I would also recommend using roof racks. Set up properly, with a properly secured load, they are quite effective. We used to move sheets of 4x8 material on top of my Dad’s economy car all the time with such a rig, no problems, even in Chicago with high winds. One day the wind blew US over while we were unloading, but we never lost a load off the roof while driving. Get yourself a pair of ratchet straps, and you should do fine.
4x8 plywood won’t fit in an older model Outback. I don’t know about the criminally bloated version that they released in 2010, but I think they mostly made it taller, not wider.
I’ve carried plywood on top of the roof racks many a time. (And if you have to carry sheetrock on top of a car, sandwich it between two layers of plywood, or it * is * going to fold up and blow away.
Last two cars (in the UK) Kia Sedona and Volvo Estate. Both take an 8x4 board with a little sloping.
I just need a box on 4 wheels (a box that takes an 8 by 4 that is!)
Check first- European 8 x 4 is now 2400by 1200mm!!
When I was looking at minivans, it seems to me the Chrysler and Honda minivans would but the Toyota would not, take a 4x8 flat.
While I’m sure its a foregone conclusion that you won’t be buying one, a long-body Ford Aerostar will fit a good number for 4 x 8 sheets on top of the folded-down seats, all enclosed in the vehicle.
I miss my van.
VW Vanagon, fold down the rear seat and you can stack 4 x 8 sheets of plywood to your heart’s content. Close the hatch and drive away. Slowly. Possibly with a leak or two.
Okay, so you will likely not buy a Vanagon, I love mine.
*Mea culpa. * My apologies. I was relying on my memory and goofed, as usual when I do that. But I didn’t say the 4’ wide board would fit flat on the floor. As I remember it, it would fit on top of the wheel well enclosures. But I could be wrong - I got rid of that wagon in 2000. As for the Fit fit, I got that wrong, too. 7.9 feet is its internal capacity front-to-back, on the passenger side (see link to Wikipedia article). Still don’t know its vertical dimension. Maybe I’ll carry my tape measure to a car lot (for a Fit) or a junk yard (for the Focus).
A Toyota Previa minivan will hold 4x8 sheets of plywood or drywall completely enclosed. The rear seats need to be folded up and the center seats removed. In addition, the two front seats must be slid all the way forward. A little difficult driving for a 6 footer slid that far forward, but it works.
It’s a very nice and comfortable mid-engine minivan that typically gets over 20 mpg. Very reliable too.
For the few occasions on which you’re actually going to need full sheets, just pay the delivery fee. It’s much easier, it easily pays off in gas mileage in the long run (and not very long at that).
I know the OP has likely solved their problem, but they don’t make SUVs and minivans just for soccer moms. Although it’s actually getting harder to find a real SUV instead of a blown up car, some people use them to haul stuff that can’t be done easily in a car, like sheets of plywood.
As ugly as the Aztek was, it could haul sheets of plywood easily, something even then a lot of SUVs couldn’t do.
I’ve seen that picture before, but seeing it after the above remarks, I just now realized that a shifting load is exactly what happened. With the load horizontal and centered on the roof, it was supported by all four wheels and the car could move. It didn’t have the right knots, so the load slid backwards putting all the weight on the rear wheels and grounded the car.
Not that it would have been a good idea even with the right knots.
Volvo XC70 Wagon - should hold plywood leaned diagonally. I know theres a bunch of room back there. One of my coworkers has one. I’ve been in it a few times. They’re Nice wagons.
review of 5 wagons.
The other good choice is a Econoline Van. Preferably the E-250. That’s the basic cargo van. You can get driver friendly options like cruise control, power windows, carpet etc. Make it as nice as you want.
I drive one every day. I’ve hauled plywood, bags of cement, gravel, topsoil etc. I keep a tarp spread out in the cargo area to protect the carpet. The E-250 has a heavy duty suspension and can handle the weight. Plywood of course has to be leaned up at an angle. It won’t fit between the rear wheel wells and you have to tie the rear doors shut with a bungee cord. There’s usually about 2 feet of plywood or lumber sticking out the back. I tie a red rag on it and it’s safe in traffic.
I doubt the OP has been pondering the question for three years.
I just got to have me one of them Frod Fucus wagons! 