|
Thanks for the suggestions!
Some replys:
Roof Racks
I've never liked them. I've had full pickup ladder racks and they work great. They do make "construction grade" RR's for vans, but what you get on cars is really suited for small items. In particular there is little fore/aft wheelbase which makes anything long a serious aerodynamic concern. Too many plywood roof rack hauls end up on YouTube(!)
Trailer
These are a good solution - especially when you have a manual transmission which is what I'm looking for. However, like said before, you have the cost of the rig and where do you store it. Both issues with me. I would really like to avoid this.
Older Models
Definitely have larger cargo capacity and dimensions. I suspect the comment I read about Escorts was for the original model from the 80's. I just saw some pics of an old Falcon station wagon from the 60's and the cargo area was massive.
The Plymouth Reliant looks pretty bulbous (and so does an 84 Escort.) I was even wondering if the Isuzu Trooper might do the job, but I believe they are quite heavy (3500lb-ish.)
Non-Station Wagons
There is always the "mini" truck. Light weight and w/4 cyl, they should be fairly economical, however, I really like the ability to lock up my cargo like in a van or SW. If there was such a thing as a 4 cyl crew cab w/short bed, that might work, but I suspect it would be heavy.
The Escort SW
I get the impression this might be the "sensible" pick for station wagons. It seems like you can find nice ones for $2000 or less.
Subaru SWs
A little more expensive, however, it seems common to find these cars for sale with way over 200k miles on them. They might be great runners and another sensible pick.
Mini Vans
While they are shrinking and getting incrementally better mpg, they are still gas hogs relatively speaking.
Thanks for the suggestions,
Tom
|