Alan Bal jeu wrote:
I've been looking at buying a new compact car, but I want to make sure it's
not a mistake. I will want to carry my 16' canoe on top, and be able to put
the paddles, a friend or two, life jackets, and backpacks inside, (and the
roof rack when it's not carrying my boat). Will there be enough space in a
Jetta/Civic/Corolla/Protege to do this?

After I've got everything packed, I'll need to drive it down the freeway to
distant lakes and rivers. And since the temp will probably be 35 degrees
celcius (105F), I'll have to turn on the A/C. Might this be a strain on the
car's engine?
I'd love to hear from anyone who's happily using their compact, or if anyone
found it just didn't work.

I certainly haven't had any problems carrying my boats with my VW Rabbit
(now called Golf) for 12 years and then with my current Toyota Corolla for
the last 16 years. The biggest load I've had on top was a double kayak
(18'/90 lbs) plus two tandem canoes (each 16'), but more commonly I'll
carry the double kayak and a single. That includes several cross-country
trips as well as many more local trips. Never ran into any issues with
either vehicle other than feeling a bit out-of-place at many put-in spots
where everyone else arrived with big SUVs and wondered how I got there over
fire roads they thought would require 4WD. The river outings chair of
our Sierra Club chapter once commented that I always showed up with the
biggest boat and the smallest car.