Vehicle Recommendations for fishing

[Zipper]

Land Rover Defender. You won't have to buy another car in your lifetime.

 

[Swattie87]

Land Rover Defender. You won't have to buy another car in your lifetime.

But you’ll probably want to.

I watch Fast Lane Car on YouTube. Took them getting like 3 or 4 of them from Land Rover til they got one that ran long enough to get it out of the office park where they’re based to test it.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re cool, but they’re a disaster reliability wise.

Edit: If the above post was a joke, it went over my head. Sorry in advance if so.

 

[TimMurphy]

That I was a weirdo or that I was a Mennonite? 🤪😜

Did you think I was more or less weird after talking to me? Lol

I would buy another van, no doubt.. And by the shape the fishing buggy is in, that might be sooner rather than later.

But this thing EXUDES COOL!!😎View attachment 1641234653

Dear Josh,

It's missing the "My kid beat up your honor roll student" sticker to be truly trashy!

I remember when my brother and I were supposed to go away for the weekend in my Isuzu Trooper back in 1989. Some dufus lost control and skidded broad-side into the Trooper after I stopped it dead well short of the potential head-on collision.

So, that Friday, we gutted the seats from the work Ford Aerostar and away we went. Fun times!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[TimMurphy]

But you’ll probably want to.

I watch Fast Lane Car on YouTube. Took them getting like 3 or 4 of them from Land Rover til they got one that ran long enough to get it out of the office park where they’re based to test it.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re cool, but they’re a disaster reliability wise.

Edit: If the above post was a joke, it went over my head. Sorry in advance if so.

Dear Swattie,

British automobile electronics are like ice cubes in Hell. Nice for a little while but soon they evaporate.

I wanted a Defender 20 years ago, because I'm old and they reminded me of the tv show Daktari from when I was a kid. I thank God often that they never made them USA legal, otherwise I'd have probably fallen down that rabbit-hole.

A Toyota FJ45, the long bed version of the FJ40 is a dream vehicle to me.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[tomgamber]

I have a green 2009 Chrysler Town & Country. I lovingly call it my "fishing buggy." I'd buy another mini van in a heartbeat for traveling and staying out of. You just need to be cautious of terrain, ground clearance, etc.

Edit: some people think it's weird when a single guy without kids has a minivan.... Oh well.

Oh, and since I live near a high Mennonite population, there is a secret Mennonite wave kind of like the biker guys have. I'm always getting "the wave" from other dark colored vehicles driving by.

I called mine the "war wagon". I went from Jeep to minivan to import suv...I will be looking again soon. With no kids I will be looking mis-sized suv again, most likely, but if you don't need the 4wd the van and an airmatress is hard to beat. FYI, my 7k lb Grand Caravan might be the best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow.

 

[falcon]

2023 Suburu Forester Premium. I ave 28 or 29 MPG where I drive .... more on the hwy. Seems to be a decent vehicle with plenty of room for gear. I.could sleep in it but it would be tight.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

That I was a weirdo or that I was a Mennonite? 🤪😜

Did you think I was more or less weird after talking to me? Lol

I would buy another van, no doubt.. And by the shape the fishing buggy is in, that might be sooner rather than later.

But this thing EXUDES COOL!!😎View attachment 1641234653

when I met you, it was more of a head scratcher. I figured you got a good deal or took it over from a grandparent who shouldn't drive anymore. The negatives of gas mileage, two wheel drive and bad ground clearance are more significant than the style. A plus is pulling the seats and having an instant camper. I'm keeping an eye out for a replacement. Cost of vehicles these days chills motivation. Mazda is redesigning the cx5 and I read they will make a hybrid version using Toyota hybrid technology. It might not be out for another year and I like to get the second year of a new model.

 

[HopBack]

You can’t go wrong with any of the answers already given. Some things are just a matter personal taste or cult following. I think you need to make a list of must haves specific to your own needs.

I would start with something like the following and narrow your options down to make them less overwhelming.

1. 4x4, AWD, or 2WD
2. Gas or Diesel
3. Over or under 20 mpg
4. Clearance
5. External bed space for sleeping or internal like a van or SUV.

