u/FuzzeWuzze

So, i dont buy cars much. In the last 30 years i've had 4 cars so i would like a bit of a reality check if what I plan to go to various dealers with is even realistic, to me it sounds like one but who knows some dealers may just laugh and say no which is fine but i'd rather not waste my time if everyone here just says its stupid.

Preface - I really want ventilated seats, and have to have a roof rails. This leads me to the LT2 with the convenience package, but i really do not want 21" tires long term because they are expensive as all hell to replace and i've heard they generally ride worse than the normal 19" wheels.

My proposal for dealers

I wont fight on whatever price your asking but i want the GM roof rails installed and i want a set of empty 19 inch wheels, whatever cheap generic ones they have that arent steelies so when my 21 inch tires go i can replace them with 19".

To me this sounds reasonable? The roof rails have to cost them almost nothing, and the wheels are maybe 1 or 1.5k.

I was looking at Vin numbers and AI told me this is it a real thing to be concerned about? I'm on the west coast so I have no idea why a 2025 with 2k miles would have this? Is it something to actually be worried about?

It said

One thing worth noting — it's delivered to General Motors LLC in Milford, MI, which is GM's proving grounds. That means this was likely a GM test/press vehicle being remarketed, not a regular dealer stock car. That's worth investigating before purchasing — it may have had harder use than a typical new car.

So, i have an old 2009 Subaru Outback that i have a saddle roof mount installed on that i use to haul my 11.5 ft fishing kayak around. Right now i have a suction cup roller i stick to the rear glass, and slide it up into these saddles, strap it down and off i go.

But its getting up there in age at 185k miles, has a forever check engine light on the catalytic converter that will cost more than the car is worth to fix, and generally just gets 21ish MPG so i am looking at what to move to in the future and of course was looking at some Subaru EV's either the Solterra, or Trailseeker, as well as possibly a Equinox EV.

But one thing that troubles me is all these EV car's seem to have a giant shark fin and what appear to be really low profile roof rails. I'm struggling to visualize how my Kayak would ever fit on these without banging into the shark fin on the back.

Is anyone else doing this with these cars, either rear loading or side loading kayaks? Is it difficult to not just snap off the antennae every time your loading? Here's the saddles i use for example, and a picture of the kayak on my roof rails when i bought it and didnt have them yet.

https://preview.redd.it/h2xuyngi7nzg1.jpg?width=1215&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77e0c94a4170581a725b9351d2e6de5b18e3af90

https://preview.redd.it/flwqjx8q7nzg1.jpg?width=1215&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4dd8478c67e113f166ba953de0dba623e3e4ccbf