DIR Approved Car ?

MarkT · December 18th, 2006, 01:25 AM

OK so the title isn't intended to be taken seriously, but I'd be interested in suggestions for a suitable vehicle to cope with 3 divers all the space they would need for kit up to say Tech 1 level?

Am I destined to follow the Gledhill path from my current Landrover Discovery to a pick-up of one brand or another or have others found another solution?

There will always be another vehicle in the household of more modest dimensions available so it doesn't have to be used for all driving trips, but if it did fit into a multi-storey car park now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Clare, how have you got on with your purchase?

Any regrets or bonuses you've found after living with it for a while?

Would you buy the same again with hindsight or is there anything you'd change?

All views and thoughts welcome

MarkEm · December 18th, 2006, 01:35 AM

Audi RS4 Avant (old V6 bi-turbo or new V8) to get to your dive site fffffffffast!

or

Nissan Navara Aventura double-cab if you need it to be big but with all mod cons and not a van-like interior.

My 2p

Mark.

DRE · December 18th, 2006, 03:51 AM

Hummer H1

SeaJay · December 18th, 2006, 05:55 AM

Ford F-150 Lariat. Cool combination lock on driver's side door so that you can leave the truck locked at the dive site with the keys inside. Leather seats wipe down for ease of cleaning. Line-X bed liner so you can really make a mess of the bed and not care.

Tons of space for four divers at Tech 1 level.

Ali Fikree · December 18th, 2006, 06:08 AM

The best vehicle I ever had for diving was my 2001 Land Rover Defender 90. I managed to get 5 twinsets and 8 stages in the back plus the buddy.

I did think about a Ford Ranger Pickup in the past but I did not want the summer sun beating down on my gear while driving. I would imagine that you dont want the elements wearing you gear out either.

The ideal car is a Land Rover Defender 110 and there is ample room for buddies and lots of dive gear.

Ali

Ali Fikree · December 18th, 2006, 06:11 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by SeaJay)

Ford F-150 Lariat. Cool combination lock on driver's side door so that you can leave the truck locked at the dive site with the keys inside. Leather seats wipe down for ease of cleaning. Line-X bed liner so you can really make a mess of the bed and not care.

Tons of space for four divers at Tech 1 level.

Heavy fuel consumption though.

A

SeaJay · December 18th, 2006, 06:18 AM

I get about 16 mpg around town, and as much as 21 on the highway. That's miles per imperial gallon.

I have no idea what the hell that means in y'all's weirdo Brit-speak.

I don't think there's that much difference between that and a Defender 90, though. I can tell you that there's almost no difference in economy between my F-150 and the Ranger my buddy has.

...But with the additional dive buddies that you can fit in the vehicle with you, the per-person costs go waaaaay down over those expensive Defenders. :D LOL

...And it's super-comfy. Especially on super-cruise at 100 mph on the freeway. :D

Ali Fikree · December 18th, 2006, 07:17 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by SeaJay)

I get about 16 mpg around town, and as much as 21 on the highway. That's miles per imperial gallon.

I have no idea what the hell that means in y'all's weirdo Brit-speak.

I don't think there's that much difference between that and a Defender 90, though. I can tell you that there's almost no difference in economy between my F-150 and the Ranger my buddy has.

...But with the additional dive buddies that you can fit in the vehicle with you, the per-person costs go waaaaay down over those expensive Defenders. :D LOL

...And it's super-comfy. Especially on super-cruise at 100 mph on the freeway. :D

Incorrect. I think you are thinking of the NAS ( North American Spec) Defender. Mine was a Diesel engine and I got 20mpg ( or so) around town and about 25 on highway. Again, it was a 2.5ltr Diesel Turbo Engine.

SeaJay · December 18th, 2006, 07:57 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Ali Fikree)

Incorrect. I think you are thinking of the NAS ( North American Spec) Defender. Mine was a Diesel engine and I got 20mpg ( or so) around town and about 25 on highway. Again, it was a 2.5ltr Diesel Turbo Engine.

