Thread: 50mpg truck
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Old 05-09-2012, 08:37 PM   #21 (permalink)
Sven7
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Boo Radley - '65 Ford F100
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stan View Post
Where can one find those prices? I've been looking for years here in Northern California (where car prices are generally very reasonable), and haven't seen a road-worthy example for below about $3000 since well below the 2008 oil price inflation.
Sorry, I forgot how expensive Caddies are, especially diesels. VWVortex lists a lot of engine swaps and other hot rodded examples. The best bet would be watching CL for someone who doesn't know what they have.

Or get a diesel Rabbit and carry whatever you want in it. Since the OP never told us any specific reason to have a pickup, I'm guessing it's not necessary.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf View Post
I think you've got that backwards: a lot of truck owners are just using them as station wagons.

There are a lot of things that a truck will do that station wagons can't, because they lack the ground clearance to handle rough roads. If you get a station wagon that will pull a trailer hauling significant weight, such as a load of logs for firewood, a two-horse trailer, or even a good-sized load of hay, then that station wagon is going to be almost as large & thirsty as a truck (in fact, it'll probably be a fairly large SUV), and you will be driving it all the time and getting lousy mpg.
There are limitations to both, but like I said, since the OP never told us what he needs it for, he probably doesn't actually need it. My family has two wagons and a Yukon. The wagons can carry all the wood chips and horse feed we need, and they still get much better mileage.

Not many people "need" the ground clearance, either. How many people do you know that actually go two-tracking? A Subaru Outback will do that.

I just don't buy the argument for the pickup as anything but a lifestyle vehicle.

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Last edited by Sven7; 05-09-2012 at 08:44 PM..
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