thule or yakima racks are best. Find a carrier you like first, they both are good but have different pros & cons. If you find yourself favoring a yakima carrier, then get the yakima rack. Regardless, I'm fairly certain that carriers are interchangable.

The racks cost some money - $300+ depending on number of carriers, locks, etc., but basically last forever.

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1982 240 D, 308,000 - 321,127 miles (sold)
1982 300 TD,166,500 - 226,000 miles
1998 E 320, 120,000 - 144,000 miles
2005 C 230 K, 26,000 - 77,000 miles (sold)