I had a mountain bike that I bought about 6 or 7 years ago. I would never have considered myself an avid biker. 45 minutes on the bike is probably my longest ride. Every time I rode it, that saddle soreness always took most of the fun out of every ride. I also had minor back surgery back in September. Since my surgery I have been walking somewhere between 3 and 5 miles most days and as things have been heating up, I wanted a little more wind in my face so I got the mountain bike back out. I rode it twice, each time about 30 minutes and between the saddle soreness and my back, I was done riding bicycles, hunched over the handle bars. Enter recumbent. I decided to give them a look and like you, I was a bit shocked at the price. I went to a local trike shop and tested out a few models and got a decent understanding of what things I wanted. While listing my mountain bike for sale, I found 4 trikes that were supposed to be fairly local. One was in CA (20 hours from me), 2 were about 6-8 hours from me and this one which was about 1.5 hours from me. If price did not mean anything, this would not have been my first choice, but it was up there. This one is a Catrike Villager. It is more of a comfy cruiser. It sits higher (seat 12.5" high), has a shorter wheel base and a wider track width, than the sportier trikes more focused on speed. The incline of the seat is also adjustable, which makes my back and neck happier too. This one focuses on comfort, maneuverability and portability. It does have 30 speeds and disc brakes. I have ridden it 3 times in the last week or so, about 30 minutes on each ride and for about 5 miles or more each. On the rides I have recorded, I averaged just over 10 mph and had a top speed just shy of 30 mph in a very hilly area. Like I said, I would not consider myself to be an avid biker, so your results my vary. The saddle soreness is non existent. None whatsoever. My back feels great at the end of each ride too. No issues there either. I have no regrets. I am planning my first 10 mile ride tomorrow morning. I have already ridden this more in the last week or so than I did my bike in the last couple years.
This one weighs 33 lbs. It is about 72" long with the boom (the thing that supports the front gears / pedals) set up for my legs, but I can push the boom in some if I needed to. I have a Nissan Murano and it fits inside with the back seats folded down quite easily. From my research, a hitch carrier starts at about $400. I think I can fab something up and put it on my $50 hitch platform thing I already have for a lot less.
Mine is about 8 years old but in great shape. I paid below 1/2 of what a new one would run you. Here are the specs for a current version of what I have. If you look to the right side about 1/2 way down, there is a graph that tells you what that particular trike is designed for. Its lowest rating is speed. Speedier trikes will be longer, lower to the ground, have a larger rear wheel and the seats are usually much more reclined, and not adjustable.
https://www.catrike.com/villagerLastly, Catrike is the only major trike manufacturer here in the US. That was kind of important to me so I was happy that the only one I could find fairly locally was a Catrike. The model 700 is their speedy model.
