You and I have drastically different opinions on what "decent" fuel economy is.
To me,it's horrible if it's under 20 and not "decent" until at least 30mpg.
Trucks to me are necessary evils that I must use.When it's just me,You'll see me in a 4 cyl coupe.When it's time to move loads it's a diesel dually pickup or F-450.I've always been a car guy though.

I think just the opposite.Life is too short,not to try and save and invest all you can,rather than spend what you don't need now.That way you don't end up living in retirement in a manner which you don't like........Scrapping by on crumbs.

 

lol, my opinion on "decent" mileage depends on the vehicle.

I get pissed when the C-Max gets less than 40 MPG in hybrid mode or less than 120 MPGe when it's in charged PHEV mode.

14 MPG for the truck is "decent" in the sense that it's in the range most people report and I'm satisfied that it better than the 10 MPG when I first got it

 

Thanks everyone for the replies!

We used the truck this weekend to haul 4 loads of mulch. We worked out that it was about 200 bags of mulch that we didn't have to buy. Basically the truck halfway paid for itself this weekend.

 

I daily drove a 97 Chevy pickup for the last 9 years. I've always wanted a bullnose with the diesel and finally settled for a bricknose diesel. I'm working the kinks out it and will be daily driving it over this summer while I start working the last 9 years of "make it work because you need it tomorrow" out of the Chevy so that can take the salt instead of my rust free southern F350.

I had an old (89) full-size car that I miss dearly. The wife drives a 2016 Jeep Compass and there's so many dingers and buzzers and electronics that it drives me nuts. I much prefer my old, simple truck. We had an 08 Chevy Cobalt before the Jeep but it just seems like all the new stuff is built so cheaply and poorly. There's less wind noise in my 91 Ford than in my wife's BRAND NEW 2016 Jeep!

​​​​​​Not to mention when you've driven full-size trucks and medium duty trucks for the last 9 years anything else just feels too cramped.

Give me an old reliable manual window/locks with a manual transmission and I'll be happy. The wife's Jeep actually locked her keys in it the other day... Luckily we were home and I had my keys.

 

between my wife and i we have 4 vehicles. she drives a 2000 ranger 4cyl auto reg cab step side. i mainly drive my F150 SC 4x4 5.0 auto. my summer car is a 89 Probe GT 2.2 Turbo 5spd. and my toy is a 86 Ramcharger

 

I've had this truck since I was 16, in 2004, my first and only vehicle. I have put 175k miles on it. It does everything I ask it to. Tow, haul too much, go too fast, crawl over too big of rocks, recover many other bigger trucks.. Has never left me stranded and is always there. I've made some of my best memories somehow related to the old truck, most not being possible in a car. Anything from: towing the family's boat in northern MN to wheeling in Moab, exploring countless miles of deep CO backcountry, getting dropped off in it for a life changing hike, or going into mud a little too deep in WY (pictured)...after some scary days/nights in the mountains, and then getting back to the truck when I know my crew is safe again. It's rugged, easy to work on, dirt cheap to own, and I'll jump in and drive it anywhere. Most of my friends have been through 3, 4, 5 different vehicles and only a few have half as many stories as my truck. Good times with many more to come!
Wasn't totally stuck but it felt pretty abusive to keep trying.. open diffs and AT tires got me.

I do bike for my daily commute. I'm fortunate to have that option.

 

All I know is, you could set my truck on fire, and roll it down a hill. I still wouldn't trade it for a coupe deville.

 

DD for me mostly is a 2005 Chevy Cobalt we bought new. As far as "character" just like any other econobox it has none. Just basic and (someday) disposable transportation. Say what you want about new technology, it's been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. 270K with no repairs other than alternator and heater core, both quit right before 250K. Still has original a/c and water pump. Been thru plenty of tires, shocks, struts, etc. but that's all maintenance. All that said, I love my old Fords, 3 1979 Bronco's, 1992 F250, 1990 Bronco II, and a 75 Torino Elite project. Using the econobox for basic transportation (it avg's 32-34 mpg) has allowed me to spend more $$ on the other vehicles.

