What car for dd/ sleeping at the beach etc

My little brother (22) is looking for a car. He is not a car guy. He needs to be able to dd it to work and then on weekends will drive to various beaches 2-3 hours away so he can go kite surfing. He would like to be able to sleep in this vehicle and carry his kite boarding stuff (board is about 4 feet long and about 3-4 backpacks). He ideally wants a kia soul, but his price range is in the 4k area. I offered him my mpv, but it's not cool enough. He also didn't like the idea of miata with a harbor freight trailer .

So I turn to my grm friends for suggestions on a reasonabley fuel efficient beach mobile on a 4k budget.

Subaru Legacy wagon.

small pickup truck with camper top?

Hearse. /thread

those are both good options. Others I was thinking of were: Aztek Vibe (seats fold down) Old diesel ambulance pt cruiser

VW Type III

Subaru Impreza Wagon

EDIT: Volvo 240DL Wagon - ultra Surfer's car!

Chevy Astro. I had a cargo version for years. A real, double bed matress will fit flat on the floor. A little bit of flexing is needed at the wheel arches. Ask me how I know. I slept it may times. Due to the need for flexing, a box spring will not fit but a matress fits just fine.

An odd story but I also spent the better part of a week sleeping in the back of a Chevy Venture Mini-van rental car at the Long Beach Yacht Club parking lot. With the seats moved the floor is quite flat. Not all minivans are flat floored. The Nissan Quest is no where near flat.

My '95 Volvo 850 wagon is a complete flat floor when folded as well. On a camping trip, my wife and I both slept in the back on a comfortable foam pad. We chose to keep the hatch open but could have closed it and still fit inside. With the hatch open, I drapped a tarp over the hatch and used magnets to hold the tarp in place. It worked great.

Super Cool on the kite boarding. I was in Huntington Beach earlier this year and it was an epic day for Kite Boarding. There we about 40 people out there in the late afternoon. Very cool sport. The speeds and heights of jumps were very cool.
I did not sleep in a car on that trip. Posh hotel instead.
Limo tint windows are a very good choice. Some places are "funny" about sleeping in the car.

Woody-themed Vista Cruiser wagon w/442 drivetrain.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer You get all the space and sleeping room you'd ever need, Quadratrac for the sand dunes, and that classic Woodie look for being cool on the beach. They're also tougher than nails and easy to maintain so he doesn't have to be a maintenance hound like us. $4K will net you a near-mint one.

/thread

I lived in a VW Bus the summer I was 22, wandering to various points between Cape Cod and Assateague Island chasing waves and girls. Had a cooler, mattress, hibachi and wok. Best summer of my life.

So my vote would be for a bus - preferably a Westfalia. The cool factor overrides all of their shortcomings, which are considerable.

Full size van. Cargo vans are ridiculously cheap and can be made into whatever you decide you need. Conversion vans are also cheap and come with creature comforts.

If I was spending a lot of time sleeping in a vehicle, I wouldn't want too many windows. For comfort, and safety's sake.

Also, we live in a very rust prone area, so some of the suggestions are non existant in this area.

mw wrote: My little brother (22) is looking for a car. He is not a car guy. He needs to be able to dd it to work and then on weekends will drive to various beaches 2-3 hours away so he can go kite surfing. He would like to be able to sleep in this vehicle and carry his kite boarding stuff (board is about 4 feet long and about 3-4 backpacks). He ideally wants a kia soul, but his price range is in the 4k area. I offered him my mpv, but it's not cool enough. He also didn't like the idea of miata with a harbor freight trailer . So I turn to my grm friends for suggestions on a reasonabley fuel efficient beach mobile on a 4k budget.

See my answer to Salanis' Tow/DD thread. Same answer... F150/Chevy 1500 Silverado

I don't think a Impreza wagon has enough room. I slept in the back of my wife Impreza once. Once was enough.

I am a out 5'10" and unless think 8hrs of the fetal position is comfy I would rule it out.

If gas mileage is not concern I would say a ZJ (93-98)Grand Cherokee would fit the bill. My younger brother and best friend had/have the V8 version them and they seem to be dead nuts reliable, drive truckish and have plenty of room and power for whatever you want to do. They are also much much quicker than the 5-speed Impreza.

I also posted in the other thread. Short version is I just bought a nice running FI 91 Suburban 4wd for 1100.

NYG95GA wrote: Woody-themed Vista Cruiser wagon w/442 drivetrain.

Leave me out of this.

Joe Gearin wrote: Full size van. Cargo vans are ridiculously cheap and can be made into whatever you decide you need.

What he said. Pick up a decommissioned DHL E150 for cheap; they are plentiful now. Live in it, work out of it.. portable beach house.

I'd say any small pick up with a topper/camper shell.

The answer is SAAB !!!

Kidding kinda. SAAB 900 & 9000s offered a tent type of enclosure the connected to the rear hatch, much like a pop-up was connected to the square wagon thing. I've also seen them as a roof rack that you climb up into. During the week while DDing, it's easy enough to pull off.

Dan

The Aztek actually had the camping option thingie. And you should be able to buy one cheaply.

'80s Subaru GL Wagon - roomy, decent mileage, 4WD... eats CV shafts, though.

Legacy Outback - roomy, decent mileage, AWD... early versions 2.5L and manual tranny are mutually exclusive, though.

Eagle Wagon... might be too much awesome for a non-car person.

Suburban - power, room, 4WD, inexpensive parts, can tow, might be able to find a diesel.

Long-bed minitruck (Ranger, 'yota, Hardbody, mazda, whatever) with a camper shell.

And undercoating on whatever you get. That saltwater will rust stuff something fierce. Remind your brother to ALWAYS rinse the undercarriage whenever he gets off the beach.

'58 Dodge Sierra. We fit a belly tank from a WWII fighter plane in the back and closed the tailgate. My fathers car, but the price is wishful thinking; he'll take any reasonable offer if you're interested.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322395&referrerid=1165

Aztek seriously.

mw wrote: those are both good options. Others I was thinking of were: Aztek Vibe (seats fold down) Old diesel ambulance pt cruiser

He really needs the old diesel ambulance on the CASC board:

http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=18415

My brother in-law went the old GM van route for his kite boarding support vehicle. Great, except for the price of gas. He uses a VW Golf now.