Scuba-friendly automobile suggestions?

[inter_alia]

diverrick, I like the Legacy and the Outback. Definitely high on the list.

You guys are fabulous to keep posting here. I very much appreciate it! Carry on.

 

[5615mike]

My Tahoe does the trick. Sean326...your rig does the trick!!

 

[Tygh]

I have to say my Honda Element is made for divers. The seats are waterproof, it has a cavernous interior, and the floor does fine with water on it.

I can load a 10' Zodiac, 10hp engine, two divers and gear in the Element no problem.

And yes, I know it is a box on wheels, but sometimes ugly is good.

 

[jamiei]

GMC Yukon SLT... heated leather seats and fully adjustable lumbar support... you can put the heat on your lower back to help ease those sore muscles from lugging your tanks around. It's also ranked the most dependable suv (maybe thats fullsize only though...) Throw a hitch haul in the reciever and strap your tanks on or you can hook up your big boat for a trip to the Keys. Plenty of room, power, all the luxuries, and I still get 18 mph (city/highway combined). You can also pull out the third row seats, pop in your rubber floor liner and haul a lot of gear. With rear captains chairs, A/C and radio controls, you won't hear any complaints from passengers about comfort. I am a little biased ovbiously... And if anybody ever decides to start selling ethanol 85 around here I can even help the environment a little since its a flex fuel engine. Yes... I was a car salesman for a little while... not for GMC though. Just thought I'd try it while I was in college.

 

[velazques25]

I really fell sorry for the diver who has to travel long distances to have a nice dive with his buddies. I feel very lucky to live in an island where the best dive sites are only s short boat ride away and the only equipment hauling that I have to do is from the dock to the boat an vice-versa and only have to take the tanks to the local filler, I use a old Isuzu PUP with a 2.0 liter diesel engine. This is the only one I have seen but it works great in the hauling tanks in the hilly region of Puerto Rico where I live. Personally I will get a nice pick-up (Ford-250 powerstroke engine V8) manly because it has a lot of power, torque and cabin space (nice when hauling ass 400 miles for a dive that is what I call dedication and love for the sport). But if this seems to expensive move to Puerto Rico buy a house near the water in La Parguera and buy a boat and go diving ‘the easy way’

 

[chrisc]

I would opt for a Suburban or H2, we have both. Yes they are a bit pricy, but they hold their value (at least the Suburban does). Our first Suburban (90 model) had over 275K miles with without a problem and is still running strong. The H2 is a great roomy ride. People cannot get over that we ACTUALLY take it off roading. It rides like a dream and gets fair mileage. I would rather be riding in a full size truck or SUV than a smaller model in a crash. The Suburban will attest to getting side swiped at 60mph and I drove it home after changing the tire. Smaller models have lower towing and load capacity with will affect driving and mileage. 4-5 adults @200lbs =1000lbs, 8-10 tanks= 400-500lbs throw in gear and a cooler=500lbs your getting close to the max payload weight and don't even think about towing anything.

Just our thoughts.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

We have a Ford Explorer and it can accomodate 12 tanks, 3 divers and 3 sets of cold water dive gear with ease. Milage is about 16 mpg.

My personal vehicle is a Jeep Cherokee Sport and it also does well but has a lot less internal volume than the Explorer and is a 2 diver, 2 sets of gear and 12 tank vehicle but gets 22 mpg.

The Cherokee Sport is also a thousand pounds lighter than the Explorer with about the same horsepower and is a lot more fun to drive. The Explorer has skinnier tires and is too soft in the suspension and lacks ground clearance for serious off road stuff but is quieter and more comfortable on the highway.

We also still own a Ford Festiva and with 40 mpg it makes a great economy dive vehicle that will accomodate 2 divers, 6 tanks and 2 sets of cold water dive gear. It always impresses people when we arrive and unload everything. Sort of like all those clowns getting out of a volkswagon at the circus. In general, the Festiva was, odd as it may seem, also a very reliable car that held up very well as it aged.

The Explorer and Cherokee will both tow our 23 ft boat but only barely and the 50 miles to and from the slip each year is enough of a challenge.

I have not tried towing the boat with the Festiva.

 

[Genesis]

I own two vehicles - a Suburban and a VW Jetta Wagon TDI.

The former is cavernous inside (you could almost cave-dive in it), will hold a bunch of doubles, gear bags, everything - indeed, I hauled four people's diving gear PLUS our "stuff" for a week vacation, the four people, and STILL had a bunch of room left. And oh, by the way, "four people's diving gear" included two sets of doubles and a bunch of single tanks as well as the gear bags.

When I use it alone for cave/spring diving, I gear up in the truck. Simple; you can change inside, then set up on the gate, get into the harness and go. No problem.

The VW Jetta Wagon is a smaller version of this. It'll handle two divers and tanks for both with relative ease. Only one set of doubles easily though, but 4 singles with no problem plus all your other gear. If its just two divers you can fold the back seats and then it too is cavernous inside.

Both got outfitted with a rubber cargo protector with a 2" lip to keep water off the carpet.

The Suburban gets the expected crappy gas mileage - the Jetta gets a no-BS 50 mpg on the highway, and in the mid 40s around town. I got 45mpg going from the Panhandle to Dallas with average speeds well into the 80s, with some stretches near triples - its an amazing road car.

The 'Burban was really bought as a boat-pulling machine. Its turned out to be an excellent dive truck though....

 

[capelli]

have an xterra and fit everything in it just fine

 

[caveseeker7]

This thread will likely quickly turn into a Ford-Chevy argument ...

These days there are so many imports that this old argument hasn't come up among my friends in years.

... I've been in a Honda Civic (the antithesis of a scuba-friendly automobile, IMHO)

Have a look at what I'm driving. And I can fit two divers, two SP72s and two gear bags. Gotta SCUBA rack and know how to pack.

I want to haul tanks, gear, a friend or two and be as comfortable as possible when doing this.
As a starting point, I'm considering (oh no) the Honda Element. It's so ugly I can't resist but want to know if scubaboard has any suggestions.

It really depends how often you go diving in relation to how much you drive, with how much gear. You dive twin 120s and stages, and bring three or four sets for the weekend? Every weekend? Get a Florida Dive Bag like FredT has.
Spend an hour or two every day in the car, and go once or twice a month for a single tank dive with a friend? Anything form an Element to a Subaru or Jetta wil work just fine.

Some considerations:
Especially if you dive saltwater it's a good idea to have corrosion protected luggage area. May that be an add-on plastic trunk or bedliner tub, a SportTrack or Avalanche's composite bed or a Jeep's drainholes so you can hose it out. If you decide on a car you might want to check in advance if a liner is available.

Do you have insurance on your dive gear, or transport other valuable stuff?
Make sure it's safely locked and out of view. If insured check with your carrier if they accept station wagons/SUV, and if so all contend or just what's under the retracting cover. Mine doesn't cover cameras and lighting equipment unless it's locked solidly out of sight (either a car's seperate trunk or a pick-up with a fiberglass tonneau cover).

How much can, and are you willing to, afford? Both inital cost, insurance and consumables. There is a pretty large gap between the Element and the Hummer mentioned in one post.

If you buy something that might be borderline in size, take your gear with you when you buy.