Am I making a mistake? Daily driver thoughts (1 Viewer)

[robmobile73]

I'm assuming you want to DD a 40 year old mini-truck because it is simple and you can fix anything that breaks(assuming you do your own mechanic work). 55mph on the highway in a 4cyl gas mini truck 2wd is likely a 22-24mpg venture. The holy grail of fuel economy in a mini truck are the isuzu diesel AKA Chevy Luv pickups. 75MPH top speed running AC. 82mph top speed with air turned off. Hard to hold highway speed on uphills without downshifting to 4th. Will get 40-45 mpg on highway and 35-40 in town. They are actually quite quiet on the road compared to most diesels, but vibration sitting at idle is there. You'd be hard pressed to find one for sale that isn't really in bad shape now. Rust and poor quality interiors are the norm for 80's japanese trucks.
late 90's ford rangers are good vehicles. 98' with 5speed and 4cyl got me 24 in mix highway city driving.

Americans today are alot bigger than Japanese. We are also fatter on average than people in the 70's and 80's. Those small Japanese vehicles from the 70's and 80's got good fuel mileage because they were small, with small engines, and gasoline didn't have ethanol. If you're under 5'10" and 190lb you'll probably be comfortable enough in one. Over 6' and over 225lb probably not very comfortable for long.

 

[Kris]

I've had more 80's trucks as DD's than I can count at the moment. All the 4wd's got 16-22 mpg with either stock or up-sized tires. I replaced a clutch on a 2wd and drove it around for a while and it was a frickin cruiser compared to the 4wd's. A buddy had a 2wd with the 2LT and, although it was cool, it was gutless comparatively to a 22r.

Unless your 20 miles goes up and down a mountain pass, I bet you'll get pretty close to your mpg goals.

The 2wd's didn't get EFI until pretty late. Maybe 88-89? So you're stuck with a carb, but that's not the worst thing.

I always keep my eye out for a 2wd in case the right one crosses my path. Good luck.

 

[gnob]

2wds had efi same as 4wd. carbs went through 91 vs 4wd died in 88

 

[Manhattan]

I have an '84 Xtra Cab with 60,500 miles on it that starts and runs like it (must have) in 1984. The interior is new, e.g., new carpet, seats, etc. It's got Apple CarPlay. I love this thing... except on the highway. I feel like I'm at the mercy of every other vehicle on the road. It just feels out of place on the Atlanta's 16-lane, 80 mph highways. I tolerate it for the few times I have to get on the highway. As a DD, nope. I'd rather have a new(ish) Civic.

Note: I've been driving the truck a lot recently. My wife and I are sharing my 100 Series 'til the car market gets back to normal(ish). I definitely plan around being able to use the 100 if I go anywhere other than local.

 

[ozarkmud]

I'm taller than you and for me the mini truck is fine. I've owned a couple 2wd 22RE 5-speed pickups and a 4x4 22RE 5-speed. I definitely prefer a 4Runner as a daily driver, however the pickup is totally fine (I've commuted in them). In 2wd, the 22RE manual is zippy enough and easily gets 25MPG. Great for hauling trash. Not great if you want a 4x4, but if you don't need a 4x4, you're better off without.

4wd 22RE has always been a dog for me, but it works. I personally like the 3.0 5-speeds a lot, but for your case I think your idea is very sensible. I'd do the same.

 

[Manhattan]

How it fits is objective. How it drives is subjective. This is where it gets hard to use anyone else's input. Someone who's used to older, cheaper DDs vs. someone who's used to newer, high-end DDs will have vastly different takes on DD'ing a 38-year-old 105-hp mini truck. You are just going to have to do some test drives.

 

[aztoyman]

The most fuel efficient Toyota truck I ever owned was a 1987 base model 2wd pickup with a 4 speed and carburetor. I bought it in 1989.

It had a vinyl bench seat, no stereo, no A/C and I don't think it had power steering. I did buy a factory A/C kit from a magazine ad if you can remember those.

I bought it from a Toyota dealership and they also had a better model I showed more interest in because it had a 5 speed and I was looking for gas mileage. New job was a 60 mile drive.

The salesman said drive them both first. That the 4 speed would probably be my choice. He was right.

I got mid to high 20mpg. The tiny tires were cheap and I racked up about 40K miles a year on it. I'm 6'3" and even back then I was about 210#. It was no Cadillac, it was my commuter. It was a fun little truck.

 

[mongoose2231]

Ok, imma chime in here as well, my 2cents.
I daily drove my 86 4wd for about 6 months with a 140 mile round trip commute. The little thing was awesome, never let he down and kept with the highway speeds just fine. I did however get 16 to 17mpg because I never took it easy.
I say go for it, I don't see the downside.
Forget about all the new plastic rolling around on wheels.
Old school is how I like to roll.

 

[whiteyota]

Find one to drive, simulate or do your actual commute.
Track mileage, figure mpg, do the math.
Buy it, or dont.

 

[Dusten]

Ok, imma chime in here as well, my 2cents.
I daily drove my 86 4wd for about 6 months with a 140 mile round trip commute. The little thing was awesome, never let he down and kept with the highway speeds just fine. I did however get 16 to 17mpg because I never took it easy.
I say go for it, I don't see the downside.
Forget about all the new plastic rolling around on wheels.
Old school is how I like to roll.

That why I assumed mid to low 20s. Is I see 4wd's with that kind of mileage.

Find one to drive, simulate or do your actual commute.
Track mileage, figure mpg, do the math.
Buy it, or dont.

I don't know a single person who owns one. I'd honestly borrow one if I knew of one.

 

[Woodini]

No risk no reward!
Buy what you want!

 

[Dusten]

Well I decided to do the smart thing and I bought a 2001 Honda Accord that I've been dailying since September. Does 28 to 29 on my commute and has been extremely reliable. It's also extremely boring and I'm already tired of it. I decided to go to mini truck route but I'm getting something that's not Toyota, I'm picking this up on Saturday, and selling the Honda on Sunday.

 

[gnob]

very nice. one of my favorites.

 

[whiteyota]

Sweet truck, looks to be in good condition.

 

[120mm]

Looks straight!

Cool little truck.

 

[pappy]

I learned to drive a stick shift on a Datsun truck while working at a nursery back in the early 70's. Way cool truck. I'm surprised you found something that clean considering how old it is.

 

[Dusten]

I learned to drive a stick shift on a Datsun truck while working at a nursery back in the early 70's. Way cool truck. I'm surprised you found something that clean considering how old it is.

Well it wasn't cheap. But I found one