I drive a beater $900 88 toyota pickup.. 4 cylinder 4 spd manual daily, and my truck stays parked most of the time... I love that little truck.
Scott

EDIT: 213k miles and still going strong.. I'd drive it across the country tomorrow.
Scott

 

Thanks for the suggestions and thoughts. I've run the numbers on getting a commuting car and I'm not doing it just for fuel $$$ savings. I'm thinking of buying an 03 or early 04 305 HP Cummins in the low $20s and buy a car for around $6-7. The Dodge will be a 48RE automatic, but if I had to drive the 48RE every day I think I would end up slitting my wrist. If the truck was my daily driver I would end up getting an 06 Duramax/Ally which would cost the same as my truck/car combination that I have in mind. The car will be much easier to get around town in and plus I won't get a pit in my stomach when I go take a short road-trip like would if I drove the empty truck burning $0.25 worth of fuel every mile.

 

I just bought a 99 Chevrolet Prism (which is basically a toyota corolla) with 106000 miles on it for $1500. Granted, I look like a dork driving it, but it gets great mileage, and should last a few years.

 

Two years ago I bought a 97 Jeep Wrangler 4cyl 5spd for 4K. It gets 20mpg but the fuel is cheaper and it is a BLAST to drive around. Just not on the highway!!!

Plus it doubles as a weekend wheeler toy!

 

Not to belabor the point but,I picked up a beater Honda 2001 5spd civic.This piece of popcorn gets 29/32 in town and 42 @ 65 on the freeway.My motorcycle only gets 22/25 on the freeway@ 65.Car has radio and heater,motorcycle does not.

 

I know what you mean about the MPG's. I ride a motorcycle when I don't need the truck. I would stay away from a VW. I don't know about the diesel versions, but the gas versions are hard to work on & and parts are expensive.

 

Mine cost only $2,000. 85 MPG and aside from looking goofy while riding, it's a fun ride. The only downsides to a scooter are, no interstates (it's illegal), and they are slower (my top speed is 40 MPH, normally cruise at 25-30).

Makes a great commuter for me, since I live less than 5 miles to work.

 

Back in 1995 I had an 811 mile commute 1 way (once a week). I bought a 92 Geo Prism for less than $5,000 with low mileage. When I sold it 5 year later I had 300,000 miles on it. Still had the original clutch. It needed new valve guides, so it smoked a little when first lit off. I sold it to a man I worked with who had a much shorter commute (about 200 miles a week). I no longer work there but I heard that he is still driving it. You are right, they are a re-badged Corolla. Great buy in a commuter car. Are you sure that the dorkiness has anything to do with driving the Prism? Just kidding.

 

I just saw an ad in my local newspaper for new 50 CC scooters priced between $850-$935.00 an they claimed to get 100 MPG.

 

I may get flamed for this... but how about a 97-01 manual 3 series BMW?
They can be had for around $7k and get about 28mpg on average (up to 34mpg on the interstate).

 

cost me about $3.00 to go 150 miles in my CNG ford contour!!!

 

I just read a news story about this and apparently dealers in Utah and other western states are buying up all the used CNG vehicles they can and shipping them back west.

It sounds like finding a used CNG vehicle would be fairly difficult due to demand.

 

You guys running CNG, do you pay the road taxes on the fuel were you buy it or does your state want you to keep track of your miles and pay in. I read that if you order a CNG civic they offer a filling station that you can hook on your gas meter at home.

 

If you want a good commuter car in the $4,000 to $7,000 range, the Honda Civic, Accord, or Toyota Camry are solid choices. They last a long time if well maintained. The Mazda 3 is also a good option with decent gas mileage.

The VW Jetta or Passat can be expensive to fix, especially the TDI models. If you go with one, make sure it has a good maintenance history. Kia and Hyundai can be good, but some models have engine issues, so check reviews before buying.

No matter which car you pick, always get a vehicle inspection report or have a mechanic check it before buying. You can also look at online auctions for better deals.