Roof Rack for Toyota Matrix

[BrewMaster]

I have been looking for a roof rack for my 2004 Matrix XRS. I have never had any kind of roof rack, so I am pretty clueless how they attach to the roof and what to look for.

Here are a few things that seem to be important from what little I know:

- My car has a sunroof. Some racks seem to be incompatible with the sunroof.

- For the bike holding part of the rack, I would prefer not to take off my front wheel.

- Locking feature is a must for the rack and the bike, preferably. I don't want the bike or the rack to get jacked.

Here are my questions:

1) How do they attach to the roof? Do I drill holes or what?

2) Does anyone have a Matrix with a roof rack they would recommend?

3) Do you usually buy the roof rack and the bike rail separately or as one package?

4) Any other suggestions on roof rack shopping since I am clueless? Sizing?

[Winston]

Your choices are pretty much Yakima or Thule. (Good tools on each website to figure out what you will need.)

No drilling and it's usually a la carte depending on what you want. You can either do it yourself or have it installed.

RockNRoad in Costa Mesa may be a good place to visit.

[Neccros]

If you get a Yakima and need Q24 clips, I have 4 you can have....

[BrewMaster]

Thanks for the feedback.

Any good or bad experiences with either Thule or Yakima?

[Neccros]

Originally Posted by BrewMaster

Thanks for the feedback.

Any good or bad experiences with either Thule or Yakima?

Had my Yakima on 2 cars and no issues.... except someone messed with one of my locks so I had to replace it...

Bout it

[xhuskr]

u might want to consider a hitch rack....I have quite a few friends who have those and they're a bit easier than my roof rack......AND they have locks

[BrewMaster]

Originally Posted by xhuskr

u might want to consider a hitch rack....I have quite a few friends who have those and they're a bit easier than my roof rack......AND they have locks

Hitch racks seem to be much more expensive, plus I would have to have a hitch on my car (another $100+).

Also, I like the idea of being able to open the trunk even with my bike on the car.

The kicker is that I can use a roof rack to carry other stuff besides my bike. A hitch rack is pretty limited to bike transpo.