[elhigh]

Hey, I just thought of another option, and I think someone may have beat me to it:

An older S-10, 4x2, with the four banger can be pretty thrifty. If you're committed to the Made in America theme they have a lot more domestic content than some other GM options. They're stone-ax simple to work on, lots of room under the hood. And there are huge, huge gains to be made in simple aero mods. Under a truck the aero is just dreadful, but any belly pan you add will be nearly invisible from above. And look around here for aero caps to cover the bed, you'll see some nice ones that keep access to the back for modest loads, but the fuel mileage hops right up.