Obscure question... as DP's.... what do you drive? To transport gear etc.

[Michael Solomon]

So I have a somewhat random/different question for you DP/camera operators/owners/etc.

What car do you guys drive?

I own a camera package plus a small G&E package

I currently have a 4 door sedan and there's no way I can fit everything. Here's a complete list of what has to go in

1) Pelican case holding camera, lenses, misc
2) One 3 light arri case holding arris and misc
3) Two kinoflo divalite travel cases
4) Tripod bag
5) 5 c-stands
6) 24x36 flag kit bag
7) Duffle bag with misc equipment
8) Kessler 8 foot kc-lite jib
9) 8 sandbags

What I need out of a car is
1) Still small enough to fit into my tiny LA parking space. My sedan barely squeezes in as is... I can afford about 6-9 more inches on my right and left and about 3 feet extending to the rear
2) Semi decent fuel mileage, preferably something 20mpg city+
3) Large enough to fit the above equipment in it
4) Can find it for under $19k used

Ideally, I would love to lug all my gear to dealerships and see how it fits into all the cars I'm considering... unfortunately... that's not an option. So I'm curious what you guys drive and how it's working out for you. Right now I'm looking mostly at crossover/suv's. Though, I haven't looked at hatchbacks yet at all. It's been almost 8 years since I bought my first car (and that was with a lot of help from my parents) and I'm now just mind blown at the mass variety of vehicles out there.

Any help is much appreciated =)

[Matty_g]

I've got a honda element and it can handle all of that with ease.
It's funny because i always say im going to trade it in for a 2 seater so i'm not always stuck hauling gear to shoots.

[Osslund]

I go by cab 90% of the time!

[David W. Jones]

I bought a used 2005 Mercedes Sprinter van a few years back. You can stand up in it without hitting your head, unless you are real tall, it gets 27mpg, and holds a bunch of stuff.

[Grug]

Well I still have my first car, a little 1986 BMW 325e and somehow manage to fit most of my gear in there. I was planning to buy a used Ute though (a sort of car-like pickup truck we have here in Australia) in the next month or so, to better carry around all of my gear.

2006_Holden_VZ_Ute_Thunder_S_01.jpg

But then I bought a set of CP.2s on Friday... so I'll be nursing my wallet back to health for some time before I can consider one again.

Though as a DP, I think I made the right choice.

[William_Robinette]

I've got a honda element and it can handle all of that with ease.
It's funny because i always say im going to trade it in for a 2 seater so i'm not always stuck hauling gear to shoots.

Was working with a DP who had an Element last week and it seemed great. Its real plus is that the rear hatch opening is pretty much square so tall items fit in with ease and don't have to go in sideways.

Ideally, I would love to lug all my gear to dealerships and see how it fits into all the cars I'm considering... unfortunately... that's not an option.

I don't know, if you're going to spend 19k on something I'd give them an ear-full if they had issue with me trying it out for my own purposes.

[ZazaCast]

+1 on the Honda Element...as a discontinued vehicle, you should be able to find one at a very reasonable price. It is small, has a great payload and it's good on gas.
My brother has one & loves it. Honda's are very reliable cars... I have a Honda Ridgeline (but that's too big for you).

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

cobra-dodge-nitro.jpg

Not the best mileage, but boy I can fill it up with gear and it looks pretty tough, in my opinion.

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

So I have a somewhat random/different question for you DP/camera operators/owners/etc.

What car do you guys drive?

I own a camera package plus a small G&E package

I currently have a 4 door sedan and there's no way I can fit everything. Here's a complete list of what has to go in

1) Pelican case holding camera, lenses, misc
2) One 3 light arri case holding arris and misc
3) Two kinoflo divalite travel cases
4) Tripod bag
5) 5 c-stands
6) 24x36 flag kit bag
7) Duffle bag with misc equipment
8) Kessler 8 foot kc-lite jib
9) 8 sandbags

What I need out of a car is
1) Still small enough to fit into my tiny LA parking space. My sedan barely squeezes in as is... I can afford about 6-9 more inches on my right and left and about 3 feet extending to the rear
2) Semi decent fuel mileage, preferably something 20mpg city+
3) Large enough to fit the above equipment in it
4) Can find it for under $19k used

Ideally, I would love to lug all my gear to dealerships and see how it fits into all the cars I'm considering... unfortunately... that's not an option. So I'm curious what you guys drive and how it's working out for you. Right now I'm looking mostly at crossover/suv's. Though, I haven't looked at hatchbacks yet at all. It's been almost 8 years since I bought my first car (and that was with a lot of help from my parents) and I'm now just mind blown at the mass variety of vehicles out there.

Any help is much appreciated =)

While not a DP, when the Wife's wedding business was active, we would drive my truck. I had a piece of plywood that divided the back into two sections, and the back was covered by a low profile camper shell.
For some events we would pack the thing full of lights, cameras, in Pelican cases, and other stuff...

For the underwater shoots, we would have the addition of bricks and black sheets stitched together for the 'black backdrop' look in the pool, along with props and dresses that would go underwater. In that case we typically had about 4 or 5 large capacity strobe light sets.

As it is, I got rid of the truck when the business declined, and it cost me about $100 to fill the tank...

While not entertaining getting back in to the wedding biz... I do have a collapsible trailer, 8'x5' (or so...) which could be used to haul the bulk stuff. And the Nissan Xtera could hold the camera gear.

[WhiteMonkey]

Chevy Equinox with a V6 and four wheel discs. There is a lot of room inside and I average 25mpg. It gets 30mpg full at 60mph. Best thing was it cost 18K new.

+1 on the Sprinter.