Behind this curtain, a BRAND NEW CAR....

[akmike907]

Well, not yet anyway. I recently got rid of my very nice 99 Ram loaded with everything before it got rid of me. Too many things were starting to show their age. We are using one car for the time being and since it's a sub-compact, not really suited for diving equipment. I (after a while of not diving myself) got my g/f "interested" in diving. By "interested", I mean somehow she loves it more than I do, yay me!

Anyway, we will be in the market soonish for a new vehicle. She wants an suv to be able to take the dogs anywhere at anytime. Her new love is dictating that a "washable" vehicle is needed. As in, drive home in your dripping wetsuit and then wash the mud and stuff from the cargo area with a hose. At first, the Honda element seemed to fit the bill. The "real time 4wd" concept is crap. We need a real 4wd, with low range and all since we live in Alaska and the closest shore diving is on a rough road at the best of times. I can imagine it during the winter. We were also looking at the Toyota FJ whatever it is, from the very little we can see online, it appears to have the same "hose it out" interior as well. We are looking for your opinions, throw them at us please

 

[BobcatM]

I used to have a Z71 Tahoe, 4 door, and it was almost ideal for diving and pets.

Now I own a quad cab chevy Z71 and I like it just as much.

I have a bed cover (low rider) on it that locks, so I can keep all my dive equipment in it.
Who cares if it is wet when you put it in there, it drains out through the bed. Also when it does dry out it stay dry back there.
I also installed a roller platform system like THIS. I can't find the specific one I use, but this is close.

So I have waterproof tubs I keep all the electroics in, and another for wetsuites etc.. that fit right on the roller giving me easy access. Roll them out and good to go.

Also my dog, which is not small, goes with me everywhere. There is plenty of room in the back seat. You can put the seats up and he can do whatever he wants.

Hope that helps!

 

[jhupka]

I drive a Tundra and it works really well.

I would tell you are right on the FJ in what you are looking for. They are great trucks and wash right out. They share a lot of the same equipment and power train as the Tacoma which might not be a bad idea either. They will run for ever and take the abuse you can put it through. Plus the offroad capabilities is probably the top out of all in stock form.

 

[N2DeepInAz]

I drive a 2008 Chevy Avalanche LTZ which has leather seats. I am in and out of the water either boating or diving and the leather has never caused me any issues. I've got the rubber floor mats to catch all the dirt/sand that comes with both activities and clean up is always easy.

Both my dogs go with us to the lake usually, they range from 30-80 lbs each. No problem, fold down the back seats and drop the compartment down to open up the inside to the bed of the truck and they've got a shaded spot to hang out in and the stock bedliner is rubber so no worries about scratching anything. The bed is covered and lockable once the tailgate is up, the bed cover panels are in place and the doors are locked.

It's a true 4WD and I have had it in some pretty deep snow (yes, there is snow in Az in the mountains in the winter time) without any issues or slipping and it handles amazingly on icy roads. Towing is great. Example: I pulled a Ford F-250 2wd diesel, crewcab and their 31ft Mariah cuddy cruiser out of the lake, up a 20% grade dirt boat ramp (they couldn't get it out with the Ford and gravity sucked them back into the lake, taking most of their truck with it into the lake).

The bed of the truck is great for hauling gear. I've had 12 tanks of various sizes and full sets of dive gear for four people in it with room for more, all at once. Plus it's covered and lockable as mentioned above. All water drains through the bed and to the outside without any pooling anywhere. It's a real workhorse and looks good. The downside is the gas mileage isn't that great but what is when you're hauling that much gear and people.

It's my second new Chevy in 10 years and I love it. It's been real reliable and I've beat on it pretty hard in the past 2 years. Enough of the Chevy commercial. Either way, that's my input, hope it helps.

 

[it_mike]

Depends on how many people are going or how much gear I have to carry. My 2500 Ram Quad does great when carrying two or more. If it's just me, the Jeep is fantastic. Pulled all the carpeting (I also have to deal with mud coming in through the doors), so pull the floor plugs and hose it out.