Advice on a work ride, but i need more then gas mileage. any ideas?

[beason]

I will be starting a new job next week, and will be driving quite a bit more then i do now (i live 2.8 miles from work now...) They are paying me more, but i dont want to burn it all on gas.

I would like to eventually pick up something that gets better gas mileage then the titan, and so i can keep from piling on the miles on my baby. BUT here is the deal.

Houston has the bad habit of flooding, plus i will be on Galveston island as well, and that one floods too. I don't want to get stuck at work, or downtown somewhere because there is 2 ft of water on the road and I'm in a civic.

So here is the criteria.

Good gas mileage. (better then the 14mpg I'm getting in the T)

high profile. doesn't have to be 4wd, or anything but higher then a car. can i put a snorkel on a Honda?

reliable. I will be in Houston traffic, and driving about 40 to 80 miles a day total.

fairly cheep. I'm looking for like 2k. 4k tops.

i don't need anything fancy, as long as it runs good, and has a good AC.

I was thinking like a rodeo, or pathfinder or something.

anyone have any other ideas?

 

[SteelCityNitro]

I have a ford ranger with a 2.3 liter and 5speed manual. It goes GREAT in the snow and everything else. I can put 40 bucks in the tank and it will last me all week

 

[beason]

I already have a truck, so i would like to have something else. Although $40 a week sounds very nice. how many miles do you drive?

 

[bergoff]

I would say that a small suv would be a good bet. Maybe a jeep with a 4 cylinder or a Cherokee would be good.

 

[savagefan04]

used jeep would be my pick. maybe a cherokee sport?

 

[beason]

I havent heard much good on the reliablilty of cherokees. i like the look of the pathfinders and 4 runners but i dont have any idea how well they do on gas.

anyone own or owned a late 90s small suv and have real life experience on gas mileage?

 

[bergoff]

I have a 99 grand Cherokee with a 4.0 straight 6 4x4 it gets 24mpg on the highway. It has been great to me I've owned it for 8 years with no major issues. My uncle has a 97 with 450k on it and its still running stong. He has an hr commute one way. I get about 325 miles per tank.

 

[B-MILLER]

ford ranger is the way to go.Just sold mine 2 weeks ago after getting a f150. The ranger was a 93 and had 223k miles on it. Great on gas and Great small truck to zoom pass traffic. I miss it

 

[abadk9420]

I guess a smart car is out of the question, LOL!!!! Maybe a Used Ford Escape, small, good on gas, just an idea.

 

[2revo1maxx]

A cherokee would be an ideal vehicle. Just make sure the front end is good. You could also get a pathfinder, but they're gonna cost more and/or have higher miles.

 

[godale03]

I havent heard much good on the reliablilty of cherokees. i like the look of the pathfinders and 4 runners but i dont have any idea how well they do on gas.

anyone own or owned a late 90s small suv and have real life experience on gas mileage?

I have an 04 4runner... great vehicle but not any good on gas at all. I have the V6 version not the V8 and I am getting only about 22,23 miles a gallon. Now don't get me wrong... I love it, I just don't think it is going to get you the gas milage you are looking for. Have you looked at the RAV4's?

 

[beason]

23mpg is great!! my titan gets 14... :hammer:

Someone on another site suggested getting a civic and making it a donk.

i want to know if its possible to snorkel a honda.

 

[robmob]

I have a 96 4-Runner 4WD with the 3.5 V6. It gets about 20mph on average. I drive more in the city than on freeways nowadays with it since I drive a company car for work.

 

[Lessen]

Spend 2-3k on a cheap civic and put an airbag suspension in it. 30mpg, reliability and the ability to get through higher waters than normal cars can. Just a thought. It might seem a bit much but there's a big difference between 20mpg small suv and 30mpg compact especially at the projected 20k miles/year you'll be driving it. You'll get your suspension money back in gas mileage eventually.

 

[brokeitagain]

Look up monster smart car on youtube. Its a smart car with a busa engine on like 40s or somethin dumb. That's best of both worlds lmao. I would say rav 4 or isuzu rodea would b perfect. Our neighborhood I grew up in flooded regularly behind the dam coming in and we had three neighbors with rodeos. They never had issues, did great in snow and ice on the huge hills in our subdivision and they had all had a 30+ mile commute every day too and said they got good mpg.

 

[SteelCityNitro]

I already have a truck, so i would like to have something else. Although $40 a week sounds very nice. how many miles do you drive?

between 60 and 80 miles most of the time

 

[beason]

a week? i will be doing that a day.

 

[General Lee]

Toyota Tacoma...I hate any japcrap cars but if you want reliable, something that snorkles, good ac, cheap etc...

Toyota Tacoma...with a tune up, made into a prerunner, big ass mudders, right lift, extended cab 6 cylinder you'll get decent power, mudding abillities, reliable and great gas milage.

Id go with a 3500 dually chevy slammed with a fast bag setup on some alcoas. Hehehe the bigger the better. Your looking at 1000 mi per tank on diesel fuel but the tank is 50 gallons hehehee.

I'm assuming Toyota Tacoma it is hehehe...

"It's Only Money, Right?!

 

[beason]

i already have a 4 door nissan titan so i have the "big ass truck" part covered. I'm liking the taco idea, but 2 trucks may be overkill.

 

[slowngreen]

90's 4 runner. Or a Subaru Outback, they are really cool cars and go through crazy snow!