Help me from making a mistake...
 

We need a used "mule" in our garage...I don't want to run my new)er) car into the gound with all the miles I drive to and from work (60 r/t every day) but I would like something with a little room in the back for hauling the occasional bags of water softener salt, grass clippings, bulky items, etc. I sold a '91 Dodge Dakota truck (unused most of the time, got 15 mpg, tops) with the intention of getting an early 2000s Ford Focus Wagon. Unfortunately those little rigs are few and far between. What was more common those years was the Ford Escape; but from what I've been reading the Escape is disaster when it comes to fuel economy, not getting much better than the Dakota did.

Am I stuck with having to get something else for a daily driver or can an Escape be massaged in some way to deliver a consistent 25+ mpg? Thanks!

tdi wagon?
or focus

How much are you looking to spend? There are tons of vehicles that fit your current description including:

Prius
Matrix
Fit
Aveo / Sonic
Yaris
Golf

And those are just some of the hatches.

2005VW Passat WAGON TDI

1995 Saturn Station Wagon

1994 Toyota Camry Wagon

Not sure of your budget, but just search for "wagon" on C/L and you'll find something

Outback's and foresters can get up to 30 mpg and the legacy wagons can sometimes do better

You also have the impreza hatch which can get 35+ mpg but is a bit smaller.


Can you tell I'm a subaru fan?

Lol, I specifically avoided them since so many of them are awd.

Although I'm not a huge fan of them, they can take a hit. We got rear ended at speed by a dump truck in my son's Legacy wagon, and we got it back on the road for a couple hundred bucks

How much?
 

My upper limit is $2500. I really prefer something without a deep truck or a floor level with the rear bumper so can take it easy on my back when lifting buckets of compost or other awkward items. And 99.99% of the time it would be on the road empty and going to work (99% highway miles).

Then this!

You can drive it until it drops and still have enough money left over to get yourself a couple more. The thing looks twice as clean as mine, and I've put 25,000 miles on mine already with almost no cost out of pocket. I put almost as many miles on mine daily as you're putting on yours

1990ford feista

I used to ramp my mower up into the back of mine for mowing jobs until I got a riding mower this spring! I've hauled (4) 40 Lb bags of rock salt, you'd be surprised at what all you can put in it.

You might want to make sure the hatch closes though, I notice he didn't take a pic of his "pulled out" work!

Toyota Echo.

regards
Mech

accord 5spd
or find a SW1
esteem wagon
caprice