 

i have an 88 f250 rclb 4x4 351 zf5 truck. i bought it to pull a car trailer and do truck stuff. i got tired of hauling around engines and transmissions in my jeep and asking others to borrow a truck when needed. my dad worked in coal mining when i grew up in the 80s and 90s, i always remember him having an f250/350 mine truck to drive home. maybe that's why i like the bricknose body style so much. i currently dd my xj cherokee. ive put almost 100k miles on it since purchase, never left me. i have been driving the truck several times a week to work just because. once i deem it worthy i will begin investing the necessary time and money to bring it up to my standard of vehicle. that standard is high (and consequently expensive) so it has to be something worthwhile.

 

I don't like the idea of buying a new truck (or any other vehicle) and having it drop several thousand dollars in value the instant I take ownership and it becomes "pre-owned".

Also with the new junk if it breaks out of warranty and you need to replace an electronic module or even if it DOESN'T break and all you want to do is something simple like disabling the daytime running lights, you are going to the dealer to pay the man to do it for you. Make no mistake, this is done on purpose for profit! With 90's or older Ford trucks, if you need to change an electronic component you can do so without the need for a dealer to configure the new component to your truck. You can also work on them without having to disassemble the entire truck, and the parts are cheap and plentiful!

My current truck is a 99 Ranger with the 2.5 and a stick shift because I don't have anything to tow at the moment nor is there too many places to go riding around off-road around here anymore, except for the mud parks which are expensive to get into ($60+ for a weekend). Don't get me wrong... I am not done off-roading just taking a break. Lol. When I own something too heavy for my little Ranger to tow I'm thinking I'll get an OBS 4x4 250 or 350 with a SOLID front axle (TTB sucks!) and manual trans of course and I'll probably keep the Ranger for a DD since she gets good mileage for a truck. This is my second Ranger and they make a fine daily driver.

TL;DR - Don't like instant depreciation on a brand new truck, can't avoid trips to the dealer with newer stuff. Older Ford trucks serve my needs just fine and are easy and cheap to work on and maintain.

 

I did not think that was possible LOL!



Must say that I agree. Not only with my Ranger, but with all the 83 up through 97 F250 SD Ford trucks I own. Heck, even my 2006 F250 is pretty good, but I prefer the earlier full size trucks overall.

 

I've had my 94 for a little over a year now. I'm not against newer Fords, but I went with an older truck mainly because I can work on it (and have), parts are easily available (junkyards or new), and I really like the style. I was also cash poor at the time so it fit the bill financially too.

My previous vehicle was a 2000 F250 7.3l six-speed that I really, really liked. A drunk SOB ran a red light and hit the front wheel and jammed the radius arm bending the frame or I could've put a half million more miles on it. It rode well, got 17-19 driving around town, and could carry or pull anything I ever needed.

Anyway, I think there's no argument that these were the last of the good looking Ford trucks, and within our various emotional contexts it's not hard to accept the low MPGs and other quirks and foibles of the older technology.

 

Nice! I think mine's rated for something like 1440 lbs tow capacity. I think she could move more, just not at any real speed. She can barely break 90 on her own unloaded!

The real problem is braking, when one of the "seasonal idiots" or hell even the local idiots decides they can make better time by pulling out in front of me... but then proceeding to accelerate at the insanely fast rate of 5 MPH per minute.

Forgot that part, I agree.

 

The good news about these trucks and the power output and mpgs, is that there is a lot of room to grow in both categories. My 89 with 37s gets 12-13 mpg, up from 9 with the old 302 with just long tubes. My 97 2wd gets a whopping 15-16 up from a steady 13-13.5 stock.

Any time the truck gives you a reason to upgrade, take it. Leaky head gasket? Great! Time to ditch e7s. Exhaust rotting out? Clogged cat? Great! Time for long tubes and a modern high flow cat.

 

That's exactly the way I feel whenever something breaks