I know, no one wants to hear about how gas mileage sucks, but this is my plan...

right now I'm spending 20-22 dollars a day on gas, which is crazy. so my plan is to buy a more economically correct vehicle to save that money so I can have the down-time and money to build on my truck, cuz I can't save anything spending over $400/mo on gas.
I did the math, and it is much cheaper to buy a 1500-2000 vehicle that gets 18 or better mpg over the course of a year.
I had thought of using that money on the truk to try and get better mileage out of it, but with 35" meats, and my trusty 351m, I don't think that I could get better than 13 anyways, so that would defeat the purpose.
I was thinking about buying jeep, tho some are pricey, I'm lookin for a stocker 4 cyl. Any opinions? anybody own em who could give me an opinion? I found a website that says 18-20 is normal for these. how true is this?
btw a beater rice burner is not an option, but I doubt anyone in here would recommend one anyone...
sorry its kinda long but I could really use some advice...thx-- Matt

 

I would recomend a 95-00 Ranger with the 2.3L engine.nice little trucks and you can get any options you can think of.and get 23-28 MPG with A/C.You can also find good deals on one if your paying cash.

 

Take it from someone whos been around 4 banger jeeps, they EAT gas. Those things don't get better than 16 mpg. My buddy's had two of them. I just put all new brake lines in his 87.

You could buy a lot of gas for 1500-2000 bucks. The only real way to do this would be to buy a beater civic or equivlant that gets 25+ mpg.

 

that's true, it is a lot of gas , but in a short amount of time
I love my truk and would never think of parting with it, so to afford it, I must have an alternative. When I bought it, I had a job closer to my home, and only drove 20 miles or so. now after being laid off for a yr and getting a new job, I drive over 100 mi a day and at 8-10 mpg, well....
For some reason, I would have thought that the 4 bangar jeeps got better than 16. you absolutely right tho, I was checking around on some jeeper sites and that seemed to be the general concensus. anyways thx for the info

 

Know how to ride a motorcycle?

 

yea, I was going to get a bike at first, but my neighbor just died after crashin his...needless to say that left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

i second somethign along the lines of a fuel injected 5 speed ranger. jeeps are bad, my 84 bronco got like 13-15 and it was better then by buddies lil jeep

 

Bought my '91 Ranger XLT 2.3 4-banger 5 spd. for $2000 cash. 125k miles. I get a consistent 24 mpg. and have gotten as high as 29.8 mpg.

Stick with Ford!!

 

I know this is going to sound crazy but have you looked at a BMW 325. I got an 84 for 2 K and it got 27 mpg. The 325 is a 6 cyl with about 150HP with a 2300 pound car is alot of fun. The wear parts are dirt cheap, rotors, pads, plug wires, wipers stuff like that. Were they get you is on the cosmetic stuff. Mine had over 300K when I traded it in and got my money back. Drove it about 100 miles a day and never had a major problem. Man I miss that little car.

 

4 cyl rangers and toyota pickups get good gas mileage. I got a 89 toyota pickup with a 4cyl 5 speed gets 23mpg and its not uncommon for them to last 250k miles. Saves on gas and saves wear and tear on my 79 Fords.

 

My 97 2.3L AT Ranger gets 21mpg at 75mph...

 

my buddy gots a olds he says he'll sell me for 400, runs good with no major problems
it just looks like a piece of crap with wheels, literally its painted poo-poo brown
im searching for a ranger right now, imports are not an option
I was looking into getting a ranger before, but couldn't find anything reasonable, that's part of the trouble with living near a large city. when u finally find something cheap, it's been beat to death.
the search continues.....thx-- Matt