Well, I'm thinking about thinking about buying a new vehicle. My first thought was a truck, because I am working on my yard a lot and I'm going to be hauling lumber, soil and stuff. Well, I looked to see what sort of truck options are available, my memory of trucks was mostly those small, cute ones in the 1980's. They got great gas mileage, just like compact cars.

So I looked on Consumer Reports. What a HUGE disappointment. The trucks all seem to get about 15 mpg at best! What happened? Did they throw away the recipe for making small trucks?

However, I did look at some of the small SUV's and I was surprised that some of them get as good of gas mileage as my Saturn.

I'll be the owner of a '96 GMC Sonoma this weekend. Pretty sharp looking little truck. My Cougar will enjoy the rest for a while.

Aerokella, I love your sig. So purtiful. =)

Just get a beater PU.


Best 600 bucks you can spend.

And the best 30K you can save.

buy a ford ranger. if you get the extended cab, you even have room to squeeze to suckers in the "back seat". they aren't HUGE like some of these stupid-big trucks you see around. i just got one myself and i love it.

I hate the gas mileage they get. Its insanely low.

/shrug.

the way i see, me and my dog are gonna be headed for a hills soon anyway, once civilization collapses, so i won't need gas in a couple years either way.

And if civilization doesn't collapse? You've got yourself a truck with a hungry appetite.

If you want a small truck, buy a mazda. Mazda makes many styles of small trucks getting anywhere from 18-29MPG. Mind you they are not your pack everything but the kitchen sink in. However, it will serve the small purpose you need it for. Mazda is now owned by ford if I recall.

The 2004 Mazda B2300, runs for about 14-15k of course unloaded. About 20k for a loaded one. And of course the bigger engine you order the gas mileage drops off greatly. But does fit your small truck from the 80's picture you wanted.

Really the only way to go with a pickup if you want good gas mileage is to buy it in a stick. Stickshift saves about 900LBs in weight, and forcing it to shift at lower RPM's will help in the fuel department.

EPA Mileage Estimates on any truck or car though don't fully take affect till after 15-20k miles(You will get close to what they say new, but not dead on). This is when the engine is fully broken in. Yes it takes that long to fully break in a engine, IF it's broken in right.

I look at consumer reports estimates. They're pretty good.

Hmmm... their report didn't even include Mazdas. Thanks for the tip Rahjeir!

boo! buy american!

Mazda is american. It's owned by Ford. If you want to say "it's not built here so it's not american" Well, most american cars are not built in the states anymore. Canada and Mexico are where alot are built now.

Small list of cars from 2001 and where they was built. I couldn't find a current list in my search. But, I'm sure they didn't up and move the plant. Look at how many american cars are not made in america. And look at how many japanese cars are made right here in the US. Who owns the company can be very misleading in terms of where they are built.

2001 Audi TT
Where built: Hungary

2001 BMW M Coupe
Where Built: Spartanburg, S.C.

2001 BMW X5
Where Built: Spartanburg, S.C.

2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500(American)
Where Built: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada; Pontiac, Mich.

2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser(American)
Where Built: Toluca, Mexico

2001 Dodge Ram 1500(American)
Where Built: St. Louis, Mo.; Saltillo, Mexico; Lago, Mexico

2001 Honda Odyssey (Japan)
Where Built: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

2001 Mazda Tribute(American Owned)
Where Built: Kansas City, Mo.

2001 Mercedes-Benz ML430(German I think)
Where Built: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse (Japan)
Where Built: Normal, Ill.

2001 Pontiac Firebird(American)
Where Built: Ste.-Therese, Quebec, Canada

2001 Porsche Boxster(German I think)
Where Built: Zuffenhausen, Germany; Valmet, Finland

2001 Subaru Legacy
Where Built: Lafayette, Ind.

2001 Toyota Camry (Japan)
Where Built: Georgetown, Ky.

2001 Toyota Sienna (Japan)
Where Built: Georgetown, Ky.

2001 Toyota Tacoma(Japan)
Where Built: Fremont, CA

2001 Toyota Tundra(Japan)
Where Built: Princeton, Ind.

2001 Volkswagen New Beetle (Germany)
Where Built: Puebla, Mexico

2001 Volkswagen Golf/Jetta(Germany)
Where Built: Puebla, Mexico

And where do the parts come from? And who is employed in the sales/service of those vehicles?

