How To Choose A Car For Your Dog

"Speedmonkey" (Speedmonkey) 05/01/2014 at 17:14 • Filed to: Dogs

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I've always had a dog (well, since I was 24 and I'm 43 now) and so have always had to factor the dog in when buying cars. Not all have been ideal, but some have been unexpectedly suited for my canine companions. Here's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and here's an extract:

"I had a Saab 9-3 for a while and the boot was vast, but also very deep. A Great Dane would have been able to see out, but not a lot else. This can induce car sickness or, worse, projectile diarrhoea - as happened on a few occasions. I ended up buying new carpets for the boot."

Garrett Davis > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:17

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The best answer will always be:

jkm7680 > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:19

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Yucky! That's what my Lady friend's Volvo V70 Xc is for. No dog shit in my A4! Win-win.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:20

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Another reason to own a 'Shoe.

If you've a good budget a BMW Z3M Coupe has a proper hatchback area that'll take a small pony, never mind a dog.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:20

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This should be "How to choose a dog for your car", unless you already have the dog, then I suppose this applies.

Speedmonkey > Garrett Davis 05/01/2014 at 17:20

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Not in the rainy old UK it won't!

Nibbles > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:23

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I love my Saab 900 for dog (everything) hauling duties. We went on a 5 day camping trip a couple summers back in the car. I had originally thought I'd have to put the racks back on the roof in order to fit me, the wife, the two dogs (Greyhound Whippet mix and Border Collie Blue Heeler mix), all our crap and all their crap. I was wrong. We got everything in the car - including a 9 person tent with four freaking rooms - and still had room for both dogs to sit/lay comfortably.

Speedmonkey > Nibbles 05/01/2014 at 17:24

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It's HUGE isn't it. Had to put a new turbo in mine. Garage quoted a fortune. Bought one and fitted it myself

Nibbles > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:26

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I love it. Mine finally puked on me (blew the OEM head gasket) at almost, barely a tick under, 350,000 miles. She's in my driveway right now being torn down to the base components for a complete overhaul and refresh.

I doubt I'll ever let go of that car

jariten1781 > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:28

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Growing up it was always in the pickup bed. Dogs loved it, car didn't get dirty, win-win. Infact, our farm dogs took to sleeping in the bed of the truck so they wouldn't miss a ride out to the fields if we got started early. Now though most states have laws against it and people would rather you have your dog in a crate bouncing all over the place.

Best dog car I've had recently was a 04 Mazda 6 wagon. Seats folded flat, and entry via the hatch or the side doors was low and easy even for our elderly lab. It also came from the factory with a two position divider that could be raised in the trunk area or just behind the rear seats if you wanted to keep the dog somewhat confined. I rarely used it, but it was there!

MIATAAAA > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:29

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The answer is always...

I can fit me, a friend, and my dog very comfortably with the top up. Less comfortably, but doable, with the top down.

EDIT: Same comfort level for me with the top down. Less comfortable for my friend.

CAR_IS_MI > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:30

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Jeep is the best answer. Big dog can ride in the back, Bigger dog can ride in the back with the seats down... and its a Jeep so you're not really concerned with getting it dirty.

Speedmonkey > Nibbles 05/01/2014 at 17:31

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My friend is on his fourth Saab. he had a 99, 900, 9-5 2.0t and now 9-5 estate 3 litre diesel. He's a mobile mechanic and rates them more than any car

The Transporter > Garrett Davis 05/01/2014 at 17:31

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WRONG!

CAR_IS_MI > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:32

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They make hard top Jeeps

CAR_IS_MI > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 05/01/2014 at 17:32

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Lol, I had a truck and a car, then I bought a dog. Then I sold the truck and bought another car. Now I have a Jeep because dog...

HammerheadFistpunch > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:34

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Step 1 - Get the car you want.

Step 2 - Get the dog you want.

Step 3 - does the dog fit? if not repeat step 2.

Nibbles > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:36

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I'm on my 2nd - or 1.5th? Saab. Bought a 1987 900 SPG (Aero over on your side) which was totaled in a hit-and-run two months later. I had my plates for one freakin' day. I carried it around with me for another 2 years until I found a 1987 900 T16 with an excellent body but shitty drivetrain. The two became one and my "SPG" lived again! Until I started to diagnose an underboost condition, bypassed the APC, and noticed what my foot was doing when the boost gauge read over 25 PSI. Pretty sure that's what did the gasket in :)

My next Saab will most likely be a 96 if I can get my hands on a decent copy

Garrett Davis > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 17:38

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Ah, good point.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > CAR_IS_MI 05/01/2014 at 17:39

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Ah right on, I figure my SHO ought to dog pretty good, with a rear seat cover of course. Probably one for the arm rest too, they like to scrape those up with their paws.

Speedmonkey > Garrett Davis 05/01/2014 at 17:43

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Did 500 miles today. It rained for about 450 of those miles!

Zohaibman72 > CAR_IS_MI 05/01/2014 at 17:50

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"In 2007, the Element won the Dogcars.com "Dog Car of the Year" award because of its shape, size, and lack of seating"

I like how the later ones look in black. But theres a dog car, i guess. I've never had a dog, or any pet, my whole life, soooo I'm probably wrong in some way

puddler > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:00

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i've got to chime in. i don't mean to gloat (maybe a little) but, a 2-dr blazer is an excellent single man's ride. my spaniel Levi loves the 'lazer like a fat kid loves cake. he's good about not getting into the front, and with the rear seat folded down, a movers blanket (and his blanket) he keeps to the back, lying with his head between the seats or wandering around watching traffic. shocks, a rear sway bar, and a manual would be better, but until then, it's the penultimate vehicle for a guy and his dog.

