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Old 01-04-2013, 12:17 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Dec 2012
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Scheppe - '07 Toyota Yaris

Schleppe - '92 Toyota Hilux Base 2WD
90 day: 22.46 mpg (US)
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One step forward, two steps back

Hello all,
my name is Kipling. I've been reading ecomodder for a while now, and for quite a while I've been interested in thinking about what sorts of personal vehicles would reduce pollution, resource consumption, operating costs, and congestion. Things like microcars, motorcycles, scooters, velomobiles, cabin scooters.

I had a 2007 Yaris hatchback with a 1.5L I4 and a manual transmission, which of course has pretty good fuel efficiency from the factory. I popped on some moon hubcaps and it was good to go.

But the Yaris was retired and for a while I was riding the bus, and that allowed me to think out my transportation situation. The Yaris was probably the right car to buy when I did, but what I wanted had changed. From a purely economic standpoint, starting with the assumption that I would own a car (mostly for the convenience) and that my short commute (which can be mostly highway driving if I do it outside of rush hour) would not significantly increase maintenance costs, I determined that with just 22mpg I would spend less than the $70/month of a bus pass (though I didn't factor in things like non-commute driving or the occasional train I would have to pay for separately, nor did I formally factor in externalities, side-effects, etc. like pollution, congestion, travel time, convenience, exercise, etc.). By this measure my Yaris was actually cheaper by a good margin.

Since I'm a homeowner and I'm about to build a garage (I like working on cars, motorcycles, and other projects for which a garage is useful) and do some landscaping including trees, I decided to get a small pickup truck (I hate renting and driving the giant hardware store trucks, and renting from somewhere else to drive to and from the hardware store is really inconvenient). I got a 1992 Toyota Hilux 2WD with a 2.4L I4 and a manual transmission. EPA over 22mpg highway and under 22mpg city. Maybe cheaper than the bus but certainly room to improve, so I'm planning to make some primarily aerodynamic modifications.

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Old 01-04-2013, 10:07 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Celica Gts - '84 Toyota Celica Gts
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Cool I will be watching, do you have the 22re or the 2rz?
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Old 01-04-2013, 10:11 PM   #3 (permalink)
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silver bullet - '00 Honda Civic
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enjoy the truck, i'm sure you will have lots of fun with it
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Old 01-04-2013, 11:27 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Scheppe - '07 Toyota Yaris

Schleppe - '92 Toyota Hilux Base 2WD
90 day: 22.46 mpg (US)
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The engine is a 22R-E.
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Old 01-05-2013, 05:34 PM   #5 (permalink)
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If the mileage I'm getting is any indication, you should be able to average at least 30 MPG with a few mods. My build thread has most of the details: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...yon-17070.html.

And there's a lot that I have not yet done....
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Old 01-05-2013, 06:54 PM   #6 (permalink)
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kinscore -

Welcome to EM! Sounds like a smart move for you needs. I wish they made the el-cheapo bone-stock compact trucks from the 1980's. Yours could be from Japan or USA :

Toyota Hilux - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quote:
In 1991, American production began at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California (VIN starts with '4T'), however some trucks sold in the United States during the 91–95 model years were still manufactured in Japan (VIN starts with 'JT').
Ha ha, you could also put a VW emblem on it and Confuse-A-Cat people :

Volkswagen Taro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Old 01-06-2013, 08:32 AM   #7 (permalink)
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Scheppe - '07 Toyota Yaris

Schleppe - '92 Toyota Hilux Base 2WD
90 day: 22.46 mpg (US)
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Some good mods there, JR. I've been thinking about an aero topper but lately leaning toward a cab extension wing and partial tonneau cover instead. The one I tend to worry about (though one that I was considering on my Yaris and now my Hilux) is grille block, but so far I haven't seen reports of engine problems resulting so maybe I'll try it after I add some instrumentation.

So mine was made in Japan—it is a JT VIN. That might mean slightly different construction—it did for my 1988 Corolla that was made in Canada.
I would have bought newer if the basic small trucks were still available. I even considered buying older but decided it wasn't worth it for me. Mine's in pretty good condition and should be fairly reliable but safety updates would be nice.
I might have bought a mini truck like a Subaru Sambar if they were still available street legal here (they're imported unofficially and specific laws make them legal for limited street use, but not where I live).
Ah yes, the VW Taro. It would be especially confusing if I swapped the front badge but left TOYOTA on the tailgate.
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Old 01-06-2013, 11:10 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Location: Lolo Mt
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Celica Gts - '84 Toyota Celica Gts
Sports Cars
90 day: 26.32 mpg (US)

The Bee - '96 Mazda B4000 4x4 Base
Pickups
90 day: 20.39 mpg (US)
Thanks: 56
Thanked 62 Times in 55 Posts
Cool my Celica has the 22RE as well, solid motor(a bit underpowered) I have had sucess in the past and currently with airdamsand grill blocks. .34 Cd. Up to 34mpg highway on E10, I pick up 3 mpg on non Ethonol gas.
Hoping to see some progress.

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