Daily Driver

[Tractor Seabee]

I have work in or around construction all my life. Never encountered a company that did not provide a company vehicle to their superintendents and project managers, sometimes down to foremen and general foremen to drive as their own. That is not even a union contract requirement just an expected perk of the positions. I have been a project manager and never asked for one, it just came along. One company I worked for decided to cut that perk and wanted to pay mileage for our own truck we were expected to then furnish. Guess how long that lasted. I staffed up a new project once and the company wanted me to get compact cars for the superintendents/gen foremen It was not an in the dirt project. First day they came on the job they asked "where is my 4X4 pickup. They were all existing company men on a re-hire after an end of project lay-off. Another one of those "guess how long it lasted". Progressive companies like the advertising on their vehicles, helps prevent bad driving by employees, and gives instant recognition on who is coming into the job.

Back to the question; I still like the idea of a pickup like a F150 with a lockable tool box. Economical transportation, functional, and can haul most anything you would be faced with. I think a diesel in your case is an expensive overkill both operational and maintenance when it is mostly coming out of your pocket. Re-look at the tax ramifications with your accountant. If you are on night/weekend recall to your projects, that may negate the mileage to and from work situation. The new tax code, I have heard, states over 100m/day commuting is deductible on schedule A as a condition of work.

Ron

 

[pmsmechanic]

To it looks like you could save money by driving two different vehicles. One that gets good mileage for commuting and one for work. Just leave the work vehicle at work.

 

[4570Man]

I sold my half ton pickup and until I come across a deal I can’t not buy I’ll probably never have another one. My Suburban is way more useful. Having way more room and 3 doors for access doesn’t even compare to a silly toolbox in the bed that you need a ladder to reach. Since you already have an suv you probably understand how nice the dry storage is.

 

[4570Man]

My wife and I are still considering going out to AZ and finding a good body 93 Suburban K2500 with a bazillion miles, nursing it back here to Indiana, and as you said, swapping in a modern LS engine, re-do the suspension and breaks, then driving it for 10-15 more years. I figure I can pick one up for $3-4K, junkyard engine and tranny for $1K, $1K in tires/rims, anyhow, well under $10K.

We've had our 93 K1500 for 11 years. I paid $6K for it and only have $1K into it. I could sell it for $1K easy. So back to $6K for 11 years. That's about $45 a month for transportation for the past 11 years.

Why not just buy a 2000s or newer one? Sure it’ll cost more but you’re looking at several grand of work. I had a 1990s half ton suburban with no motor and no rust that I sold for $600. Here you go. Who wouldn’t want a gas guzzling pass anything but a gas station 8.1 suburban?

 

[Garandman]

If you build something custom and it breaks, it will be a challenge to find someone to work on it.

Not personally a CR-V fan as their AWD system is marginal.

What is the weight of the equipment you need to carry?

Does another Crossover work, or do you need a pickup?

There are more than 25 Crossovers on the market and fitting boosters to the rear struts will improve load hauling.

Air Springs | Air Suspension Kits | Air Lift Company

 

[dodge man]

I am a land surveyor and have been doing it for 34 years. Now that you specified your needs I can recommend just getting a half ton pick up. I have worked out of everything, pick ups, vans, mini vans, Bronco II, Suburban, station wagons and cars. We carry close to 1000 pounds of gear.

We use toppers with side doors and have a “custom” plywood box to hold our gear. The box holds our tripods and gets stuff off the bed floor so you can reach it from the sides. I say custom box because it’s about 30 years old and beat to crap but it is heavy.

If you are not worried about a lot of options get a base 4x4 truck with a V6. We have a couple of Rams with the V6. They are quad cabs with the smaller back seat. The back seat is mostly just used for our personal cloths and stuff. The best I can say is they are not as under powered as you would think. On the highway they can get an honest 20 mpg on a regular basis. We probably average 14 mpg but we do a lot of idling and in town driving. They have rubber floor mats and are fairly easy to keep clean. Ford also makes a base model truck that is good.

I have worked with a lot of different construction companies. And it is about 50-50 on if you drive a company truck or your personal truck.

 

[terryknight]

the F150 with the 2.7 ecoboost is rated at 19/24 (4wd) 20/26 (2wd). and a 3.0 diesel option that should do even better, with more upfront cost and maintenance

my father has an 05 suburban, it is comfortable, it can tow, it gets an honest 20+ MPG on the highway. it was fairly cheap to by used. while the drivetrain is reliable i have issues with GMs and all the electronic features that don't always work as well as the rust issues of the rockers and brake lines. new version may not have these issues

I have an 04 grand cherokee it will do 25 MPG on the highway it is comfortable will tow, but not much and sucks down the fuel doing so. it was cheap to by and cheap to run.

my wife has a 16 subaru forester it is comfortable, but only in the driver's seat. maybe if the passenger seat was power i could get it lower and be comfortable. it "can" tow. i haven't check the MPGs but my wife says upper 20s back roads and a little in town low 30s highway.

i like the ridgeline idea. yes it's ugly, but it should be reliable, comfortable, and be able to tow 5000lbs. you can get a cap for the bed, it user friendly. yes it's ugly. then sell the 2500

 

[groundcover]

I’m with Tractor Seabee- company owned F150 , I’ll write you a note to headquarters if you like !

 

[3930dave]

As has been knocked around.... lots of trade-offs, doing this in one vehicle.

Comparing 2010 models, the Ridgeline gives up 4mpg to the CRV. (Graph centre point, Fuelly). So, you could add something like a Thule topper to the CRV to gain long-item space, and probably still be ahead on gas. Old CRVs had pretty tiny interiors, newer ones are a bit larger.

Tall vans are nice to work out of, IMO. A tall turbo-diesel 4x4 van would do everything pretty well, but that's not a cheque I'd want to cut, w/o a full business write-off.

My neighbour is an HVAC contractor. One of his latest trucks is a Sprinter diesel bought just off-lease. If you can get your head around using a 2wd, it's not a bad solution..... his does fine now that he upgraded the tires to BFG All Terrains.

Lot's of cost scenarios crashz...... if you have overnite parking there, you could even commute in an econobox, and park an old p/u truck at work.....

Rgds, D.

 

[crashz]

When I joined this company it was a condition of hire. They would have given me an Escape, but were having all kinds of issues (mechanical and driver related) so they offered a little more pay in lieu of the company vehicle. I turned in a 2014 extended cab 4x4 F150 at my last company. That truck was really great. It would be contender, but the newer trucks are wicked expensive.

4570 is right, lockable dry space is handy.

Thanks for the heads up on the tax updates. That would be a big help.

Its funny, I have a work colleague that is convinced that a Prius is the vehicle for me. He states that the interior space is better that my current CRV, is more comfortable and I'll nearly double my mileage.

I was thinking that if I was to build, I should start now. If I buy, I should start squirreling some cash away. I think that was question # one, and the answer is to buy new or late model. Got some time to sit in seats and try things out. Not only that, but I have plenty of project trucks already...

BTW- I just realized that I started a similar thread, same title, 6 years ago. Funny how things circle back.