Before you buy a roof rack, there are four main questions to consider. Let's take a quick look at each:
Does It Fit My Car?
While most roof rack systems have some modular components, the year, make and model of your vehicle will determine what your specific options will be. Brands like Yakima and Thule have a current solution or two for most vehicles, but at ReRack we are able to offer a wide variety of choices, from now-discontinued styles to the latest and greatest racks. If you’re not sure what parts you need for your car, reach out to us! We’re happy to help. For an introduction to main types of roof racks, see our guide here.
How Much Is It Going To Cost?
Price is usually the most important factor for our customers. We try to stock return and used items as much as possible, both because you’ll get a great deal, and it is more environmentally friendly (the vast portion of a rack’s carbon lifecycle is in the initial production). Of course we also have a complete range of new roof racks to shop from!
At ReRack we only sell racks and parts from top-quality manufacturers like Yakima, Thule and Rhino-Rack. These roof racks are typically able to support more weight and gear than standard factory racks. The price of a base roof rack will depend on if you want new items or not, aerodynamic profile or not, and your vehicle year/make/model. There are complete roof rack setups starting under $150 for a used rack on older vehicles, all the way through $500+ for a new, aerodynamic top-of-the-line setup.
What Do I Want To Carry?
People usually buy a roof rack because they want to put some specific mounts on them (bike racks, kayak carriers, cargo boxes, etc.) or already have some roof mounts. It is simplest and least expensive to stay within the same brand when buying a roof rack and roof rack mounts.
While some products are compatible with a range of crossbar types, others require adapters that must be purchased separately, or won’t work at all with some crossbars.
Think about what you want to do with your roof rack, and if a specific brand is best-suited for the type of gear you want to mount on your roof rack.
What’s Going To Look Good?
Everyone’s got personal preferences right? You may love round crossbars, or square ones; want as low-profile a rack as possible, or need extra height; think that silver is a perfect complement, or go all black. The various rack manufacturers all have slightly different styles, and you should check out a few before making a final decision.