From my own experience, I have owned a 2012 Subaru Outback 6cly and a 21 Tacoma TRD.

Outback: Lots of room for storage and sleeping with the back seats folded down. Comfortable drive on and off road. Good clearance and excellent tracking off road. Class 4 to 5 roads or 2 tracks will pose a problem with clearance. Terrible gas mileage for a small SUV at 18 mpg hwy. a 4 cyl might get you a few more mpg but they are so heavy they can barely get out of their own way.

2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD: Rigid off road suspension with AT tires will probably get you anywhere you want in PA. Can space is tight and is extremely hard to find a 6ft bed in crew cab. I have the club cab and converted my back seats into a shelf for decent storage. No way it would even be more than a 2 person vehicle. Those jump seats are a joke. I plan on getting a soft topper for summertime camping. There are also systems for 2 long drawers in the bed for extra storage. Terrible gas mileage at 18 mpg. And a horrible ride on the highway.

If I was doing a ton of camping I would get Mercedes camper van and compromise on some of the roads I can travel on. Those are homes on wheels and make life in the road pleasant for weeks/months on end.

 

[AndyP]

Just went thru the joy of car shopping in this era of crazy prices. Was looking all over the spectrum of vehicles… Ford Ranger or Bronco, Subaru Outback, Toyota Tacoma or 4Runner. I had a Silverado 2500for work and have had 2 Volvo XC90’s that were great cars.
Ended the search with a 2024 4Runner and have been enjoying it so far.

 

[troutopotomous]

I'll add a vote for the Outback. Closest thing you can find to a "best of both worlds" between on-road handling and efficiency and off-road capability. Not as capable as a 4runner or Jeep obviously, but will save a ton of gas over those on the highway. I've slept a few times in my 2013 with no problems. A little tight, (I'm 6'3",) but plenty comfortable. The newer gens have a little bit more cubic feet of cargo space too. Big aftermarket for the 5th and 6th gens with regard to suspension and such, without the need to opt for a pricy new "Wilderness" model. Even so, I have had my bone-stock Outback down some pretty rough trails with no problems, just some careful driving. I've kept assembled rods up to 10ft in it with no issues.

 

[Sharknado5]

Another vote for Subaru. I bought a 2011 Forester (non-turbo) about 8 years ago mostly because it had a 5 speed stick, and I love it. It's not fast but if you're willing to rev it the torque really punches in over 3000 RPM. So you can merge when you have to. It had 48000 miles on it, and it burned the same amount of oil as gas. I mentioned that to the local sub dealer, he said he'd do an oil consumption test which he did, he said mine was the worst he'd ever seen. Then he got me a new engine, no charge, even tho I didn't buy it from him. It was apparently a hidden warranty, he said they replaced an engine every week. It runs fine now and burns a quart of oil about every 6 months.

I have slept in it, I'm 6 feet tall, but certainly it's tight. My dog fit with me but no way 2 guys could sleep in it unless you're really friendly. (I won't say anything about les*****). For one guy tho it's fine, and it holds all the gear you'd need. A rod longer than 9 feet would require some bending or a take-down however.

Outbacks are a little bigger but to me the roofline seems lower or the windows are smaller, or something, not as good visibility. Sorry if you Outback guys are offended. I'm currently thinking about an Ascent which gives you about 10 more cubic feet than an Outback, but mileage isn't good. And a problem for me is the ubiquitous Subaru CVT transmission. CVTs just seem creepy to me. I wish they still offered sticks.

Speaking about Defenders, Hyundai just redesigned and enlarged the Santa Fe (to look like a Land Rover) and it looks almost perfect. Plus a great warranty. Mileage again not great but this summer the hybrid arrives which gives you 30 mpg. It offers AWD but only 7 inches of ground clearance, but they have a raised model that's 8.4 inches.

I'm cheap and never owned a pickup truck. Except for an FJ Cruiser once which looked totally cool. But any back seat passenger complained about the coffin-like poor visibility back there. And it was one of the 2 lemons ever built by Toyota. I owned the other one too. No more Toyotas for me.