Really, anymore, passenger vehicles are more international than the people driving them are.

I recommend a 1978 Chevy Custom Deluxe with 350 and 4-barrel carb. My dad has had one since 1978 and it only needed serious repair this year (auto tranny finally left the building). Thing hauls ass too. It's a great truck.

I'd stay away from trucks all together. Every female I know that bought a truck, hated it within a year. They just aren't practicle for anything but hauling things..and how often and how long will you do that?

IMO go with a small SUV (escape or something), put a ball hitch on the back and just haul a little trailer behind if you need to tow soil, etc.

Mazdas are very, very iffy. When I lived in Texas, a few of my friends owned the smaller Mazda pickups - first off they are very light and will fishtail on a whim - they perform almost exactly like a Ford Ranger (bleh). Second, they can't haul anything worth a damn without sounding like an overworked Geo Metro. Plus, it seems that your Mazda will either be perfect, or it will be very familiar with the dealer. Two friends of mine owned a Miata, nearly same purchase time, both brand new, both really drive about the same (5mi work trip vs 10mi, plus a "family car" for other normal use). One Miata has only had to go in for normal maintenance; the other has seen the dealer for everything from a blocked CD player, to transmission problems, to electrical issues (standard alarm from Mazda, not aftermarket). However, since Mazda is usually a much smaller buyer base, the dealers are normally very friendly - unlike giant Ford or GM dealerships, which probably sell 5+ trucks a day.

If you haven't thought about it yet, think about Toyota. Toyota trucks are decent on hauling weight, plus they've got engines from hell. Remember, this is the same company that sells the best selling car for like five years running (Camry). The light truck, the Tacoma, also gets 20+ mpg, in both automatic and manual transmissions. They're a bit on the expensive side - running $13k bare to $20k+ loaded.

Their large truck, the Tundra, is much less healthier on the mpg (16/19) but, as you can imagine, has a lot more power under the hood.

If you're not totally sold on a true "truck" truck, Toyota is also releasing a hybrid version of their smaller SUV, the Highlander, early 2005. Estimated mileage is 600 mi/tank. I know a lot of other manufacturers are also releasing hybrids, but keep in mind that most of them have leased the technology from Toyota. If you're worried about the technology being untested, keep in mind that the Prius has been sold for 5+ yrs (I think I read 7+ in Japan).

My Uncle brought a Mazda Truck back in the early 90's for hauling small things. Firewood, drywall ect ect. To this day it's still running strong. Lemons are out there from every carmaker in the world. I owned a Nissan (which people say are good cars) That was in the shop almost monthly for something that failed on it. In the car world buyer beware.

Pan's whole thing, from what I see was more of a gas mileage point of view, then the overall who makes it. Unless I understood the post wrong.

On the subject of hybrid cars. Great idea, and help us save the world from carbon. The problem that still exists with them is the HIGH cost of repair when something breaks. Few people that are able to understand the car, making it a dealer only type of deal in some area's. Much like how fuel injection was so many years ago. One other problem with hybrid is the lack of power. They can pull themselves and afew people before you lose all power.

I'm all for saving the earth. But, I'm also for a product that is easy to repair and won't make people give their kids hot dogs, because the car repair took the food money for the week.

Gas mileage and good repair records are my criteria. I use Consumer Reports for checking out reliability records. I can't see going for any new vehicle where I'm going to get half the mileage I current get (around 28-30). I don't want to be one of those gas guzzling car drivers that I see whimpering at the gas station. And I think its just socially a little more responsible, even if it doesn't give me a critical hit in the pocketbook.

I was wondering about hybrids and whether or not the repair costs would be higher. Also, it seems like you've probably got more stuff to potentially break down. A more complex electrical system and a gas powered motor.

For fixing - warranties are your friend.
Btw, the Lexus RX400<i>h</i> is slated to come out at 270hp, about 30hp more than the current gas-only version. Zero to 60 in less than eight seconds - and by the way, these things still have a V6 under the hood.

