Best Car/suv For Greyhounds

[LoveMyGrey]

Just looking to get opinions on what you think the best vehicle is for greyhounds. We currently have one pup but may at some point in the future get another (they are kind of addicting!). I currently have a sedan and my husband has a 4 door full size pickup which we have been using. We have looked at Jeep Wranglers and we like those but we are still trying to decide. Any input from current dog owners will be appreciated along with any thoughts why a Wrangler wouldn't be best. Thanks in advance!

[Remolacha]

I never thought I would be driving a minivan (no kids) but they are hands down the best vehicle for large dogs, especially if you also have kids or other people who regularly ride with you. I've had SUVs, a Honda Element and a Jeep Cherokee, and they both worked ok until my dogs got older. SUVs and crossovers can be too high for older dogs to jump up into, and many of us can't lift a 60, 70, 80 lb dog into the car The only down side is they are big vehicles. I call my Dodge Caravan "the longship"

[XTRAWLD]

Vans are pretty wonderful for greyhounds. They are lower to the ground so easier to jump into (especially for aging hounds) - but they are jumping up into a floor area and not high up onto a seat. With seats stowed away, putting beds back there is a breeze and they have lots of room.

 

I've had a Dodge Journey and an older Santa Fe, both worked extremely well for 1 and 2 dogs - one would sit (well - stand) in the middle row and the other in the back (I just preferred them to be separate during travel, because one would get a bit testy). It was a little squishy with the Santa Fe in the back area, but the Journey was pretty good in the back with the seat up (the 5 seater, not 7 seater)

Edited October 12, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[Time4ANap]

Many people here like the Dodge / Chrysler minivans because of the lower floor and Sto N Go seats that fold into the floor. One of the issues we had as Rocket got older was his inability to jump into my Chevy Astro Van which has a floor height of 24 inches. Only in the last year was he unable to jump in, but by that time he had never used a ramp and would not use one when I bought it. We had to switch to exclusively using our 4 door sedan which he could still get into. As he had a little more pain or less strength in the last year, he was sometimes hesitant to jump into the car and would wait for me to lift his front legs onto the the seat, and then boost his butt to get in. if I was to buy another van or SUV, the floor height / dog access would be one of my primary considerations.

[robinw]

You don’t need a big car. I drive a Toyota Matrix with a hammock in the back seat. Plenty of room for two hounds.

[LoveMyGrey]

Thanks for the suggestions. I, like Remolacha, do not have kids so I kinda bypassed the whole mini van idea! I may have to reconsider after reading everyone's comments! Thanks so much everyone. I see RobinW has a Matrix, we used to have a VW GTI and we loved that car, since it is a hatchback with seats that fold down how do you think that would work?

[dante2zoe]

I have a Mazda3 hatchback. With the back seat down, I can fit 3 easily and have done 4 since they were pack mates. We also recently purchased a Subaru Forester as our "family" vehicle. I needed a better car for bad weather. Plus, it has more head room which is good for my 85 pound male. He is more comfortable, height-wise, with this car. Before the Forester, we had a Dodge Durango and he simply would not jump into it. He will jump into the Forester since it is lower to the ground, but not nearly as low as a mini-van. I had kids and never did the mini-van thing!

[Charlies_Dad]

A GTI would work with the seats down for two pups. What is important though is the two pups getting along so close together. Some have a tendency to get snappy if they are stood on or shoved by another. We had two in the back of our Nissan Frontier crew cab. I removed the seats, laid down two bags of cedar chips to fill the foot wells and then laid a custom cut plywood panel over that, foam and a duvet. They loved it and were able to both lay down or stand no problem.

[Time4ANap]

If your hounds like to drive this might be an option:

 

[XTRAWLD]

Oh, I forgot the Mazda 3 hatch - yes, it's actually perfect greyhound size for 2 pups with the seats down.

 

What a cute Subie commercial. Hadn't seen that!

Edited October 12, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[ramonaghan]

Sweep loves her Subaru Outback.

 

 

Like, really loves it.

 

[LoveMyGrey]

Oh I love the pictures, Sweep obviously loves "her" car!! I had forgotten about the Subaru's. I'll look into those as well!! Thanks guys

[teri_d]

Mini van owners here, too. Also have Hyundai Santa Fe, but the greyhound vehicle of choice is the town and country.

