Homesteading Car

Rather than going with a vehicle that is supposed to get high miles per gallon we went with one that can carry a lot per gallon - a cargo van. Yes, it only gets 15 mpg but it carries 6,000 lbs and can tow another 10,000 for without much change in gas consumption. Then we consolidate our errands into trips of about one every week or two. Our time is very valuable so this cuts both gas usage and time vs driving into town frequently for little things.

It also saves on insurance since our annual mileage is lower and we have only one vehicle which further saves money on both insurance, registration, tax and maintenance.

Lastly the cargo van was very inexpensive, about $1,000, because we bought it used and there isn't much resale market for them - thus they sell for a song. We'll keep it well maintained and drive it until it dies.

I did the math and this is cheaper.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

As much as I enjoy driving Pelenaka's Aveo, there are several vehicles I wouldn't mind having. But, I only commute 2 miles each way, so MPG isn't my top priority. The Aveo is slightly larger than the Metro. Being the oldest ones are going on 5 years old they are pretty near the bottom of thier depreciation. Shoot, new ones with options are only $9-11K on our local dealers lot. I can't imagine them being much more than your price point.

At one time I had a link to a website where they sold conversions to put VW diesels in Suzuki Samari's. From what I was understanding, that's the big deal out in the desert states. The desert rats are dropping VW diesel engines into samari's and equiping them with 50-100 gallon fuel tanks. Supposedly able to travel for weeks in the back country. I wouldn't mind building myself one if I could find the time.

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http://woodsrunnerstrail.blogspot.com/

When I met my wife, she drove an early 90s lime green Geo (same as a Toyota Corolla).

I made fun of that car for years.

Then after I bought and sold some junkers, I stopped making fun of that car.

Suffice to say I have owned a Suzuki, Jeep, Volvo, and Chevy SUV in the years we have been together.

She is still driving the same car. It has required minimal maintenance and believe it or not, when she reached about 160,000 miles she had the timing belt replaced.

The guys at the shop were incredulous when they pulled out the original factory belt that was supposed to be replaced at 60,000 miles.

It has some rust now and the interior parts are starting to come apart, but I would not hesitate to put $500 in it to keep it going. I wouldn't hesitate to spend $500 on a similar Corolla or Geo if it ran and was safe. This is literally the most reliable low maintenance car I have ever come across.

My wife estimates she still gets over 35 mpg.

I have a friend who used to have a late 80s Camry that had well over 225,000 miles and all he did was regular maintenance --though he was religious about his maintenance regime and always had everything done by repair professionals (not Jiffy Lube). At the time when he sold it, 225,000 miles was still a little out of the ordinary.

Be sure to get insurance quotes before you purchase anything. Where I'm at, insurance rates for a Honda are extremely high - Hondas are "high insurance risk" vehicle due to theft.

A Geo Metro or Suzuki Swift hatchback, with a manual transmission, is IMO a very good economy vehicle - assuming you can find a good one.

My civic costs 31.00 per month liability insurance. The newer ones might be different, seems like they are high on the list for theft.
Peleneka, what's an imaginary 6th gear? The orange/red probably looks pretty cool. I used to have a few orange pinto wagons, boy did those stand out. Everybody knew where I was.

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Claycreekfarm.info

I seen a 2008 Black 2-door Honda Accord the other day that I really, really wanted. Good gas mileage and it was really nice looking. Just what I was looking for as far as cars are concerned. Not a small car but something mid sized that gets decent mileage.

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Respect The Cactus!

DON'T buy a Nissan Sentra with the small motor and an automatic. Rarely gets over 30mpg and has NO power. I think its 1.6L that we had. We had a Ford that got better gas mileage, way more power and was easier to work on.

If you want high mileage, you've got to get a 5 speed. Using various techniques (coasting, shifting at correct RPM's) you can raise your MPG.

This sounds like a terrific idea. Can you link to a site that shows vehicles like you have?

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

check craiglist. Might have to look in your nearest big city for more selection. Cities with 250K+ will have a ton of vehicles usually.

ford festivas.
5 speeds normally get 40-45 mpg.

ford feista i think 90's model hatch back 1.9 liter mazda motor in them and i avg. 45 miles to the gallon in mine sure wish i had it back. take out the back seat and put in a piece of plywood like i did when i was using it for hauling newspapers around it worked out great

When the weather gets cold and the fluids thicken up Pelenaka's Aveo sometimes seems to have an extra gate in the shifter. Usually it's between 3rd and 4th gears. I know it should be a straight pull back from third to fourth, but, this mystery spot will get you, usually when you are in traffic. LOL. Actually it doesn't happen as often as it used to now that the car has a few miles on it.

