Need advice on car choice

[GasSavers_deadhead]

I have a need to get bet mileage than I am getting with my beat up old truck. I work sales and travel 600 to 1000 mile a week. My 17mpg truck is killing me. I am looking for what will get me the best mpg and reliability. I use a truck because I do haul things and pick things up occasionally. We heat exclusively with wood so I am always looking for firewood. Also I am a guy so I really like being in a truck. I will gladly move to a car if it means saving money. Right now I am getting an 81 vw diesel truck. I am also considering getting a 94 xfi manual metro too as a run around town vehicle and using my gas guzzler ah the trash and wood truck. Does anyone have any better suggestions? Would a ford fiesta, chevy chevette, old diesel rabitt, honda civic or anything else be better? Age makes no diffence to me as long as it runs well and gets great mpg.

[bowtieguy]

well, i'm not the most knowledgeable it such things. but, since no one else has responded...

maybe no one has answered because there are many variables. so, my response will be very general and the standard disclaimer applies

absolutely moving to a car will help lower your fuel budget. but, your finances and the condition of your truck are not mentioned, so i have a few questions:

is your truck in good enough condition to sell?
can you afford to keep it JUST for hauling and buy a car as a daily driver, insuring both?
a hatchback or wagon might work. do you have a family requiring 4 doors?

the usual suspects have economy and reliability: honda civic, toyo corolla, even a ford escort or chevy/geo prizm(cheaper twin of the corolla). all come in 4 door and/or hatchback.

and by all means, research both here and the rest of the i-net.

hope that helps.

[GasSavers_deadhead]

I would keep the big truck for local hauling errands. The family situation is covered. We have a fifteen passenger to haul all seven kids. The metro would be used for errands involving only a few kids. The vw truck would be my daily driver.

[BamZipPow]

You could git a car with a hitch and trailer. Hook up the trailer when you need to git the firewood...

[charlesB]

if you are keeping the big truck, do you really need another truck as a daily driver. 600+ miles a week sounds like you need a small car, even some midsize cars get close to 30mpg on the highway. How much are you looking to spend?

[GasSavers_Ryland]

it sounds like you need a station wagon for hauling stuff, and kids, if you live some place that you need a truck, then trade the one you have for an older one and just use it for hauling firewood and stuff, because as it is with your truck if you drive 600 miles per week, that's $6,000 a year at 17mpg, even a mini van that only got 25mpg would save you nearly $2,000 a year in gas, or a smaller truck and trailer, but for the money I say go with a station wagon, something like a toyota or satern wagon.

[GasSavers_deadhead]

I like the idea of the vw rabbit truck as a my work vehicle because never know what I am going to come across that I can just throw in the back of the truck. I would use a civic or metro for the shopping trips, drs. visits, etc. We use the big van for full family trips like church, home school activities etc. Station wagon won't wok because they only hold six kids at the most. Besides all of our vehicles are paid for. No car payments so why start one now? I keep the big truck because it hauls more and as a 4x4 Icanget place the other vehicles won't. Here is what we will have
metro - runnning around town
vw truck- my sales vehicle
big truck - work horse
big fan - full family trips about 50 miles a week.