Yeah, that's true... I'm thinking of the North American version. That's all I know of to compare it to.

Still, that's only like a 4 mpg difference, though. And with a full load of a couple of divers and lots of gear, I suspect that the numbers are even less different.

The numbers I'm posting are with six single tanks and three complete sets of dive gear, since mine never come out of the truck (I dive professionally). I might see 1 mpg difference without all of that weight in there. That number would probably be more if I lived in a hilly area.

My dive gear stays wet almost full-time. If it were in an enclosure with me, I can imagine it'd only be a couple of weeks before the smell was more than I could stand. Plus, the nature of my diving is that of lots of mud and sea life. I can't imagine having that in the vehicle with me.

As far as SUVs go, like the Defender - don't y'all worry about what would happen to all of that if you were involved in a collision? Something about having it in the vehicle with me seems a little scary to me.

I've never had a problem with exposing my gear to the elements, by the way - while tanks and such stay in the exposed bed of my truck, wetsuits, drysuits, regs, fins and such stay in a mesh bag in a box (with holes in the bottom) in the back of my truck - discouraging theft (never had a problem) and keeping road grime off of the critical parts.

Of course, it could be that I go through gear so quickly - I actually wear my stuff out before the weather kills it anyway, so what the hell do I know.

nskdrs · December 18th, 2006, 09:08 AM

Germans prefer vans, must be the weather

Preferably VW T4/T5 TDI, (1,9l -2,8l diesel turbo injection engines).
Some have custom-made, sturdy racks to fit into, providing a weatherproof setup-table at comfortable working-hight, tieoff points for scooters, stages.
Some really have put this to utter perfection.

December 18th, 2006, 01:25 AM	#1 (permalink)
MarkT(Offline) New Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Aylesbury Posts: 233	DIR Approved Car ? OK so the title isn't intended to be taken seriously, but I'd be interested in suggestions for a suitable vehicle to cope with 3 divers all the space they would need for kit up to say Tech 1 level? Am I destined to follow the Gledhill path from my current Landrover Discovery to a pick-up of one brand or another or have others found another solution? There will always be another vehicle in the household of more modest dimensions available so it doesn't have to be used for all driving trips, but if it did fit into a multi-storey car park now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing. Clare, how have you got on with your purchase? Any regrets or bonuses you've found after living with it for a while? Would you buy the same again with hindsight or is there anything you'd change? All views and thoughts welcome

December 18th, 2006, 01:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
MarkEm(Offline) Site Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Essex, UK Posts: 220	Oh yes.. Audi RS4 Avant (old V6 bi-turbo or new V8) to get to your dive site *fffffffffast!* or Nissan Navara Aventura double-cab if you need it to be big but with all mod cons and not a van-like interior. My 2p Mark. __________________ *WWW.DIVESIGNS.COM*

December 18th, 2006, 03:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
DRE(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Mineola, NY Posts: 162	Hummer H1 __________________ www.dirtydiving.com - DIR is not a 4-letter word!

December 18th, 2006, 05:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
SeaJay(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Beaufort, SC, USA Posts: 162	Ford F-150 Lariat. Cool combination lock on driver's side door so that you can leave the truck locked at the dive site with the keys inside. Leather seats wipe down for ease of cleaning. Line-X bed liner so you can really make a mess of the bed and not care. Tons of space for four divers at Tech 1 level.

December 18th, 2006, 06:08 AM	#5 (permalink)
Ali Fikree(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dubai Posts: 462	The best vehicle I ever had for diving was my 2001 Land Rover Defender 90. I managed to get 5 twinsets and 8 stages in the back plus the buddy. I did think about a Ford Ranger Pickup in the past but I did not want the summer sun beating down on my gear while driving. I would imagine that you dont want the elements wearing you gear out either. The ideal car is a Land Rover Defender 110 and there is ample room for buddies and lots of dive gear. Ali

