Capricious
Platinum Member
"..Gee, if 85% of your driving will be empty, highway, why even drive a pickup? A newer little Toyota or Subaru or even a Chevy car will give you well over 30 mpg, so why haul around an empty truck?..."
That would be my choice. The money saved on fuel costs would more than off-set the extra cost of maintaining & insuring (2) vehicles, considering the length of the commute.
I have currently available for commuting a 2013 Corolla and a 2002 Ford Ranger (and also a bicycle, which i "drove" to work this morning). In a year or two I will be replacing the Ranger with a larger truck, and you can be sure that the new truck will be parked except when I really need that large of a vehicle. The Corolla will be the commuter vehicle.
Since I would be freed from concerns over "commuting mileage," I will be able to spec. the truck to do what I really need it to do. And since it will not be a "daily driver," I can live without a lot of the "upgraded options" that can almost double the price of a truck. In fact, the price difference between a "work truck" and a "up-graded trim" truck would come close to paying for an economy commuter.
I can't afford to spend a lot of money on a truck for heavy hauling, just to wear it out commmuting with less than 200 lbs in it.
That would be my choice. The money saved on fuel costs would more than off-set the extra cost of maintaining & insuring (2) vehicles, considering the length of the commute.
I have currently available for commuting a 2013 Corolla and a 2002 Ford Ranger (and also a bicycle, which i "drove" to work this morning). In a year or two I will be replacing the Ranger with a larger truck, and you can be sure that the new truck will be parked except when I really need that large of a vehicle. The Corolla will be the commuter vehicle.
Since I would be freed from concerns over "commuting mileage," I will be able to spec. the truck to do what I really need it to do. And since it will not be a "daily driver," I can live without a lot of the "upgraded options" that can almost double the price of a truck. In fact, the price difference between a "work truck" and a "up-graded trim" truck would come close to paying for an economy commuter.
I can't afford to spend a lot of money on a truck for heavy hauling, just to wear it out commmuting with less than 200 lbs in it.