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http://woodsrunnerstrail.blogspot.com/

My DW Geo Tracker seems to get around good.

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



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Woodsrunner, "When the weather gets cold and the fluids thicken up Pelenaka's Aveo sometimes seems to have an extra gate in the shifter. Usually it's between 3rd and 4th gears. I know it should be a straight pull back from third to fourth, but, this mystery spot will get you, usually when you are in traffic".

My dear Sir, was referring to when I have it in 5th gear going around 75 er I mean 68 & it feels like it needs to be kicked up a gear.
I enjoy city driving.
As in drive like it's Mexico City, run with the bulls in L.A. rush hour, change lanes back & forth in a New York minute, don't stop for red lights after 11:00 p.m. San Juan commuting. Love nuttin better than to freak out the car behind me with a backwards roll at 'um while waiting on a red light. Tap the breaks when you see teh whites of their eyes.
When Woods & I hooneymooned in PA. he drove all the way to & from Philly. I took over when we reached the city.
The orange-red color is the intro color on '04 base model. Easy to match Hawaiian print seat cover's to. Kinda my midlife crisis with a budget car.
If the truth be know I crave those spinner hub caps & that neon under the car light system. Bet it would be great for night time fishing.
Ask Wood's about the time he chased down another red aveo who he thought was me leaving the city for work. Boy was he miffed when I didn't honk & wave back @ him, lol.

Oh few more things I forgot to say I have hauled in my hatchback - greenbeans well over 10 bushels. Packed everywhere but where I needed to sit to drive. Found dumped out in a farmer's field rejected because the canning line was closed for maintance.
Wood storm door (curb shopping) the left upper corner balance on my head drove past two state troppers. The fellas on the Rez remind me of that everytime I stop for gas now.
But if I had goats ... !
~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/

Chevy LUV or Isuzu pickup with the diesel. they have 4-wd and extended cabs and if ya get the turbo they are downright snappy.
Mine got 35 MPG,loaded ,empty , fast or slow.

I have a Saturn SL manual with 232,000 miles on it. It gets 32-40 mpg, depending on the season, driving type, and what I'm hauling. I have used that poor car to drag freshly disced fields, haul a flatbed with 2 tons of hay, (not actually a good idea) and haul up to 4 goats in the back seat/trunk. I've owned it since new. The engine & clutch are original- I learned to drive stick on that clutch- the new parts in it are the alternator, blower motor, and wheel bearings.

I sold Saturns for six years. We saw many Saturns that went over 300k with minor repairs. We had one in for oil changes that went 425k before he totalled it hitting a deer. The S-series was designed to be easy for a layman to fix & maintain, to crash right, and to last forever. It did all these things, which is probably why GM stopped making them. BTW, there were 2 parts on the car NOT made in the US, and 1 part that was shared with other GM cars.

If I was looking for another car, I'd want a 1996-2002 Saturn SW1- the station wagon version. A little more hauling room & the same kind of mpg.

Thanks Everyone, I could not find and did not buy exactually what I was looking for, but I like it. I found a Really Nice and Clean 1 owner(older couple) Ford Escort SE Sport, 5 speed, 99 model with only 45,000 miles for a good price I felt. It should get 32/34mpg. I feel I will be happy with it.

We ended up buying a 94 VW Jetta two years ago for $2200 with under 100K. It has been a great little car, ultra reliable, and had a fresh clutch and timing belt in it when we bought it. It gets 33mpg in town, 40mpg at 55-60mph, and 36mpg on the interstate at 75-80mph.

I would highly suggest spending a little more and getting the next generation model ( 99-2002 ) with the 1.9TDI diesel engine. If I could have found one of these for a decent price I would have been all over it. My best friend had one that consistently got right at 50mpg. He is still kicking himself for ever getting rid of it.

Another option to consider is a Suzuki Samurai. They make great little ranch runabouts. They get 25-30mpg generally. You can find them pretty cheap and they still have a durable 4wd system and decent ground clearance. They are basically a cheaper, and dare I say better, version of my old 1942 Willys jeep.

I would vote for a diesel if you can find one. Even having the ability to use other fuels is a big bonus in my opinion.

http://flt.en.alibaba.com/product/50...ght_Truck.html

This site lists the crash test safety data for a number of cars. Not all cars are listed of course, but you would be surprised how well some of the "smaller" cars do in the side impact tests, and how poorly some of the "bigger" cars and trucks do in the side impact tests.

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx