Economical Tow Vehicles?

[del]

Okay, I updated the Corolla, and added the Focus.

Any other thoughts?

Mike...

1989 dodge dakota convertible (3.9l with auto)been paid for a long time.

del

[asianflava]

So with that in mind I've started compiling the 5 year cost of some interesting vehicles. Not that I'd actually be interested in some of them, for example, I don't think I'd ever buy an Aveo.

Consumer Reports didn't like the Aveo at all. They said that you are better off getting a Cobalt because it handled better, had similar fuel economy, nicer interior, quieter ride, and most importantly it is cheaper. Maybe a Cobalt should be on the list?

Looks like the diesels and hybrids are a bust as far as overall costs go???
I don't see any substantial savings over the regular gas jobs there.

Yeah, when you also have to consider the fact that battery pack has to be replaced. That has to be added into the operational costs. People tend to neglect that detail when they boast about their mileage.

I know from renting a couple of Ford Rangers 1 with a 4 cylinder and the rest with 6 cylinders I would choose the 6 cylinder.

Has to be the 4.0 V-6. The 3.0 is a bad choice. It gets the same economy as the 4.0 with less power. If you don't tow that often, the 4-cyl is an OK choice. The only problem is that it only comes in the regular cab.

..

Mmmm sparkle tint!

[Geron]

Towing capacity of the Ford Ranger 4 cyl. -1000 lbs. You need another vehicle to push it.

I had one back in the 90's and it wouldn't pull a 4% grade w/o a trailer

Traded it for my Nissan 2.4L. in '95. Been lovin' it ever since.

Geron

[mikeschn]

Okay, let's try to put the Geo Metro into the correct perspective...

The high rider


The race car


Ummm... I don't think the race car gets 48 mpg...


The General Lee


Economical... gets 75 MPG


Trying to hide the fact!


Okay, okay...

This is more like what you are apt to see at the used car lot...

[Eddielbs]

I have been looking at getting a 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT Rwd (4.0L 6cyl 5A). Its basically a 4 door SUV with a small truck bed. I'm not sure how good the fuel mileage is in real life. But its advertised to be 16 in the City and 21 on the Highway with a 5,300-pound maximum towing capacity. I believe one can be had for under 15,000 with low mileage. I'm sure its not going to be on the top of the list In fuel economy. But I think its going to fit my needs more than a lot of the others.

[mikeschn]

Eddie,

The point of the spreadsheet is to look at more than just the fuel consumption.

Sure, when you are at the gas pump, and you see the numbers spinning around, going higher and higher, it's natural to panic and wonder if you have the right vehicle.

But if you know (from doing the math) that you are way ahead of the guy that bought a Prius, then why panic?

Now if they start to ration gas, that's a different story. (If they start to ration gas, I'll put some vegetable oil in my diesel-the one I haven't got yet!)

Mike...

[Lgboro]

The 09 Scion XB is rated to tow 1500# for 09 and has a larger motor so it might be an ugly candidate for a tear tow vehicle. I don't know what the new mileage rating is but I suspect it is still fairly high. They do have a large open box for hauling extra gear.

[mikeschn]

Did you build your teardrop to have the same shape as the XB?

Mike...

The 09 Scion XB is rated to tow 1500# for 09 and has a larger motor so it might be an ugly candidate for a tear tow vehicle. I don't know what the new mileage rating is but I suspect it is still fairly high. They do have a large open box for hauling extra gear.

[Lgboro]

No Mike I drive an '05 Corolla currently. I'm gluing up the floor of my tear

right now so I'm not quite there yet. Even with the best grade of limbs I

have been to find sold as lumber, I've had to use picture frame clamps to

keep the wood square and where I want it so its taking more time than I had

hoped but is near perfectly square to this point.

[madprinter]

Great topic. My wifes Suburban stays parked most of the time now, unless we have a big group riding together. We picked up a used Toyota Corolla she uses most of the time. I have a 1996 Ford explorer sport with the 4L 6. It has over 200,000 mile and is going strong, mid 20's on milage.
Actually better than the 1992 Toyota pickup with a 4cyl. I purchased new.
I don't know who's getting to us worst, the BIg OIL company's , our sit back and watch us get gouged government, or the Turbanheads. There starting to look as maybe there all one and the same.
Sorry, I'm drifting off topic, venting. Peace and Love and lots of MPG's.
Madprinter

[TrailerWorks]

Hey folks,

One of our clients just picked up his new RT845 with a 2003 Mini Cooper S. We did the hitch for him - not too tough to install. 6 speed manual trans. He reported about a 3 mpg loss with the trailer on a 1000 mile tow back to Massachusetts. He netted just over 30 mpg with the trailer. 70 mph for the most part. The 845 weighs about 800 empty. It was a cool setup. Plenty of HP - tow rated to 1400.

If I could figure out how to post a photo I would...

PS - Hey Mauleskinner, is that your Staggerwing? If so, we need to talk airplanes...

Eric[/img]

[mikeschn]

Hey Eric,

We'd love to see pictures of that.

Check here to see how to post pictures...
http://www.mikenchell.com/pichelp.html

Mike...

[Jason and Amanda]

One that I haven't seen mentioned yet is the civic.. is it on the list and I didn't see it? The base model civics are around $15K I think and they get mid 30's or so rated MPG i think, I netted over 40MPG with the one that I owned a while back.

[TrailerWorks]

Thanks for the info. Took a while to get the size right...



Eric

[mikeschn]

Hey Eric,

Good fit. But then the Mini owner(s) must have known that.

as for the photo size, 640x480 works well. Glad you got the photos figured out!

Mike...