Well if MetroMPG resigns I just might have to as well-because I committed one heck of a backslide myself, alas...
After my lovely 2005 Xenon scooter and I were run off the road and into a ditch, I had multiple fractured ribs and two clean breaks in my collarbone. Needless to say I was not allowed to go anywhere near two wheels for awhile. This left Little Wing
quite disappointed as it was ready for more after a $10 mirror and a $3 can of touch-up paint...
Long story short, I found a vehicle in hiking distance for only $500-it was a dingy white 1998 Chevy s-10, it ran, I needed it and I bought it. A visit to the local mechanic and $800 later it has new plugs and wires, new timing belt, new hoses, new brakes and 4 new tires.
And to add insult to injury I sold the scooter-but to be fair the buyer really needed transport and offered me twice what I paid for it, and I still get to see her glide by my house once in awhile-I miss 130MPG though...
The good news is that the S-10 is a 'small' truck by US standards (which is to say a
medium truck everywhere else), and I do have the 5-speed manual and the 4-cyl 2.2 liter so it could be worse. And of course the s-10 does have a lot going for it:
1) Cargo and towing to spare-which many of my neighbors have utilized and paid me for.
2) Robust and inexpensive parts for years to come.
3) Pre-dented to prevent idiots from playing Stupid Road Games with me.
4) Durable like you wouldn't believe-after the initial outlay, its been nothing but gas, oil and insurance costs so far.
So the Pale Rider isn't an ideal Ecomobile-but I have a lot of low-hanging fruit available. A custom Air Filter and adjusting the Nut Behind the Wheel is getting me an average of 30 MPG-the partial Grill Block didn't seem to do anything at all so I took it out and the wheels are already fairly aero (still looking for 4 plastic caps to hide the nuts though). I think that i'll probably see a really nice MPG boost once i've saved enough for a tonneau or possibly an ultra-light camper shell. This will take time as I am not a wealthy man...
I do miss Little Wing though-and my previous ride the Red Menace (1993 Ford Festiva) got a full reconditioning inside and out,and is getting the new owner roughly 48-50 MPG in Florida-but as I can neither justify nor afford more than one vehicle the S-10 is a necessary compromise.
(Did I mention that it was
cheap and I am
poor?
)
I don't drive Pale Rider every day though-for short trips and local commuting I still have my 1976 Musashi one-speed commuter bike with two baskets for cargo (roughly 35 Miles per Milkshake)....so, um, I can still hang out with you guys, right?