A good car for violinists?
I'm wondering if any of you has a car that really works out well for your musical activities. My 1997 Honda CRV has been a trouper for going to gigs; we've put a harp, violin, cello and sound system, plus three musicians into it. I have used the included picnic table to sell CDs, and the four-wheel drive has been nice on a couple of remote location gigs. The black color seems appropriate for showing up to formal events.
It doesn't have a lot of kick, so we kind of putt up hills, and the AC is marginal, but all-in-all it's been good.
Replies (39)
99 Subaru Legacy Wagon. Can haul 2 school basses. Good in the snow (don't need that so much anymore). 201,000 miles and counting.
1997 Ford Taurus wagon with about 135,000 miles on it. I don't actually like it at all, but it has been pretty dependable and readily accommodates various combinations of me, my cellist friend, her Newfoundland dog, our instruments, a keyboard, keyboard stand, and keyboard amp, music stands, a patio umbrella (portable shade for sunny gigs), etc. etc. So it's quite practical. Only real gripes are low ground clearance (bumpy dirt roads are prevalent where I live, and I've ripped three exhaust systems off the thing), crummy gas mileage (about 19 mpg), and a heater that is slow to start working.
1987 Chrysler New Yorker. Currently only 53,265 original miles. Belong to an elderly fellow and when he could nolonger drive, it went into storage for a while. Violin fits quite well! when I bought it 2 years ago it had 42,595 original miles.
2000 citroen xsara- can cope with five people, violin, cello, plus schoolbags. it's a hardy old rustbucket.
I've got a Lexus IS350 from 2006...very fast but not much room in the back seat for a double violin case and the dog crate. His coat is faux fur, don't throw ink at him!!
Have a 2005 Subaru Outback Wagon. I can haul an entire string quartet + equipment for a gig, once transported three double basses when an equipment truck broke down, and have made the drive from SoCal to Colorado with five people, six instruments, luggage and camping gear that weighed the whole thing down so much the suspension dropped about 3 inches. :P
I ride a bus. It fits everything in it.
Johnathan! I love the photo!!!!
Subaru's seem popular. Got one also, 2006 Outback. Plenty of room for an entire quartet/quintet (people & gear).
Awww Jonathan - what a sweet dog. I just want to pick him up and hug him!
hehe, that's Jack and he looooves hugs! Loves to chase the cat too ;-)
I drive a MINI cooper S hardtop. I love my car. It fits everything I do and has fantastic gas mileage. The trunk comfortably holds a violin and viola. With the two back seats folded down, it can fit a cello and then some. It's also more than capable of hauling several golf club bags =) If yours is the designated "hauling" vehicle, I would recommend the slightly longer Clubman.
I drive a scooter instead of a car. I don't trust myself with the violin on my back though. I take the train to my lessons. :) One of the handy parts about living in inner Sydney - public transport.
Thank you for sharing the doggie picture, Jonathan. I like the dashing striped legs...
If there's one car a violinist should drive, it's the Fritz Chrysler. You might also consider a Hummer or an Audio.
"If there's one car a violinist should drive, it's the Fritz Chrysler"
16 years ago we used my '93 Mercury Villager minivan to get our piano trio - including a Yamaha Clavinova to piano-less venues. I still have the minivan - works great. (And I since bought my own Clavinova, which I've hauled in the van a few times.) It's a good cello-hauling car, in fact I can use it to haul 7 full-size humans AND a cased cello and a few violins - just have to be careful when opening the sliding door.
You wouldn't think an electric piano could do a fair job of both Mendelssohn trios as well as some Brahms and Mozart - but it did. Even after our rehearsals had been elsewhere with a 9-foot Steinway.
Andy
VW Golf - definitely! Carries 2 violins, a cello, sometimes a viola, sometimes dogs, oh...and people too! An oversized, over stuffed and absolutely necessary purse/catchall bag, my daughter has lovingly named 'Gusto', fits nicely too.
(My old Golf easily packed a Great Dane (felt a little silly going through the Tim Horton's Drive Thru though), and for one trip my mothers 8 person teak dining table).
Heather,
Is that the Variant model?
Sander,
Nice!
I have a Mitsubishi Mirage. It's not a cargo vehicle by any means, but it works really well for me. I play bass guitar as well as violin, so when I have bass gigs I can fit my entire rig in the trunk (amplifier plus speaker cabinets) and then in the back seat goes my bass and there's still room for two people.
I once fit a string quartet in my car. The cello was in a soft case and it fit in the trunk. We also put the violins back there. I think the violist had to carry his instrument on his lap, so it was kind of a tight fit, but we made it happen. The gas mileage is good, too.
However, the cellist in our quartet drives a Mazda 3 station wagon, and that is the car we usually take to gigs. He says he bought it with the quartet in mind, and I think it's perfect for that purpose. It's got a good sound system too so we can listen to Emerson or Guarneri and get inspired on our way to the gig :-)
Hi Anne - that would be a bit more sensible wouldn't it, but no it's just a regular hatch sized Golf. The cello in the hard case definitely takes up a bit of room, but so far so good. Manuel, couldn't imagine a string quartet (people AND instruments)...could this be my next small car challenge:)?
I have an older Dodge caravan. It is perfect for anything I want to throw in it, including instruments, dogs, grandkids, etc. It has a DVD player for the back seat crowd, although the dogs like to look out the window.
I have a 1999 Honda Civic Hatchback -- not a speck of rust on it (and it's parked outside 24/7/365), and it has a really great heater. It warms quickly, so I don't have to spend much time in the driveway waiting for it to warm up before I dash back into the house to grab my violin.
I take my violin in a Rav 4 and it's perfect. I put the case on the floor between the seats and push the front seat back until it holds the case nice and snug, then it can't flop around if I hit anything rough.
another good choice would be the Maybach
You do realise that I now have to get vanity plates that say, "Fritz"!!!!!
LQBmk~$(KGrHqQH-CwEtrN4QK5UBLgB)8h!kw~~_35.JPG)
Wow, Sam!
That Maybach is a nice-looking car.
Isn't there also a company called BWV? Oh yeah, it's BMW.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Sam! I Love It!!!!!
i WILL HAVE TO POST PICTURE OF MY CARS :)
;)
My Mini is perfect - I asked my violin and he gave it his personal approval (see do you love your violin topic :) ). He fits perfectly in the boot(trunk) - but thats about all you can get in there - unless, that is, you put the seats down in which case you can probably fit a small orchestra in there.
Love the dog picture too! For myself, a St-Bernard must fit in the car when I'll have a dog! So a car where the St-Bernard won't step on my violin...
Anne-Marie
St-Bernard - Nice lap dog!
"St-Bernard - Nice lap dog!"
Nope its Swiss...
:)
But I wouldn't force the poor thing to carry alchohol around his neck! Pehaps I would have to carry dog food around my neck though to feed it! ; )
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/Switzerland/West/Valais/Zermatt/photo653751.htm
http://images02.olx.in/ui/2/09/83/25500683_1.jpg
I love my car: Mercedes Benz SLK - there's just enough space in this two seater for me and my violin. I highly recommend it to all violinists. ;)
I drive 50mi home to my apartment after my lessons, and it gets over 30mpg, so I'm happier than I might be. :-)
This discussion has been archived and is no longer accepting responses.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Subscribe
Laurie's Books
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine
February 17, 2010 at 10:10 AM ·
well, I have a "Cash for Clunkers" 2009 Ford Focus...the violin case takes up the entire back seat