December 18th, 2006, 06:11 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ali Fikree(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dubai Posts: 462	Quote: (Originally Posted by SeaJay) Ford F-150 Lariat. Cool combination lock on driver's side door so that you can leave the truck locked at the dive site with the keys inside. Leather seats wipe down for ease of cleaning. Line-X bed liner so you can really make a mess of the bed and not care. Tons of space for four divers at Tech 1 level. Heavy fuel consumption though. A

December 18th, 2006, 06:18 AM	#7 (permalink)
SeaJay(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Beaufort, SC, USA Posts: 162	I get about 16 mpg around town, and as much as 21 on the highway. That's miles per imperial gallon. I have no idea what the hell that means in y'all's weirdo Brit-speak. I don't think there's that much difference between that and a Defender 90, though. I can tell you that there's almost no difference in economy between my F-150 and the Ranger my buddy has. ...But with the additional dive buddies that you can fit in the vehicle with you, the per-person costs go waaaaay down over those expensive Defenders. :D LOL ...And it's super-comfy. Especially on super-cruise at 100 mph on the freeway. :D

December 18th, 2006, 07:17 AM	#8 (permalink)
Ali Fikree(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dubai Posts: 462	Quote: (Originally Posted by SeaJay) I get about 16 mpg around town, and as much as 21 on the highway. That's miles per imperial gallon. I have no idea what the hell that means in y'all's weirdo Brit-speak. I don't think there's that much difference between that and a Defender 90, though. I can tell you that there's almost no difference in economy between my F-150 and the Ranger my buddy has. ...But with the additional dive buddies that you can fit in the vehicle with you, the per-person costs go waaaaay down over those expensive Defenders. :D LOL ...And it's super-comfy. Especially on super-cruise at 100 mph on the freeway. :D Incorrect. I think you are thinking of the NAS ( North American Spec) Defender. Mine was a Diesel engine and I got 20mpg ( or so) around town and about 25 on highway. Again, it was a 2.5ltr Diesel Turbo Engine.

December 18th, 2006, 07:57 AM	#9 (permalink)
SeaJay(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Beaufort, SC, USA Posts: 162	Quote: (Originally Posted by Ali Fikree) Incorrect. I think you are thinking of the NAS ( North American Spec) Defender. Mine was a Diesel engine and I got 20mpg ( or so) around town and about 25 on highway. Again, it was a 2.5ltr Diesel Turbo Engine. Yeah, that's true... I'm thinking of the North American version. That's all I know of to compare it to. Still, that's only like a 4 mpg difference, though. And with a full load of a couple of divers and lots of gear, I suspect that the numbers are even less different. The numbers I'm posting are with six single tanks and three complete sets of dive gear, since mine never come out of the truck (I dive professionally). I might see 1 mpg difference without all of that weight in there. That number would probably be more if I lived in a hilly area. My dive gear stays wet almost full-time. If it were in an enclosure with me, I can imagine it'd only be a couple of weeks before the smell was more than I could stand. Plus, the nature of my diving is that of lots of mud and sea life. I can't imagine having that in the vehicle with me. As far as SUVs go, like the Defender - don't y'all worry about what would happen to all of that if you were involved in a collision? Something about having it in the vehicle with me seems a little scary to me. I've never had a problem with exposing my gear to the elements, by the way - while tanks and such stay in the exposed bed of my truck, wetsuits, drysuits, regs, fins and such stay in a mesh bag in a box (with holes in the bottom) in the back of my truck - discouraging theft (never had a problem) and keeping road grime off of the critical parts. Of course, it could be that I go through gear so quickly - I actually wear my stuff out before the weather kills it anyway, so what the hell do I know.

December 18th, 2006, 09:08 AM	#10 (permalink)
nskdrs(Offline) Towboy Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: berlin, europe Posts: 247	Germans prefer vans, must be the weather Preferably VW T4/T5 TDI, (1,9l -2,8l diesel turbo injection engines). Some have custom-made, sturdy racks to fit into, providing a weatherproof setup-table at comfortable working-hight, tieoff points for scooters, stages. Some really have put this to utter perfection.