Is your TV also your every day driver?

[Evergreengirl]

I guess we're a little different. We have two vehicles. One is very fuel efficient and one is not.

Our TV is a 1995 Ford E-150 van with a 5.8L V-8 engine. It has about 90,000 miles on it and is still getting the trailer where we want to go. My husband wanted a van for its cargo carrying capacity and versatility. He's an avid bicyclist and when we go camping he can put two bikes in it and we still have room left over for all our other other gear. It's nice to be able to put everything inside our vehicle. It can carry 7 passengers or take the seats out and it makes an acceptable camping or cargo van. Mileage kinda sucks - about 11 mpg towing the trailer, maybe 14 mpg when not.

Our main vehicle is a 2011 Prius and now it does get good mileage - 50-55 mpg in the city and 60 mpg out on the highway. As you can well imagine we use it for just about everything but camping!

[Victor Benz]

My tow vehicle is a 1999 Toyota 4Runner V6 standard, with over 370,000 km on it. My daily driver is a 2010 Toyota Matrix, since my work commute is about 150 km return!

Vic

[Harvey]

Actually, we have 3 vehicles. Wife's 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, just turned 50K miles. We've towed our teardrop with it on a couple of trips. It's a 2.7L V-6, auto trans. Gets around 27-28mpg hiway or city, & 22mpg or so towing the approx 1200lb teardrop. Gets used very seldom & just turned 50K actual miles since new. Makes a 75 mile round trip to the local Air Force Base about once a month & for wife's short trips shopping & to the local re-cycle bins every week or so. Kids'n grandkids probably borrow & use it more'n we do

My 2008 Toyota Tacoma 4X4, crew cab with 'hi rise' FG camper shell is our everyday driver & primary tow vehicle. It is the 4.0L V-6, 5-spd auto trans & provides lots of power for towing the TD, our '84 Scamp 13, a '95 Starcraft Meteorite Pop-Up trailer, or a Tracker 17' Alum boat w/50hp Merc engine. From purchase in 2008 it avg'd about 21-22mpg overall (city/hwy) truck only, & 19mpg or so towing any of the camper trailers, & about 16-17 towing the boat. Recent fuel efficiency had gone down to around 17mpg towing the campers. It was approaching 75K miles so I took it in to the local dealer for a check-up. While being serviced the 'service writer' approached me & noted that their records indicated the spark plugs had never been changed. I said "that's right" & she said the truck came with 30K mi plugs (I was told when I bought the truck that it should go 75K-100K miles before needing a tune-up). I told 'em to do a complete tune-up, which they did plus all the other 75K checks & maint items. It's now back to original towing gas mileage & gets even better city/hwy mileage than before.

I have an old single cab '85 Ford F-250 w/6.9L diesel & T-6 auto trans. It mostly sits in the backyard & carries a '95 SunLite Eagle pop-up cabover camper to my hunting camp in the fall or to a local lake for a month or so fishing every spring. Its air conditioner no longer works so it only gets used spring & fall, probably less than 500 miles annually. I also dismount the camper & use it for 'heavy hauling' when needed. At approx 165K miles, most diesel enthusiasts say it's just getting 'brok in' & should have lotsa miles left even if I don't put 'em on it

I keep all three vehicles since they each serve a needed purpose & license/upkeep are minimal. I only carry Liability insurance on the Santa Fe & the old Ford P/U. License plates for each are $5 annually (retired military & Viet Nam Vet). Full coverage insurance on the Tacoma is somewhat expensive but necessary. Couple of years ago my son 'gifted' me with an Arkansas Game & Fish Commission vanity plate which has to be renewed each year at extra cost

We could probably 'rid' ourselves of a couple of the campers & the old truck & save a few bucks. On the other hand we're still active enough to use them for different purposes so they'll probably stay

[2yax2go]

While our 2003 Dodge Durango isn't our every day driver, it does get a lot of use when not towing. We no longer have an open bed truck so it is our garbage hauler and our toter of big stuff that won't fit in the 2007 Pontiac Vibe that we use for most everything else.

If that very economical Vibe would pull our 16' Scamp we'd use it as the tug. But, she's only rated for 1500 lbs.

One day we'll whittle down to one semi-economical vehicle that acts as both tug and day car, but for now this is what works for us.

Josie

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by 2yax2go

One day we'll whittle down to one semi-economical vehicle that acts as both tug and day car, but for now this is what works for us. Josie

That is my dream/plan. It will have to wait at least three more years until the kid gets out of private school though.