Help buying a truck?

[dcb]

the problem may be that we have more lawyers per capita in the US

[roflwaffle]

A VW diesel rabbit pickup is rated for towing 2000lbs and gets ~40+mpg, but if someone's actually towing/hauling 2000+lbs then I think a 4cyl pickup w/ a frame rated for ~3000lbs would be a better bet.

[5speed5]

This is probably way out in left field, but you can get a '94-'96 Chevy Caprice sedan
with 5.7L engine and it will tow up to 5000 lbs. I have a '96 Caprice and recently averaged 28 mpg on a 1100-mile trip. I've also towed our 4000 lb camper with it (only gets 13 mpg when towing). The reason they get such good highway mileage is they're much more aerodynamic than a truck and they're geared very tall.

The standard gear ratio is 2.56 and the "tow package" gear is 2.93. You don't need the tow package to tow 2000 lbs, though. They're pretty cheap now too.

[slowmover]

Have you weighed the boat/trailer combo? Don't rely on published figures; weigh it with full fuel and supplies to have an accurate number. Get the tongue weight as well (if above 350-lbs get yourself a REESE "Dual Cam" weight-distributing hitch) as a 1-T truck or smaller REQUIRES it. Even a landscape trailer with a heavy garden tractor can wind up with a fairly heavy tongue.

I prefer the second seat in a pickup, and a close-fitting "aero" cap with plastic bedliner, and longbed. Check tow ratings on manuals, sometimes they are weak.

Truthfully, if getting married is the consideration ("I think it will be handy to have a pickup because . . . .") versus, "I regularly/daily have to haul materials" (IRS business deductible miles) a truck may not be worth it.

A used AWD V6 minivan can be set up to haul good sized trailers. See articles by Andy Thomson (Can Am RV) in online issues of "Hitch Hints" to see how tow ratings can be better understood in re "different" tow vehicles.

Bottom line is simple: Buy used, keep it ten years or more, and plan for fuel costs to double. All miles must be affordable . . thus the occasional rental may be better (or paying a friend -- with todays prices -- $1.25/mile -- all miles -- for use of his truck; his ownership cost is likely .60 to .90 cpm whether or not he understands that) as utility must pay for itself.

Fuel economy is a small part of overall ownership costs. Depreciation, repairs, maintenance, insurance, etc, (fixed costs) are the killer. While fuel economy is the variable most amenable to owner control, it has little meaning if the vehicle is not suited to the job requirements.

[Ryland]

The last time I read the owners manual of an S-10 truck it stated that it's payload was a quarter ton... 500 pounds in the bed, 100 pound tung weight 1,000 towing weight.
If I remember correctly my civic vx is rated at 1,000 pound trailer weight and I've had a 1,500 pound trailer behind it at 60mph without any issue, you might even check the specs on a TDI golf as they are a bit heavier then the civic so they have better brakes and would be more stable and the TDI golf should get 40-45mpg the rest of the time is often a 4 door hatch back with lots of room in the back for cargo.
So it really depends on what you need, what the rest of your hauling it going to be, if you haul alot of dirt then you might want a truck instead of a car, if you haul alot of fluff then get a car with a hitch, if you tow your boat once a year then rent a truck.

[ccphil55]

Sorry for taking so long to get back. After much deliberation amongst friends and family I have found and purchased a 1995 s10 with the high output v6 that gets 24-28 mpg and supposedly he got 30mpg on a trip last summer. It is stick shift and has the soft bed cover. My first tank while enjoying some power and having temps in the 30's-40's was 22mpg. I will feel more confident in my mpg figures once the speedo is working again, right now I'm going off of my gps. The weekend of the 19nth I'm taking a trip of 500 miles each way, and we will see what it can do on the open road with summer tires. Thanks again for all the replys. I must say this is one of the warmest responses I've had on any forum. Perhaps with time and more money this summer I could see incorporating some sort of aero-cap this summer; however, working and buying a house and getting it ready for winter will be top priority this summer.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by ccphil55

Sorry for taking so long to get back. After much deliberation amongst friends and family I have found and purchased a 1995 s10 with the high output v6 that gets 24-28 mpg and supposedly he got 30mpg on a trip last summer.

If its the 4.3 it will haul OK and the nv3500 is decent for hauling but it will be rather challenging to get 30mpg.

Cheers
Ryan

[cruiser]

I had a 97 s-10 with the 4.3 and an auto, it was an extended cab and the sportbox bed with a cover, around town I would get 22-24 and open highway I would get 28,, if I was pushing it hard,, like late for a meeting,, like very late, and this was back before I had a cell phone that worked well and pushed it to the fuel cutoff the mileage didnt drop as much as you would think.. down to 24 or so.. towed a 3500# 6x12 enclosed trailer loaded very well but got about 15mpg then.. Kinda wish I still had it..

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by cruiser

I had a 97 s-10 with the 4.3 and an auto, it was an extended cab and the sportbox bed with a cover, around town I would get 22-24 and open highway I would get 28,, if I was pushing it hard,, like late for a meeting,, like very late, and this was back before I had a cell phone that worked well and pushed it to the fuel cutoff the mileage didnt drop as much as you would think.. down to 24 or so.. towed a 3500# 6x12 enclosed trailer loaded very well but got about 15mpg then.. Kinda wish I still had it..

Rather odd that my buick gets the same FE that you list. And the motor is smaller and the car is more aero.