I need everyone's opinion.
Which roof rack do you own, why did you choose that brand?
Where can i find these racks at a good price (yakima and thule)
What accessories did everyone buy?

I am interested in the metal basket that goes on the roof rack. thule has it on their website for 265.00 (personally, this seems a bit expensive for a metal basket) isn't there anything else that's cheaper?

thanks for you input!!!

[quote:3d36229afc="chadgo"]I need everyone's opinion. Which roof rack do you own, why did you choose that brand? Where can i find these racks at a good price (yakima and thule) What accessories did everyone buy? I am interested in the metal basket that goes on the roof rack. thule has it on their website for 265.00 (personally, this seems a bit expensive for a metal basket) isn't there anything else that's cheaper? thanks for you input!!![/quote:3d36229afc]

I've had a Thule for 8 years, and it's now on it's third car. The first car was a Nissan Stanza and the second was a Maxima. Fit has been great on all three. I haven't had any other brands, so I can't compare it to anytthing else. I use it for bicycles. It's been nothing but great. Yes, they are expensive. I can't recall exactly where I bought mine, but you can locate dealers using this function.

http://www.thuleracks.com/thule/dealer.asp

Just call around and get the best price taking shipping into account. You're better off waiting to buy a good quality rack than buying something cheap right now. If you're able to fabricate things yourself, you may be able to save some money. I can't, so that wasn't an option for me.

i've not priced out the yakima racks yet, but after pricing out thule racks vs honda's (from HandA accessories), the thule was cheaper shipped and, might i say, better looking. (I've researched the rack itself only, not any attachments such as luggage baskets, etc).

from my personal research, i've read several places that yakima is second to thule as far as initial quality. i cant find the links where i read those reviews, so take that with a grain of salt.

Hope that helps!

I picked the Honda roof rack primarily because when we puchased the car the dealer threw it in for a decent price and since it is OEM it was built to fit the car. I have the Thule Playpen basket and paid $238.50 with shipping. This website has the best prices and wonderful service.http://www.ageebike.com/Thule/Thule_Basket.htm I personally haven't had any problems with the Honda rack, but others have expressed concern over the strength and the load bearing weight.

Honda all the way baby!

Perfect fit & no unsightly gaps around the mounts.

[quote:c8c4e0d33b="chadgo"]I need everyone's opinion.
Which roof rack do you own, why did you choose that brand?
Where can i find these racks at a good price (yakima and thule)
What accessories did everyone buy?

I am interested in the metal basket that goes on the roof rack. thule has it on their website for 265.00 (personally, this seems a bit expensive for a metal basket) isn't there anything else that's cheaper?

thanks for you input!!![/quote:c8c4e0d33b]

from noise standpoint, i would pick the factory (honda) roof rack over yakima. no experience with thule.
i use to have yakima on my honda accord, toyota pickup truck. at highway speed, the yakima is very, very loud. i often had to take it off when not in use.
since i installed the factory rack, i didn't notice much change in noise level at all. i transported 2 kayaks on it (approximate weight 80lbs) and had no problem with it.

good luck.

pedsflightrn:
how easy was it to attach the thule playpen to the honda rack?

The playpen attaches very easily. The only awkward part is getting on the roof as it is a tad heavy (35lbs. I think). But, I just used a step ladder. I took it off after my trip and that was quite easy as well. I used it on a trip to Florida to carry the beach chairs and boogie board and I must say it was perfect!
http://www.digitalpose.com/mbr/1/17578/p/325042_9042261279319740382_v.jpg

[quote:c11fa688f3="sanjose"]from noise standpoint, i would pick the factory (honda) roof rack over yakima. no experience with thule.
i use to have yakima on my honda accord, toyota pickup truck. at highway speed, the yakima is very, very loud. i often had to take it off when not in use.
since i installed the factory rack, i didn't notice much change in noise level at all. i transported 2 kayaks on it (approximate weight 80lbs) and had no problem with it.

good luck.[/quote:c11fa688f3]

I have a Yak on my Accord and had the same problem at first, but then I bought a fairing <sp?> and it solved all the noise problems. The fairing is that thick plastic strip you can attach to the front of the rack to divert wind from hitting your bars and causing that irritating hollow aluminum humming noise.

Soon I was going to buy the Yakima LoadWarrior - it is similar to the Thule. I work with someone who has this model on their suburu and they love it. Very functional.

I also have a Yakima hitch mounted bike rack I love - it holds the bikes via wheels, not frame!

check this out:
http://www.backcountrystore.com/store/YAK0008?mv_session_id=rXvMhZSI&mv_pc=302&cat_id=3&subcat_id=11