For yard stuff, you aren't going to need a lot of power. (Southern California... I mean.. c'mon)

Uh... I forgot to mention price was a factor too, Stormhaven. :P Under 20k was what I was thinking.

I think I'm going to keep what I've currently got for another year though. I hate buying cars, expensive biatches.

I loved my parents truck when I was in my 20's. Poor thing, it got stolen. :p

I am considering also the economy SUV's or possibly a wagon. CR had some good things to say about the Focus wagon and a couple of the small SUV's and they had good mileage.

If you're going to buy a Focus Wagon, you might as well by a 1991 Honda CRX HF and get better reliability, gas mileage, and a better looking car.

For a small truck I would suggest a used Nissan. Alot of the small construction companies here in BFE Colorado use them for work trucks. They have good gas milage, work well with smaller loads(the kind that most homeowners haul) and they do come in 4wd if that is a concern. The last one I drove had 200,000 miles on it and still ran well.
People out here work long and hard, when they buy something like a truck they work them hard and expect them to hold up.

The idea of getting a small SUV with a hitch on it is a pretty good idea. We had discussed buying a cheap old PU, but decided instead to replace Iagoe's car with a new SUV (probably a Forrester as that seems to be Click and Clack's favorite atm) and if we need to haul stuff, we'll do the hitch deal. Besides, if you have an old beat up trailer to haul stuff in, you don't have to deal with cleaning it out later.

OK, here's a picture of my competition.......(my boyfriend just loooooooooves his new truck :))

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1365/truck1.jpg

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/8278/truck2.jpg

I was thinking trailer hitch too, Jinjre. And I could get a small trailer for hauling stuff.

All the trucks, even the Mazda, get absolutely miserable gas mileage. Sheesh!

The Toyota Tacoma gets 22/25 MPG, what the heck is "good" gas mileage to you?

The Tacoma, according to consumer reports, gets 15 miles to a gallon.

Good gas mileage is 28-30 or more. Man, I can see you all haven't lived through an oil embargo! I think gas prices are going to go up and stay up and possibly even go much higher. So when people are crying because they're spending $80 a week on gas, I will be smug and gloating a bit. Or at least, slightly less miserable.

Toyota's pretty good about their miliage estimates from what I've seen. My 4Runner is rated for 17/19 - in the city, the 17mpg is pretty close, but when I put supreme/premium/whatever the best is called, in the tank, I'm currently getting about 20-21mpg on the highway.

I think that 15 is an average number based on their road test, which they use for all their ratings. I think that's pretty awful for a light truck. I seem to remember in the 80's they were getting at least 30mpg.

Not a truck, but hey...
This is how we spell <a href="http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/news,view.spy?artid=21889">HYBRID!</a>

(The article is below all the ad spam - read page 2 about the mpg!)

Put a trailer hitch on it and now we're talking!

Buy a diesel engine. Greater fuel efficiency, higher compression ratio. You can get a smaller engine for the same horse power with greater torque. (Torque = pulling power.)

Gasoline has ~125,000 BTU per gallon.
Diesel has ~147,000 BTU per gallon.

I can provide anecdotal stories about how diesel will outlast any equivalent gas engine but you just have to research that to believe it. (How many gas engines do you hear reaching 1 million miles and still running fine?)

Given approximately the same engine size, diesel will give you greater MPG, higher horsepower, higher torque, and generally outlast the gasoline engine.

At least look into it. To start you off How diesel works (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/diesel.htm)

There's a few additional advantages to a diesel engine as far as maintenance goes. No spark plugs, sleeved cylinders (replace the rings and sleeves instead of reboring the block), stuff like that.

Yeah, but Diesel cars/truck stink... yucky black smoke.. phew!

and the are LOUD.

Noise is a function of the muffler. You can get quiet ones. The ones you generally hear aren't concerned about muffler systems.

Gasoline isn't exactly bottled for perfume either.

I'm just bringing up the idea. Diesel isn't usually considered, isn't even thought of. But if you're looking to squeeze a lot of power from a small engine then this is probably your best option.

At my local gas station, diesel is more expensive than regular, premium or super premium. When did that happen? It used to be cheaper than any grade of gas.