What's the best car for a spearo?

[hyeparis]

Maybe this one?
ttp://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gnH7eRmmCNEP2RSqs5Kwpd28YYwQD8UQB6VG0
Land-Locked Swiss Invent Underwater Car
GENEVA (AP) — OK, so the Swiss have invented a car that runs on land and underwater. But did they REALLY have to make it a convertible?
It's called the "sQuba," and conjures up memories of James Bond's amphibious Lotus Esprit from "The Spy Who Loved Me." That fictional vehicle traveled on land and, when chased by bad guys in a helicopter, plunged into the water and became an airtight submarine — complete with "torpedoes" and "depth charges."
But "Q" isn't responsible for this one.
The concept car — which unlike Bond's is not armed — was developed by Swiss designer Rinspeed Inc. and is set to make a splash at the Geneva Auto Show next month.
The sQuba can plow through the water at a depth of 30 feet and has electrical motors to turn the underwater screw.

[alexrom1207]

If they make the car with a camo paint job put me on the list. I could park it on the side of the reef and practice my aspetto. Only problem....reef 7 miles off shore 3mph speed = almost 5 hour round trip, plus spearing time.... Not sure how long those batteries would last. Perhaps the engineer could invent some underwater jumper cables.

[Mr. X]

Saw a Honda sort square/boxy, mini-bus/SUV/4WD thing in America several years ago. Strangley, I never saw it advertised. If I recall correctly, it had rubber flooring throughout, an unusual rear door & pretty basic seats. I think it was intended to be a sort of lower cost alternative to the CRV (about $4000-$5000 less I think, maybe $16,000 -- so that should be 8000 pound in the UK but peversely would more likely cost around 20,000 pounds here) aimed at the outdoor/wet pursuits market - surfers, kayakers, climbers, divers, mountain bikers, etc.. Like a cross between an old Transit mini-bus & a VW-camper van. Ugly but practical.

I think it was probably this one, the Element ($18K now):

Available in 2WD & 4WD models.
"Functional
Don't worry about dirt, sand, renegade food crumbs or even pet spills. With its black, scratch-resistant utility floor and tough water-resistant FXC™ seat fabric, the Element is rugged to use and easy to clean up."

Note the carefully placed copy of Outside magazine



The Honda Element is the next big thing - Telegraph

Good for rappers too?
It is growing on me. Seems much more practical than most cars. Don't think it is available in the UK (yet?), pity.
Top 10:Cars you can't buy here - Top 10 cars | MSN Cars UK

But anything will do:

[scottie3030]

lovin the VW rocket launcher

[apneaboy]

Short story long...

I had a friend of mine buy a brand new Audi. He is very proud of it.

We went spearing to N Wales in it and another friend of mine caught a lovely Bass and everyone felt good for him and we all had a good day.

We got back to the car when we all realised, at the same time, that the fish needed to go into his brand new car... the look of realisation from the person who owned the car and the person who caught the fish and had to put it into the brand new car was PRICELESS

The moral...

What's the best car for a spearo?

One you don't mind smelling of fish at the weekends.

[BatRay]

X - believe it or not, the Element has actually gotten a bit prettier since it was introduced It is indeed easy to clean up. If you really want, you can simply take your garden hose and wash it out with water if it gets too filthy, or mop it out with a wet mop. Certainly it is practical

[Lockedin]

The car I really want (VW Passat Wagon 4-motion TDI) is not available in California. For some reason The Governator has issues with small, highly efficient diesels. Oh well...

[island_sands]

I still think nobody does it better than Bond (right Mr. X?)

First Real Submarine Car by Sara-Lise Haith on DeeperBlue.net - Fanatical About FreeDiving, Scuba Diving, Spearfishing & Technical Diving

[hyeparis]

Element looks nice, but I kind of doubt it would excell offroad.
The low-budget solution for spearos trying to get to banks of rivers where poachers have not slaughtered all fish is Niva - it costs less than 10000usd and it breaks down often, but =even a basic version of it does get you places no other car, unless it has been fine-tuned
Off Road, Russian Style at thrashcar.com
As for more expensive options, folks here crace Mitsubishi Delica - it has the same offroad capabilities as Mitsubishi Pajero, but it is a van so you can put on/take off your suit inside the van which is real comfy given that folks spearfish in winter too

[octpora]

I have an Element. Bought it brand new in 2005. 103,000 miles on it, and still only burns a quart of oil every 10,000 miles, and sometimes not even that as i use synthetic. Still on the same brakes. The fuel economy hasn't dropped. And the 4wd auto system woks nice in odd road conditions. Certainly not an off-road vehicle though, as the tranny is definitely geared for higher speeds. Great hobo camping potential(tested and found to be in order), and i haven't been able to do any appreciable damage to the interior that doesn't just wipe out. LOTS of head room, cup holders(go ahead and spill pigs, i got rubber floors and water resistant seats). Nice sound system, of course with an auxillary mp3 jack. Boatloads of gear space. Makeout moon roof in the back, to which the seats fold down underneath for a comfy bed of sorts. Easy to drive, and it turns and parks like a unicycle. Can't wait to wear this one out and get my next!

[Mr. X]

Subarus, esp. Outbacks & Foresters, with roof rack systems were very popular in the Seattle area (with good reason: "They're backpacky but nice"). I was put off because whenever I went to try one out they had to jump start it (v. small battery). I reckon the Element could compete for the same market. However, it's a hell of a lot easier to hoik a 2 seater kayak onto a low roofed car than a tall one.

[Lockedin]

Originally Posted by Mr. X

Subarus, esp. Outbacks & Foresters, with roof rack systems were very popular in the Seattle area (with good reason: "They're backpacky but nice"). I was put off because whenever I went to try one out they had to jump start it (v. small battery). I reckon the Element could compete for the same market. However, it's a hell of a lot easier to hoik a 2 seater kayak onto a low roofed car than a tall one.

I get my Malibu 2 Classic (tandem kayak) on top of the Subaru by myself no problem! Inside the car (as of this moment), I have three surfboards (10' 9'6" and a 7'2"), wetsuits, and spear gear. The only drawback is that in this configuration, my dive buddy is seated in the driver's side rear seat (fighter pilot style).

As for reliability, I have 170,000 miles on it, and the car has only been in the shop once, for a broken driveshaft, following some rough offroading

As for the ultimate vehicle...

Sportsmobile Custom Camper Vans - Your Home Away From Home

[Sarnian]

It has to be the Triumph Amphicar!

A Picture Review of the Amphicar

[podge]

Or how about one of these as modeled by Top Gears Jeremy Clarkson.
Nice Engine!

[Lockedin]

Are those attachments on the side a live-well? or added buoyancy? Glad to see that he's using a Honda