[LoveMyGrey]

I've been looking at the Sante Fe's. My mom has one that she will never part with!! That is definitely in the running! Thanks!

[MP_the4pack]

I love my Toyota 4runner. Can hold 4 dogs, 2 people, 3 dogs 3 people or 2 dogs 4 people.

 

And with the roof rack, easy to add a clamshell for traveling when the SUV is full.

 

My family is currently 1 human,1 dog, but the dog numbers will go up. I traveled all over when I had my 4 pack.

[Fostr_Mom]

I have a Honda Odyssey, an older model. I previously had the Mazda MPV. Love the Honda. I usually have 3 dogs (2 of my own, 1 foster) and have plenty of room for them plus all my meet and greet stuff.

[palmettobug]

I have the Odyssey, I got it in case I added another houndie. My Element was nice with the flat floor (rumor has it is coming back for 2019), but Johnny needed a bigger cage and all, too.

[BatterseaBrindl]

My son has a Mazda 3 and I have had all 3 of mine in it easily.

 

I have a Nissan Versa and the back seat does go down but the floor is not level. I use a hammock in the back seat and they can all fit in there. For longer trips of more than 30 minutes or so it's not roomy enough.

 

I think the best bang for your buck in terms of longevity is Subaru.

Or a Volvo if you can afford one!

[Riverhound]

Just did a 2 human, 2 hound, 1 little dog vacation in a Honda HRV. Wouldnt suggest it for hounds with space issues, but it was fine for us. Ex-husbands minivan was better, so a minivan will likely be my next vehicle. :-/

[EllenEveBaz]

It's just me and sometimes one other person. I like sedans because of the concealed trunk space :ninja and easy side access for older hounds. First I had a small sedan with two (and then sometimes 3!) hounds, and now a mid-size hybrid sedan with two hounds. I fill in the rear foot wells with pieces of foam mattress and throw a rug over the whole new spacious hound bed. Nothing like a road trip in a spacious vehicle that also gets 40+ MPG.

[robinw]

Thanks for the suggestions. I, like Remolacha, do not have kids so I kinda bypassed the whole mini van idea! I may have to reconsider after reading everyone's comments! Thanks so much everyone. I see RobinW has a Matrix, we used to have a VW GTI and we loved that car, since it is a hatchback with seats that fold down how do you think that would work?

I drove a Golf before I had the Matrix. Plenty of room for even three greyhounds, and the seats fold down perfectly flat. Good choice. The only reason I switched to the Matrix is because theyre much less expensive to maintain, but not nearly as much fun to drive (standard transmission).

Edited October 13, 2018 by robinw

[LoveMyGrey]

Thank you all for the great suggestions, we are not in a hurry to get another car so I am going to research all of these vehicles! Thank you again so much!!

[cleptogrey]

it's what ever you can afford and what meets the needs of your roads and weather .i never had any problems with 2 hounds in a sedan. even a 2 door civic. it's the amount of junk one takes on trips. as to snow- we use mud and snow tires with good ratings. we camp and that is a joke. a bag or box on the roof works.

 

just recently(last week) we decided that we need to enlarge our mode of schlepping. we hauled a load that just wan't safe for our CRV. we do use our car for antique and art shows. so, we may just be making an odyssey into a camper?? honestly, i'm trying to figure out how i can put crates in the odyssey when there isn't a bed in it. for some reason i don't feel the need for crates in a sedan.

 

i know someone who has a great deal on an acura TSX!!! it's dog friendly!!!

[Banjoman]

I don’t like the idea of my dogs rattling around loose in my car. I have a VW Polo with a custom made crate in the hatchback area that greyhound Chancey fits into and smaller lurcher Nutmeg wears a safety harness and is strapped onto the rear seat alongside a child safety seat (for the grandson). Whilst Chancey fits the hatch cage I wouldn’t drive long distances with her confined in that space, she can sit up and look out of the window but not turn around but it is fine for any local trips we do, I don’t drive much.

[Maddiesmom]

I have a Chevrolet Traverse and love it. Prior to that I had the Chevy Trailblazer and love that as well.