say the same thing about a lot of add-ons. I would never buy a car that had a "bra" on the front or goofy wheels, or a homemade intake. I look at a lot of the riced out Hondas on the road and think, "wow, I guess that guy never wants to sell it!" I just don't understand why there is a small percentage of people who thing a trailer hitch detracts from the value of a car. In their mind, maybe they thing that the car is somehow damaged by the hitch or the act of towing a small trailer. I guess those of us who are actually towing stuff and NOT damaging our cars is not proof enough for them. Maybe a 1.25" x 1.25" square opening just below the bumper makes the car hideous in their eyes. I just don't know. Again, a trailer hitch is a bolt on part. That means it unbolts, too! The car is not damaged, unless you are towing way more than the hitch/car can handle. Similar to driving a car at redline all the time... or with an intake that doesn't properly filter particles... you CAN cause damage if you don't know what you are doing.

I bet my engine with full synthetic oil and occasional towing will outlast an xD with conventional oil and no towing. That's just my guess based on experience with high-mileage engines running different types of oil. Geez... I shouldn't even start that discussion, since there are people out there who think that running synthetic oil will actually hurt your engine!

ZOMGXB

I just took a screenshot - I thought this was an interesting choice for banner ad after McBrew's four-posts-in-a-row about towing:



See, McBrew! ScionLife's random ad-selection software agrees with you! Now relax and stop posting before you hurt yourself!

mcbrew

Hmmm... a little targeted advertising? lol!

mcbrew

lol... how about this one:

Zed

no offense, but i don't know what you guys are talking about. i had a riced out honda before my xD, and i "sold" it (traded it in, but kinda the same thing) all i did was take the wheels off and the sub out, and put them all up on e-bay. now i know that people may think i got less for my honda on a trade in becuase of the intake and exhaust and all the other crazy stuff on that car. but keep in mind the car had 192K miles on it, needed about 700 worth of work and parts just to pass inspection, and i got a grand for it. i think it was a good deal. idk just a thought.

I think that all mods are an investment, not nessesarily to increase the monitary value of the vehical, but to increase the aesthetic value, or usage of the vehical (like the hitch). and now i'm getting off of my soap box.

mcbrew

Zed, that is exactly what I am talking about. Anything that is bolt-on, like a trailer hitch or wheels, can be unbolted. The other argument -- that towing a light trailer is going to damage the car -- is moot. I know it won't.

I don't know much about the trade-in value on a Honda, but if you got the money you wanted, you should be happy. Personally, I've always been the type to sell my car to an individual. Scion wanted to give me $4,000 trade-in on my Golf with 150,000 miles on it. I put it on eBay and sold it in a week for $7,600. My brother went the easy route when he bought his Fit and traded his Golf in on it. His Golf had 198,000 miles and they gave him $4,000 for the trade. Not bad, considering the miles (and his was in worse shape than mine). Anyway, we're getting off the subject here.

I don't know what it is about, but I saw the same arguments on the VW forums about adding a trailer hitch. However, there are a lot more people towing with VWs than with Scions... so I had more people on my side. That included people who bought the Euro hitch from Germany and could tow over 3,500 pounds! One guy towed a Mini Cooper across the country with his Jetta!

jessicann

I am also looking to have something for our bikes (when) we get our scion xD. I prefer a detachable rack only because i feel like it will be less of a risk to scratch the car. Do they make nice bike racks for hatchback cars? Thank you!

mcbrew

You have three options: hitch-mounted, roof-mounted, and hatch-mounted.

In my opinion (worth every penny you are spending on it), the hatch-mounted ones are more likely to scratch the paint. They usually have hooks that grab onto the hatch and various straps to tighten them up. This is the cheapest type, though.

Roof-mounted racks will have the most impact on your fuel economy (in a negative way) and are the most difficult to load your bikes onto. Only get a roof-mounted rack if you are planning on using it for other stuff (skis, kayaks, etc.) This is probably the most expensive way to go.

Hitch mounted is the best in my opinion. Probably a little cheaper than a roof rack. Easier to load the bike(s) and nothing touches the car, so it is unlikely to scratch anything. You'll need to get a hitch installed first. Mine cost about $135 from etrailer.com and I installed it in about 20 minutes. No drilling required... all the bolt holes are on your car already. It might cost $50-100 to have someone install it professionally, if you want to go that route. Then the actual bike carrier will cost anywhere from $75 on up.

Examples:
Hatch-mount: http://www.etrailer.com/pc-trunk-mount-rack~TH910.htm
Roof-mount: http://www.etrailer.com/pc-brr~S64720.htm
Hitch-mount: http://www.etrailer.com/pc-br114~63120.htm

ZOMGXB

In the grand tradition of me not agreeing with McBrew about absoutely anything, I happen to think that hatch-mounted options are best. :p

In my opinion, no cargo system should cost more than the cargo you are carrying with it. I would have preferred a hitch-mounted rack for my bikes, but as soon as I started seeing minimum three-digit numbers I went looking elsewhere. The way I see it, if it would be cheaper for me to drive to my destination and simply purchase a bike THERE, I should be looking at alternatives. YES, I'M CHEAP, THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT A SCION.

Here's a related thread for hatch-mounted bike racks on the first-gen xB: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...ight=bike+rack

I have been using one of those for three years now, and all the parts that contact the care are padded or rubber-dipped. I have not managed to scratch the hatch using any part of the bike rack, though I have scratched my cheap Scion paint doing any number of other activities, including "walking past the car," "sneezing," and "looking sternly in the direction of my vehicle."

So the hatch-mounted Bell Rack gets the ZOMGxB Seal Of Approval. And I DO agree that roof racks are so totally not worth the trouble, in that they will impact both your fuel economy, and MIGHT impact your face, if you make even one mistake re-attaching the front wheel...which is required to rack them.

If you're willing to part ways with some cash, however, I imagine the hitch-mounted rack is a little easier to use, and probably feels a bit more secure. But my back door hasn't fallen off yet, so the hatch rack is 100% adequate.

mcbrew

There's no doubt that the hatch-mounted ones are the cheapest... by far. I used to have one that I used on an old Benz (sedan, but the same one could be used on a hatchback), and it did leave marks in the paint even though it had a rubber coating on it. Also, the bottom part had foam around it and that contacted the paint on either side of the license plate. It left tiny scratches since it rubbed dirt into the paint. Having said that, the damage was miniscule... but if you are really **** about it, you might want to go another route.

RAGE

McBrew - you are an expert on xD trailer hitches. That's some SERIOUS specialization, dude!