Hey guys, many thanks for the continual feedback and sorry for not responding sooner.
if your Subaru is too low, take the Matrix off the list.
it would be great on gas but will likely be too low for rutted roads if the Subie is too low
Ok, noted the Matrix would be too low. Thanks for those links! That Outback looks really good - actually my buddy is based near Squamish so I think he'd be very interested in checking it out. As for the B-series pickup - I'm not sure if the bed would be long enough for a 9-footer.
I doubt two 9' surfboards would fit inside a Ford Escape or similar size CUV/SUV. An 8 ft. piece of lumber fits nicely inside my wife's Grand Caravan through the centre of the vehicle between the middle row of seats with the hatch shut. Take the rear seats out of the van (or if it has Stow N' Go, flip into the floor) and sleep inside. Similar fuel economy (perhaps better) than a V6 Escape. Better ride.
Hey thanks, that's good food for thought. Re: the Escape, it's true a 9-footer wouldn't fit easily with passengers, BUT the great thing about that SUV is the rear glass opens separately, so for short trips to the beach you can just have the rear of the board sticking out a little. Not exactly highway-freindly but doable.
With that said, I agree a minivan like your wife's Caravan would be pretty much the perfect rig, except there is still the issue of ground-clearance. Again, I don't know how big a factor that is but my buddy seems to think it matters.
On another note, my buddy saw this ad in Craiglist - any thoughts on older Isuzu's?
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/4667086601.html