Howdy Lads,

Thought I would come back to the Greenroom for some more wisdom (Might be the wrong choice of words! Haha) - I am on the hunt for a cheapish new (or newish second hand) car.

The criteria for me is needs to be able to fit kids when needed and fit a 10 footer inside.

I was speaking to a local bloke who has a Suzuki APV that can fit a 10 footer in through to the front passenger seat easily... However it is thirsty, clunky and a blast from the past design wise.

Has anyone got any recommendations on cars that they like?

Good on fuel
Cheap to maintain
Relatively cheap to buy - in the 20g's mark MAX
Fit kids (and car seats) when needed
Fit 10 foot log max inside when needed

I have had a look around and was thinking the Renault Kangoo Maxi Crew might be something that fits the bill (I need to measure the length inside though to be sure of fitting the log).

Any other suggestions?

Cheers...

Oh and to address my old post of the midlength dilemma - I am going to run with a Creative Army Jive model in the 9'9' range in the new year and keep the 8 footer!

What about a diesel i30 wagon. I trst drove one and thought it was great. Or one of those Skoda wagons. They look like great value!

I do like the look of those Skoda's I must be honest...

Haven't looked at the i30 wagon. Will do some research.

Cheers mate!

Hiace commuter? I have driven them and they are awesome. Never owned any wagon but always wanted a hiace, panel van or troops.

good luck.

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McHenry said..
What about a diesel i30 wagon. I trst drove one and thought it was great. Or one of those Skoda wagons. They look like great value!

We have an i30 diesel wagon. Great little car. Can't fit a 10' board inside, but they work well with roof racks.

Here's my old one. A seven seater and could get an 11 footer in it. Two litre petrol and it was good on fuel. Lift up the back to get changed post surf when it's raining. heaps of room.

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McHenry said..
What about a diesel i30 wagon. I trst drove one and thought it was great. Or one of those Skoda wagons. They look like great value!

What about the iload vans - those things rock - you can easily put a 10 footer in them from memory - put some racks inside under the roof - piece of cake. Also pretty handy to put a false bottom in the boot compartment and hid all your good stuff and keep all your surf related stuff away from the general day to day crap so you never have to worry.

Anyone know how long a board will fit in a troopy?

Series 3 (S3) Subaru Forester - we have two of them in the family...! The 10fter may just be on the limit though... 9'6" will fit easy. Simondo will know - he has an S3 and a garage full of LB's....

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thedrip said..
Anyone know how long a board will fit in a troopy?

Troopy it! Will be my next wheels for sure.

Currently in a hiace. Will take a 9'6 without folding down the front passenger seats. Will also take a 12'6 sup with room to spare with the seats down. Keep in mind this is the standard wheel base, so the lwb would have even more room. Can't rate the hiace enough though. It's virtually indestructible.

Yeah I'd love a troopy, mate has one for sale at the moment. Bit thirsty on fuel, but they have so much space in the back

But I love my Nissan Xtrail with the draws sliding out the back. I can just fit my 10 foot log in if I want to, but I usually have it on the roof & a couple of shorties in the back to cover a few diff conditions. With the way I have my garage set up, its much easier to slide my log across off its racks & onto the roof of my car.

But anyway, 20k $ will get you a late model one no worries...very cheap on fuel & really nice to drive, some people say boxy, but I say lots of space. Really hate how a lot of new cars taper inwards on the sides & back. Give me a boxy storage space any day. I checked the storage of all the light 4wd cars like Rav4 & Subi's. The Xtrail has a lot more room