bay area vehicle

[rjbuiso]

Hi…I am trying to buy a new vehicle but I don’t know what to get. My conditions are that it has to be made in the US, big enough to sleep in (occasionally), and kinda 'cool'. I am leaning towards an f150 regular cab extended bed. The crux of my issue is that I am planning on moving to the Bay Area soon and I am afraid a truck like the F150 will be too big to drive/park. I am also not sure where I will live/work so I am thinking I will have to use public transport, bike or motorcycle to commute to school/work because the F150 is not fuel efficient.
I've never been to the Bay Area so I know I should visit first to get an idea of what to expect, but that may not be feasible. If anyone has suggestions/comments please chime in. Thanks for your time.

[mustard]

Welcome,
It is hard to advise you without knowing where you plan to live, school, work etc., but you will not see a shortage of trucks here.
Trucks always carry fuel economy issues but surprisingly not much worse than small suv's.
Cars with a rack, Crossover vehicles or small SUV Hybrids are also popular: Ford Escape Hybrid may fit WS gear and get better gas millage in traffic. My Toy. Hylander does, and a friends Escape Hybrid looks promising so........
Good luck

[carl]

The bay area is not set up very well for commuting by public transit or biking,,, and motorcycling or biking in lots of traffic is just plain dangerous.
To maximize windsurf in the bay area, you have to drive. The weekly cycling of the fog patterns shift the wind directions. Almost all the sites have their favoured direction, but no site will work in all conditions, so you'll need to drive, maybe alot. Your work is probably not going to be where you windsurf either.
Why get something that totally sucks gas when there are many vehicles that will carry equip and you can also commute in. Cars/small SUVs/crossovers that can fully recline the front seat to fit boards work great. I've seen multuple boards and equip inside the following US brand vehicles: Chevy HHR, Dodge Caliber, Ford Flex. There are others by Honda and Toy of which some models are made in US, does that count? My Honda Odyssey was made in Alabama. It can carry 4 boards, all equip and a passenger all inside and still get 25mpg hwy. I've seen alot of boards in a Honda Element too, not sure where it's made though.

[damel]

I am also moving to SF and went through the same debate. I was thinking about getting a Toyota Tocoma because its both 4x4 and fuel efficient but after visiting the area and choosing an apartment I have decided to keep my Toyota Rav4 which feels like driving a tic-tac but is also fuel efficiency and can fit in any parking space. You need to consider where you live, where and how you get to work, and whether or not you are going to have a garage or storage space where you live.

I will be living in the city but work in San Mateo so I will be putting a lot of miles on my car and public transportation isn't really an option. I also don't have a garage but good storage space and a outdoor patio. Taking some local advice I am getting a thule box for my car. I have the option of sailing out of the San Mateo spots after work or closer to home at Crissy Field. If you are looking for the local sailing spots you can find them on www.thewindmap.com or some of the local shops websites.

[andydavis]

[carl]

It's a Ford Transit.
It would be very good if it was a foot longer, or take the passenger seat out. Some of those really short boards might fit though.

[kevinkan]

I believe the Ford Transit Connect is built overseas. Apparently they're all imported w/ windows, seats, and seat belts so they qualify as passenger vehicles so they incur a lower tariff, and then commercial versions are converted after they arrive.

I would vote for a minivan of some sort depending on how much gear you plan to lug around. Minivans are typically long enough to sleep in, drive more like cars, and let you put all your gear inside and keep your gear safe if you want to park in the city and have dinner.

I don't know if it fits the "kinda cool" factor, but the newer ones are a little boxier, and it will be really cool when you fill up at the gas station vs an F-150 truck (I suppose).

I used to drive around a full size van, but now that boards are so short, a minivan can fit boards behind the seats and still have passenger room.

Grand Caravans and Odysseys are the longest... I have an old GC, and I have a board rack inside that holds three boards and can still fit two passengers comfortably (as long as they're not giants). I can also sleep along side the board rack in a pinch if I'm on the road or pull the rack out to sleep w/ space if I'm camping in the Delta.

[jse]

[ctuna]

Plan to stay off the highways between 3pm and 7pm on weekdays
It will take you double the time to get anywhere if your lucky.
On weekends look out for major events as the highways get bad then
to .
Look for the alternate routes the locals use.

[andydavis]