CaptainFaux > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:01

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I've had two dogs in the time I've lived in the DC area. The first was a golden retriever who liked to ride shotgun in my Integra and was determined to put her head on my lap (it was a stick, so that was a non-starter).

My current fur child is a dachshund/beagle/possibly whippet mix who hated the back seat of the Integra but was able to trade up to a 2012 (and later a 2014) Subaru Forester. She was actually with me for the test ride and the purchase. She pretty much screwed me out of any negotiating power I had when she saw the gun turret moonroof open. ("Me likey!")

The 2012 (a well-appointed MT that I LOVED) got creamed by a BMW X5 last spring, so two weeks after the wreck (and a rented Kia Optima), I replaced it with the 2014, which had just arrived on the lot. When I brought it home, a fellow petrolhead neighbor asked to see the interior since it was a new model year. I opened the door and Yeti jumped right in and assumed her usual throne in the backseat (before I even had a chance to put the dog hammock in). Apparently, she missed her Subaru, too.

My two complaints about the Forester with regard to dog-hauling in a car that's marketed as being super dog-friendly: The cloth seats in the 2014 are dog hair magnets — far worse than the 2012. They're all under seat covers now. And the console cover shows dog toenail imprints. (Using seatbelt tethers to keep the dogs in the back seat has saved the current one.) Still, these are two things that could be easily remedied. So get on it, Subaru.

Speedmonkey > puddler 05/01/2014 at 18:04

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" like a fat kid loves cake" Hahahahahahaha

Manuél Ferrari > HammerheadFistpunch 05/01/2014 at 18:05

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I support this process.

Speedmonkey > CaptainFaux 05/01/2014 at 18:05

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I drove a 2014 Outback but not allowed dogs in press cars so didn't find out!

Garrett Davis > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:06

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Huh? What? I can't hear you over all this sunshine and 90 degree (32-32 for you if my math is right) heat out here in San Diego. ;)

Speedmonkey > Garrett Davis 05/01/2014 at 18:06

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Very very very jealous. I just wasn't born for this (British) climate

CaptainFaux > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:12

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See, if I were the Subaru publicist, I would have designated one leather-equipped Outback as the dog-testing car and brought my dog along for any journo who wanted to ride in that vehicle. Can pretty much guarantee that bit of color would have made it into every review written by whomever rode in that car.

Garrett Davis > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:13

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I'll trade ya. I wasn't born for this heat. I blame my Norwegian ancestry because I overheat and sweat on even mild days. I need to move north. Maybe somewhere that will require me to own a jacket, because I haven't had one for years now.

Flat Six > jariten1781 05/01/2014 at 18:15

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What!!! I've had a 04 Mazda 6 wagon for almost 10 years and didn't know the divider could do that.

Speedmonkey > CaptainFaux 05/01/2014 at 18:17

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Just had a relook at it and the seats were a bit nasty. Kind of nylon and perfect for weaving dog hairs in. http://www.speedmonkey.co.uk/2014/02/2014-s…

puddler > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:21

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he's consoled me more than once about it's inability to pass 18-wheelers. i think he digs the draft wobble.

Bad Idea Hat > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:27

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Scion xB. Big enough to fit just about any dog inside.

My lab, though, is going to want a convertible. If I got one, I swear he'd be hyper to go for a drive every day. He's hyper every other day as is. My dog is, hilariously, more jalop than most humans.

CaptainFaux > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:29

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Agreed. The ones in the Forester are kind of a rougher texture that do, indeed, weave dog hair. At least the bolsters in that photo are leather.

I kind of wish Subaru would make leatherette/pleather an option. They'd hold up better over the long term than leather and make dog hair removal much easier.

CPT Speedbump > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:39

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I have 2 dogs, and a 350Z and a classic Beetle. Sometimes put both in the Beetle, but usually just one at a time, or, steal my mums Murano ;)

Rory > Speedmonkey 05/01/2014 at 18:57

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I remember when I was younger , My family got two little King Charles Spaniels and my mother decided to by a Freelander with the removable rear roof (for the pups)

I adopted a rather large Husky ( my dear Pippa) back in November, so I went out to get a practical estate, something with a low lip height and enough space. I found a near mint condition Civic at a Local Honda specialist and my inner Chav forced me to get it.
I am not a clever boy.
Pippa Squeezes in just fine

CPT Speedbump > MIATAAAA 05/01/2014 at 18:57

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Guessing this depends the dog though, don't think anyone would be comfy if you tried giving a ride to a friend and my households 90 pound bulldog, lol

MIATAAAA > CPT Speedbump 05/01/2014 at 19:23

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Yeah. A 90 lb bulldog is not my 4.5 lbs yorkie.

CPT Speedbump > MIATAAAA 05/01/2014 at 19:24

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Lol, I can't fit the Bulldog in any of my cars atm, the ChowChow I could for now, both my Labrador Huskies can fit in my Beetle at one time..and my house holds Miniature Dachshund can fit in any car, lol

jariten1781 > Flat Six 05/01/2014 at 20:08

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Haha, yup...it's a good little bonus feature. Even if you don't use the screen, if you slot it in there it's a good place to store it when the seats are down.