1st post

[Striker2237]

ah ok, that makes sense now. Only problem i can see with this tactic (for me at least) is that my truck has a heavy duty cooling package so it take almost 20 min to warm up (with heater off) in winter and most of my trips don't take that long. Ill see if cardboard can speed it up tomorrow

[spacemanspif]

Originally Posted by Striker2237

it take almost 20 min to warm up (with heater off) in winter and most of my trips don't take that long.

So you do a lot of putting around town then? With maybe short jaunts of highway driving? If you never tow anything, do you at least haul stuff in the bed? More info on why you NEED a truck would help but most here are going to recommend a small car for trips where a truck isn't needed...And considering your rather low mileage, a $1,000 beater car would pay for itself pretty quickly. A block heater would help get to temp faster, and deleting the clutch fan (if equipped) in favor of an electric unit...the newer trucks might have switched to E-fans and would likely be an easy conversion.

You are planning on swapping in a 6.7; is that a diesel swap or just bigger gas engine?

[awcook]

Grille blocks heat the car up faster during these winter months. Even a partial block will work wonders for you.

[Striker2237]

Well the reason I have a truck is I was given it for free from my dad and who would turn down a fully loaded car......anyway I like driving it because it is very good in adverse conditions and commands the roads due to sheer size and can do anything i need it to from carrying stuff or taking me and all my friends paintballing or whatever. The 6.7 is part of the upgrade plan I'm doing to the truck via stroking the engine and giving it a totally new top end with a custom cam plus a supercharger to round it off. The work done so far (headers, intake manifold, 4 hole injectors) have given me 2 mpg more on long trips. I honestly just love driving a truck because it so large and capable and mine is going to put about 525 HP to the ground (If the math holds true to real life it will also be much more efficient if I keep my foot out of it) but I really need to get at least 15mpg. A beater is a valid option if you guys know of something that I can buy that can make up for the truck's fuel addiction

[Frank Lee]

Oy.

On the bright side, the hard tonneau is good for aero.

The rest (except using other means for the bulk of your transport needs) is fairly hopeless if your goals include saving money and fuel, and reducing carbon footprint.

[awcook]

If you go through one tank a week in the truck , then a beater that gets 30+ MPG then in 5 years you would have saved $9000 (according to EPA ratings). The beater will pay for itself 9 times if it only cost $1000 (Old Mech got his beater for $300 and gets 40 MPG). You will save so much from getting a smaller car. You can definitely pull more MPG out of the truck, but would it be worth it to put that much time and money into a truck just to save a few bucks? Or would investing in a used eco car be a better investment?

[freebeard]

anyway I like driving it because it ... commands the roads due to sheer size and...

In addition to saving money a beater might also make you a more cooperative driver.

[Striker2237]

FreeBeard- well by that I mean that people don't ignore my truck and cut me off, I don't go around pushing into traffic wherever I feel like............and besides, im the guy that gets passed by everyone for going "too slow". Just on my way back from the mall 4 cars passed me, all much slower ones than my truck mind you.

[Striker2237]

what are good cars for 1000$ that will not give me much headache and that I can just leave to their won devices outside of standard maintainance? (My truck get attention because I like it, normal cars wont get this treatment)

[awcook]

My uncle buys used cars off of Ebay for his kids. He drives one that he got for like $1000 off of there after 5 years! This was a $2000 car though, but it was also newish for its time (bought in '08 I think and the car was a '00 or something). Just regular maintenance and still ran after a big thunderstorm.

There's also Craig's List. There are good deals on there, and some really bad ones. You can usually find some really nice "riced" Civics out there that still run and do all the things that the car was meant to do for between $800 and $1600. These ricers also come with free side skirts! Most people won't like that you got a ricer, but to be honest, just replace the exhaust and take out the CAI, and you will have a fairly stock looking car. These Civics shouldn't give you much headache, since they have been taken care of by someone who loved the car.

Honestly, if you go with a Honda Civic, you won't have any headache, except maybe at the beginning of your ownership when you have to replace the exhaust and CAI.