Minivans have enticied me but they are not cooler than Subarus. I've rented minivans for long family trips and once for a week long fishing/camping excursion. They certainly have a lot of room, but with the low load floor I felt like I was sleeping on the ground. I guess I could get used to it.

 

[Facemelted]

I'll tell you what not to get, a Jeep Wrangler. I have one and it's an absolute dog. Worst vehicle I've ever owned.

I've heard Nissan Frontiers are nice, I know a couple guys who use them for hunting and fishing.

Minivans for sure. Say away from Dodges though, horrible transmissions and that Pentastar engine they use is awful.

 

[brain]

you didnt mention why its time.
ive been driving the same bought used truck for the last nearly 30 years now.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Whatever you decide on, get a roof rack and clam-shell carrier. Sure, you might look like a dork, but you'll be able to see out of the rear window (most of the time). There are claims that gas mileage is affected, having the empty rack on the roof all the time, but you'll be glad to have a "water-resistant" place to put your bedding, dirty laundry, etc. when you're on the road. The soft collapsible roof-top bags are okay but have a lot of wind-drag when they aren't packed to the max (aside from making you look like a dork X 2).
Just remember to ALWAYS block entry to the garage door when you go on a trip, so you don't forget the thing is up there when you come home. I use a big red trash can.

 

[krayfish2]

That I was a weirdo or that I was a Mennonite? 🤪😜

Did you think I was more or less weird after talking to me? Lol

I would buy another van, no doubt.. And by the shape the fishing buggy is in, that might be sooner rather than later.

But this thing EXUDES COOL!!😎View attachment 1641234653

While it is cool, it is only semi cool. Not nearly as cool as the Honda element I drove for over 300k. I was often mistaken for a female physical education teacher 🤣. It was ugly but it worked great for fishing and could comfortably sleep in it. The road noise was horrific though

 

[mt_flyfisher]

While it is cool, it is only semi cool. Not nearly as cool as the Honda element I drove for over 300k. I was often mistaken for a female physical education teacher 🤣. It was ugly but it worked great for fishing and could comfortably sleep in it. The road noise was horrific though

There’s a real dedicated group of Honda Element fly fishers/car campers out in the northwest. Here’s a post by one of them, a single woman (not a physical education teacher), that she made a couple years ago on another fly fishing forum that I’m a member on:

“I just spent an impromptu 6 weeks sleeping (and sometimes cooking and bathing) in my Honda Element with about 2 sq ft of open floor space. It was more cramped than normal as I had my 11’ cat tubes and all my xxxx River gear crammed inside but I made it work. Even after 6 weeks, I wasn’t ready to come home.”

 

[ryansheehan]

Love my f150, not the greatest gas mileage though. Definitely has plenty of room!

 

[jifigz]

Since both of my vehicles are pretty junky, but I haven't had a car payment in quite a long time, you guys really making me consider a Subaru Outback. I think that would be high on my list of vehicles that I would consider. It checks a lot of boxes that I would be looking for in a vehicle.

 

[KELORGO]

Honda Ridgeline. Unibody (not body riding on a frame) and independent suspension at all four corners makes it ride like a Cadillac. It is front wheel drive unless the tires slip, then automatically switches to all wheel drive. Even has a locking transmission feature that I used to work my way out of an unplowed snowed-in parking space along the Tulley a couple of years ago. With all of the above and it’s high ground clearance, it’s the pickup truck that Subaru should have made but Honda actually did.

I often travel from spot to spot with my assembled nymphing rod in the bed of the truck and extending through the sliding rear window into the cab. Love that I can keep my expensive gear in the huge hidden trunk in the bed of the truck (instead of in the cab where everyone can see it) while it’s parked along the creek and I’m occupied fishing. Nobody even knows it’s there (I trust you guys, so keep it quiet 😎).

I have a Generation One Ridgeline. I’m hoping the Generation Three looks a little thougher than the current Generation Two 👍

 

[tomgamber]

Two best fishing vehicles I've ever owned based solely on the places they took me. Toyota Celica hatchback and Isuzu 2dr rwd p/u. Never got stuck anywhere (for long) in either one. Also had a Jeep Cherokee Loredo, Chevy Venture. Chrysler Town & Country and Kia Sorento. All did just fine.