When looking for bike racks for cars you will need to think about how often you will plan on using it. If you plan on using it a lot, a more permanent rack might be a better solution. If your use will be infrequent a removable trunk rack might be the best solution.
You will also need to consider how many bicycles you want to transport, most trunk mounted bike racks will only hold two or three bikes. Do you want to be able to use the rack on several different vehicles or will the rack be used on one vehicle only? If the answer is more than one vehicle the trunk mounted rack is probably the best option because of the ease of taking it on and off a vehicle.
Price is always an issue when deciding what rack to buy trunk mounted rack tend to be the least expensive ranging in price from about to 0 depending on the quality and options you choose. Most of the good quality racks are priced at and above. Often after a ride I stop somewhere to get something to eat, usually with the my fellow riders, and when I leave my bike on the rack I want to know it's secure. I spent a lot of money on my bicycle and cannot afford to easily replace it. Trunk mounted racks are held onto the vehicle with straps that are not to difficult to cut, and security is more difficult. There are metal cables on the market that help secure the bike to the vehicle but they will only be of use if there is a place on the vehicle where the cable can attach. The Saris Bones 3 is an exception b/c it is secured to the vehicle with metal strapes.
When deciding which bike racks for cars will work best for you, consider how high you can lift a bike by yourself and then hold it in position with one hand while securing the bike to the rack with the other hand. A rack on top of an SUV can be quite a reach, especially if your bike is a heavier model like a full suspension mountain bike. Most trunk mounted racks suspend and hold the bike by it's cross bar. A lot of the full suspension mountain bikes as well as other styles of bike have an unusual cross bar making the mounting of the bike on the rack more difficult. If your vehicle has a rear mounted spare tire you will need to buy a special rack that mounts on the spare tire or go with a roof rack or a hitch mounted rack.
If cycling is not the only activity you enjoy that requires you to haul your toys around a trunk mounted rack might be the best option. If this is you a roof mounted rack might be the best option as you can buy component for a roof rack that will secures all types of different toys. The better trunk mounted racks have individual cradles for each bike. These cradles insure the bike does not slide around on the support bars and makes securing the bike much easier. When hauling more than one bike the cradles help keep the bikes seperate so that your custom paint job is not ruined. It is also important that the bike racks for cars keep the bikes off the vehicle, if you plan on switching the rack from vehicle to vehicle this is something to be aware of when you put if on a new vehicle, put a new bike on the rack, or change up the regular order in which the bikes are placed on the rack. Remember the purpose of the rack is to get your bicycles, safely, securely, and conveniently to and from the rides.
