One step forward, two steps back

[kinscore]

Hello all,
my name is Kipling. I've been reading ecomodder for a while now, and for quite a while I've been interested in thinking about what sorts of personal vehicles would reduce pollution, resource consumption, operating costs, and congestion. Things like microcars, motorcycles, scooters, velomobiles, cabin scooters.

I had a 2007 Yaris hatchback with a 1.5L I4 and a manual transmission, which of course has pretty good fuel efficiency from the factory. I popped on some moon hubcaps and it was good to go.

But the Yaris was retired and for a while I was riding the bus, and that allowed me to think out my transportation situation. The Yaris was probably the right car to buy when I did, but what I wanted had changed. From a purely economic standpoint, starting with the assumption that I would own a car (mostly for the convenience) and that my short commute (which can be mostly highway driving if I do it outside of rush hour) would not significantly increase maintenance costs, I determined that with just 22mpg I would spend less than the $70/month of a bus pass (though I didn't factor in things like non-commute driving or the occasional train I would have to pay for separately, nor did I formally factor in externalities, side-effects, etc. like pollution, congestion, travel time, convenience, exercise, etc.). By this measure my Yaris was actually cheaper by a good margin.

Since I'm a homeowner and I'm about to build a garage (I like working on cars, motorcycles, and other projects for which a garage is useful) and do some landscaping including trees, I decided to get a small pickup truck (I hate renting and driving the giant hardware store trucks, and renting from somewhere else to drive to and from the hardware store is really inconvenient). I got a 1992 Toyota Hilux 2WD with a 2.4L I4 and a manual transmission. EPA over 22mpg highway and under 22mpg city. Maybe cheaper than the bus but certainly room to improve, so I'm planning to make some primarily aerodynamic modifications.

[Sporty Modder]

Cool I will be watching, do you have the 22re or the 2rz?

[GRU]

enjoy the truck, i'm sure you will have lots of fun with it

[kinscore]

The engine is a 22R-E.

[JRMichler]

If the mileage I'm getting is any indication, you should be able to average at least 30 MPG with a few mods. My build thread has most of the details: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...yon-17070.html.

And there's a lot that I have not yet done....

[cfg83]

kinscore -

Welcome to EM! Sounds like a smart move for you needs. I wish they made the el-cheapo bone-stock compact trucks from the 1980's. Yours could be from Japan or USA :

Toyota Hilux - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1991, American production began at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California (VIN starts with '4T'), however some trucks sold in the United States during the 91–95 model years were still manufactured in Japan (VIN starts with 'JT').

Ha ha, you could also put a VW emblem on it and Confuse-A-Cat people :

Volkswagen Taro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CarloSW2

[kinscore]

Some good mods there, JR. I've been thinking about an aero topper but lately leaning toward a cab extension wing and partial tonneau cover instead. The one I tend to worry about (though one that I was considering on my Yaris and now my Hilux) is grille block, but so far I haven't seen reports of engine problems resulting so maybe I'll try it after I add some instrumentation.

So mine was made in Japan—it is a JT VIN. That might mean slightly different construction—it did for my 1988 Corolla that was made in Canada.
I would have bought newer if the basic small trucks were still available. I even considered buying older but decided it wasn't worth it for me. Mine's in pretty good condition and should be fairly reliable but safety updates would be nice.
I might have bought a mini truck like a Subaru Sambar if they were still available street legal here (they're imported unofficially and specific laws make them legal for limited street use, but not where I live).
Ah yes, the VW Taro. It would be especially confusing if I swapped the front badge but left TOYOTA on the tailgate.

[Sporty Modder]

Cool my Celica has the 22RE as well, solid motor(a bit underpowered) I have had sucess in the past and currently with airdamsand grill blocks. .34 Cd. Up to 34mpg highway on E10, I pick up 3 mpg on non Ethonol gas.
Hoping to see some progress.