I am in high school and the gas prices are really taking a toll on my wallet. i currently drive a 2004 f150 with 35's and don't quite get the best gas mileage. i am thinking that instead o spending 1500 bucks on gears, i can buy an old beater truck or suv (preferably 4x4) that gets good mileage. Suggestions???

 

I bought a 1994 F150 4x4 Custom with the 6cyl auto and 98,000 miles for $1400.

I get 18mpg daily driving city/highway with 85 octane 10-15% oxygenated fuels (due to our altitude and local emissions fuel requirements). So if you can run true gas at 87 octane you should get even better milage.

 

Id say find you a ranger, S-10... ect 4cl or v6 they will get better milage and you can still have 4X4... i had a 2wd '91 ext cab ranger with the 4.0 V6 5 speed in high school I got 20mpg 200,000 miles and would give all my buddies rice burrners a run... i loved that lil truck.. lol

 

Good mileage, old body styles, 4x4, and high school budget don't fit together easily.

Adrianspeeder

 

Get an econo-box (Escort, Civic, etc.) as a beater and keep your truck for weekends, etc.

 

stay away from the bigger trucks. If you look at my sig, there are lots of older F-150's in there, and they all got crappy MPG. My 2006 F-150 gets better MPG than any of them ever did.

of the bunch, the 4.9 was the best, but it got a whopping 15 mpg highway in Texas.

I think you'd be better off with a I4 Ranger, or a 4.56 regear in your current truck

 

my 93 f150 4x4 5.0 has 31x10.50 bridgestone dueler a/t tires on it and factory 3.55 gears and i was getting 13 mpg on average around town and thats driving it hard. i just drove it on the freeway for the first time and i was getting 22mpg on flat land at 70mph with windows open and 16-17 on hilly roads. i've got a jasper stage 1 5.0, k&n cai and dual exhaust, and hypertech chip.

 

I agree on buying a beater car, not truck. Why own two trucks?

Buy a beater for cheap, get 30 mpg.

If you must have a truck, find a 4-banger 5-speed Ranger.

 

Yea, here's the thing about cars, i hate em!!!! My buddy has a '99 eclipse convertible that gets about 32 mpg, but it is such a piece, it just wouldn't be worth the hassle. But i know all about old f150's. my cousin has a manual 1991 with a I6 2wd that gets like 17-18, and another buddy has a '92 I6 auto that gets about 15 (our current jumping truck). I also want something i can jump, as dumb as that may sound. I was thinking about an old ranger, or maybe a toyota mini-truck.

 

Basicly even if it gets 50mpg, your parts budget on said beater truck will cost a lot

IF you have the money, spend it, but it's going to be big bills.

Well, I do that for fun...

Adrianspeeder

 

Basically, buying a second vehicle to save money is a fool's errand. Either the initial expense or the ongoing maintenance combined with things like license plates and insurance is going to eat up whatever savings you might expect to see from its improved fuel economy. If the 2004 is paid for, then just drive it. Keep the tires inflated, keep your foot out of the gas and reduce your highway speeds.

If the 2004 is not paid for and you're not upside down on the loan then sell it and buy something you can afford to drive. It's not about image, it's about transportation.

 

So really you just want another vehicle to screw around with then, that I can relate. It won't be saving any money though, but that may not really be your objective.

As for the Toyota, they are going to cost you more, but they are bullet proof. The good thing about any vehicle that is a beater, is that they have already hit rock bottom and you won't loose much when you get rid of them in a few years.

I had a 1990 Geo Storm GSI beater I bought for $1,500 years ago. I sold it 3 years later with 30,000 miles with nothing more than basic maintenance for $1,500!!! I lost nothing on the price of the car.

 

:thumbsupThe 04 is paid for, paid for from the beginning. My part of the truck is not paid for, but my dad prefers buying things in cash.
As for improving my mileage, there is not much more that i can do. I do everything i can to get 15. It's tough with short gears (3.55's) and tall tires (35's). And also, when you're in high school, it is about image, and muddin

 

Adrianspeeder

 

c'mon, you know.