.......... my car is getting worse every month..... someone scratch my door in Atlantic City when I was on way back from WBB.... needs speckling and paint........... last week someone hit and run on parking lot...... bumper, grill, hood and radiator....... grrrrrrrrrr.......
....... so ...... it piss me off ..... and I am looking for fun drive able to carry my kite gear ..... ( I have Dodge Sprinter for heavy lifting ....lol )

#1
Chevy SSR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhA3lGHkqZk

#2
Plymouth Prowler with matching trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8bQd1cjPzc

#3
Can Am Spyder with matching trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWExoC2zkM

#4
Jeep Wrangler 4-door
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42RYubC4alk

./....... any other suggestions ????

i dunno,but that can-am trailer looks like it could double as one #@%$#!in kite buggy...:wee:

First off what are you willing to spend on a car? from the 4 cars listed the one I would get would be the jeep. This is what I think about the 4 listed

Chevy SSR
I think that this is a cool looking car but it drives just like a blazer and feels very slow. As for carrying kite gear the SSR would be good because (in my opinion) its basically a S-10 with cool body panels

Plymouth Prowler
I have not driven a prowler but i know people who have owned one and they said it was a cool car but way underpowered to be a fun to drive car. As for carrying kite gear you would definitely have to get trailer since it has no room for much in it. If you wanted to go the small roadster with a trailer route I would suggest the Saturn sky redline over the prowler.

Can Am
They are a real blast to drive but I would rater have my Road Glide because I like how 2 wheals bike feels over the trikes. As for pulling a trailer with a bike, in short its not a lot of fun even with my tour bike and I have herd its the same with the Can Am. If you want a bike get one but don't get a bike to tow your kite gear. Also another thing to think about is it takes a lot of energy to ride any type of motorcycle and I know I would not want to ride home on one after a day of kiteing

Jeep
like I said before they are both fun and can carry your kite gear so in my opinion it would work the best.

I drive a Nissan Frontier desert runner and its about as fun as a jeep but I can easily throw my kite buggy in the back and not mess up the inside of the car. Also I would look at the chevy colorado z71, Ford Focus ST(when it comes out later this year), and the new ford explorer

Chevy/Geo Tracker.

You cannot beat a Honda Odyssey for hauling kite gear.

21 kites, 4-6 pairs of skis 198-240cm, several pairs of boots, armor, clothing, helmets, 3 people etc. You can sleep in it, goes through snow like crazy with all seasons on it, has plenty of giddy up, has done well on minor off road excursions in Utah and Nevada, handles like a car, and super comfortable long distance driving.

I haven't tried hauling a buggy in it but I'm sure it can handle it.

Can-am? All the PITA of a motorcycle without the handling IMO. Useless w/o a trailer and a trailer is just going to make it less fun to ride. I'd lean towards a T-Rex. Enough room to carry some gear and a hell of a lot more perfomance.

Or an Ariel Atom. But then you'd probably give up kites for just driving that thing full time.

I drive an '87 Wrangler. Before the Wrangler I had CJ's and J-Trucks so I'm a little biased against the current incarnation of Jeep. For me a Jeep means I can take the top down, drop the windshield, pull the doors off, drive it just about anywhere through anything and fix 90% of it with a vice grip and duct tape. The TJ,LJ and JK aren't Jeeps in that sense. They seem geared toward people who like the jeep image but want a ride that's more like our Honda. No Jeep should have power windows in my opinion. If you want a JK you may as well as buy an H3. I really don't see a whole lot of difference between the two.

There's always the Subaru WRX Wagon. Throw a rocket box on top and you can haul nearly as much gear as the Honda. Not as comfortable but in the Rex drive times are usually pretty short. Can't be beat in the snow especially with studdeds. Highly modifiable and wicked fun right out of the box. It smokes the Prowler both figuratively and litterally.

And the Prowler was voted one of the top 100 worst cars ever produced I think.

I vote for one that gets you there and back with out any prompting from the wallet.
You can park the Can Am on the beach, with out it falling over

Personally, I'll never buy any vehicle that doesn't get at least 30 mpg. My two kite mobiles have been a Nissan Frontier truck and Honda Accord 2 door. Both got about 30 mpg. You'd be surprised at how much kite gear you can stuff in an Accord. My current project is a motorized bicycle and trailer. I should get 150 to 200 mpg with that puppy.

Out of the vehicles you mentioned, Jeep hands down...
the SSR looks cool but the Canyon (modern s-10) is more usable.
The Prowler is junk....period.
And the Can-Am, motor cycles as a primary set of wheels can really suck in cold wet weather.

I have always prefered station wagons. Lay down the back seats and you have lots of cargo space and there are not large wheel wells consuming space like in SUVs and get better gas mileage. I have a Mazda 6 wagon but they do not sell them anymore in the states. I see lots in the UK.
Flexiblade is a pro at stuffing kite gear in an Accord. the Sherman buggy was purpose built for fitting into an Accord.

dude i got my buggy and most of my quiver in a 2dr '89 320i.... :cool2: convertible :cool2:

The problem with mixing cargo hauling and "fun to drive" is that somewhere security takes a hit. Too many stories of people who left gear in the vehicle in the driveway over night because they got home and were too tired unpack.

Kite Wagon:
Ford Transit Spec 100A or 300A (Added bonus of looking too boring to bother with).
Saeng/TA Quick Scans
AV Ford Transit Connect Heavy Duty Steel Partition

Fun to Drive:
Another vehicle besides the kite wagon.

ATB,
Sam

Not really interested with mini van ..... I have 2 full size vans
Everyday drive..... I will keep my Audi A8 .... or replace with newer model...... this car is awesome for all year round driving.....

I am thinking of something fun and unique for summer weekends .... thats why list of cars above look unusual ... (except Jeep)

I love t-rex .....lol..... new model is amazing .... price tag too....

Saturn Sky ....... nice look for the price and Red Line have some juice too

Ford Transit ..... its on my other list ( work van )

Ariel Atom ,...... yes my friend .... I dream about it ....

Coolbreeze's Ford F350 Turbo

I like the Mazda 6. If it had more power I would give up the Scooby for it in a second. Even without all wheel drive it's a sweet little rig.

If you go for a jeep the security issue is there if you don't have a hardtop and hard doors. If I have the soft top on I don't bother to lock the doors. I don't leave anything valuable inside and if someone wants in I'd rather they just open the door than cut my top.

Can't beat it on hot days like today!

Another possibly for fun to drive is the MINI. I regularly carry all of the stuff in my sig, including the buggy in mine and now there are the roomier Countryman and Clubman options as well.

My vote is for the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback ES Hatchback. Over 30mpg, hatchback, bigger than Mazda 3, can add towing package, has integrated mount points for roof rack. You can hook up or strap on so much to this car it is amazing. It won't break the bank either.

Quote:

Originally posted by ripsessionkites Coolbreeze's Ford F350 Turbo

Ahhh... The F-350 Turbo Diesel. Smokin power and you'll NEVER run out of room with a crew cab/long bed combo, but 13mpg @ $4.00/gal. will get old fast. Ask me how I know.

I vote for the Jeep.

Broke my gear record two weeks ago in my Honda Fit:
3 people
5 boards
10 kites (LEIs)
3 backpacks
3 harnesses
a laptop
Misc stuff I don't remember right now

The back seat was actually roomy & comfy for the rear seat rider..
And I still managed to get 42mpg on the way back (~20mph tailwind most of the way helped).

My 01 chevy 1500 does the trick nicely.... Kites in the "toolbox"... Board and buggy in the back... 500lbs of stereo where the back seat was.... All good from there!

Toyota Highlander V6

03 Subaru wrx 4door with mods i just came back from obx and got almost 30mpg on the highway! Mostly thanks to a big turbo and keeping my foot out of it hahaha

Yukon XL Denali does the trick. the 6l engine gets a little less than 30 mpg though. :embarrased: All wheel drive and seats 4 with 2 buggies in the back and all the kites. "Just take everything" works fine with this one.

My first vote would be the Jeep so you 4wd to get your gear right down on the beach



For gas milage I really need to hit up Mazda for some sponsorship I can seat two and haul a metric to of gear. I just realized that my car is naked in that picture!

I was driving a 05 Honda Accord 4dr, and that was great got around 29mpg and I could fit my buggy and a slew of kites in the trunk, and still have room in the backseat for folks. Was pretty amazing the amount of stuff I could cram into the backseat. Was a nice comfy drive.

Recently traded that in though and picked up a Subaru Outback. Gets about 24mpg and fits a ton more. Also a bit more comfortable...

Looking at your list again, you seem to be looking for a "Toy" kind of car that can still handle your gear....Corvette might be an option, the hatchback can fit lots of stuff, fitting the buggy would be the only thing you would have to check....saw one today at Target and the guy had tons of stuff in the back and it made me think of this post....hope it helps

Yup, The Corvette is very versitile. I shot this pic in the mid-late 90's when this Vette was new. what some people will do to stay warm.....just swap the firewood for the buggy.

Quote:

Originally posted by SlasherQuan Looking at your list again, you seem to be looking for a "Toy" kind of car that can still handle your gear....Corvette might be an option, the hatchback can fit lots of stuff, fitting the buggy would be the only thing you would have to check....saw one today at Target and the guy had tons of stuff in the back and it made me think of this post....hope it helps

Here is video of my project car .... ( really )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x2YjtkdiyI

Right now all body panels are removed , roof have been cut off .... we install 2 bucket seats and make a cargo bad on back.... my friend is playing now with computers to get some more juice and cutting out all unneeded parts ......
we start this 3 years ago ..... and planning to finish in 2020...lol

Here is my idea of a potential "deadly" but fun kitemobile.... I've alway wanted to get a '60's model and pimp it out pretty much like that :evil:

Shaggs, that is a sweet ride. I had a 64 fairlane wagon. What a huge beast. But the frame was turning to powder which is the reason you don't see them on the road!
We have now resorted to a motor home, Really a motor shed!! But it pulls the famous kite trailer with no to little truble and not only fits all the family and guests. But it sleeps them as well!!

......dream big ...........