I have a friend who had a Subaru Outback with a small trailer and a roof rack. Between the two there was nothing he was left wanting to get to/from his house that he couldn't.
Going from a truck to a car
- Thread starter ARB1977
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I grew up driving pickups and I love them for their utility. But when gas prices escalated in the early 2000's I finally sold my beloved 1994 F-150 in 2004 and I have lived pickup truck free since then.
My ongoing deal with my wife lets me ride fancy motorcycles in exchange for driving her old hand-me-down cars. This is an acceptable arrangement for me and my current car is the Civic in my sig line that we bought new in 2001.
At this time it has 212k on the odo and has a few issues. I am about to spend $2000+ on tires, clutch and timing belt. I could buy a new car but I think that I will be better off spending a few bucks on my beater.
I love getting 35mpg every day and hooking up my utility trailer only when I need it.
My ongoing deal with my wife lets me ride fancy motorcycles in exchange for driving her old hand-me-down cars. This is an acceptable arrangement for me and my current car is the Civic in my sig line that we bought new in 2001.
At this time it has 212k on the odo and has a few issues. I am about to spend $2000+ on tires, clutch and timing belt. I could buy a new car but I think that I will be better off spending a few bucks on my beater.
I love getting 35mpg every day and hooking up my utility trailer only when I need it.
A 5x8 landscape trailer behind your CRV pretty much equals a temporary pickup. Plus you can drop the trailer when its loaded and leave it there for however long you want.
I often pickup firewood along my commuting route and a small trailer is great for taking the atv to the site, moving the trailer with the atv to load it, then putting the trailer behind the Tracker to take home. Then I can unhook it and unload it when I have time.
This way I can haul cords and cords without using much extra gas or time compared to making dedicated wood hauling trips.
My advice is to make sure your pickup replacement vehicle does get alot better mileage.
I like our wagon and it has the same cargo volume as your CRV and roof racks you can reach, but the auto version doesn't get great mileage for some reason. Our 5 speed is averaging 34mpg which is fine, but I expected abit more.
I often pickup firewood along my commuting route and a small trailer is great for taking the atv to the site, moving the trailer with the atv to load it, then putting the trailer behind the Tracker to take home. Then I can unhook it and unload it when I have time.
This way I can haul cords and cords without using much extra gas or time compared to making dedicated wood hauling trips.
My advice is to make sure your pickup replacement vehicle does get alot better mileage.
I like our wagon and it has the same cargo volume as your CRV and roof racks you can reach, but the auto version doesn't get great mileage for some reason. Our 5 speed is averaging 34mpg which is fine, but I expected abit more.
I'd take a decent sized car or SUV with a small utility trailer over a truck any day of the week.
Unless a truck owner is a contractor or works for a company that requires constant use of the bed, I bet almost 90% of truck owners would be fine with a trailer. Most trucks I see on a daily basis are empty.
I have a 5x8 utility trailer with a ramp, and it can haul anything I'd ever need. It is also much easier to load than a truck, considering most trucks are insanely high off the ground now and the average person can barely see into the bed, never mind lift something in there. The ramp of the trailer makes loading anything with wheels much easier. I've helped customers load lawn tractors and other equipment into trucks and it is a nightmare, especially trucks that are higher off the ground. The ramps are usually at such a steep angle into the bed that loading the equipment is difficult and dangerous. I helped a friend move, and my trailer had all the heavy items that nobody wanted to lift into their truck. A dolly made quick work of the fridge, entertainment center, and other furniture.
The trailer is cheap to own, its light enough where I can move it around by hand, and it can be detached when not needed. I still don't see why most of my friends drive trucks when most of the time they drive around with 6' or 8' of empty space behind the passenger compartment.
Unless a truck owner is a contractor or works for a company that requires constant use of the bed, I bet almost 90% of truck owners would be fine with a trailer. Most trucks I see on a daily basis are empty.
I have a 5x8 utility trailer with a ramp, and it can haul anything I'd ever need. It is also much easier to load than a truck, considering most trucks are insanely high off the ground now and the average person can barely see into the bed, never mind lift something in there. The ramp of the trailer makes loading anything with wheels much easier. I've helped customers load lawn tractors and other equipment into trucks and it is a nightmare, especially trucks that are higher off the ground. The ramps are usually at such a steep angle into the bed that loading the equipment is difficult and dangerous. I helped a friend move, and my trailer had all the heavy items that nobody wanted to lift into their truck. A dolly made quick work of the fridge, entertainment center, and other furniture.
The trailer is cheap to own, its light enough where I can move it around by hand, and it can be detached when not needed. I still don't see why most of my friends drive trucks when most of the time they drive around with 6' or 8' of empty space behind the passenger compartment.
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I sold my '97 Dodge Dakota and replaced it with a 5x8 utility trailer and don't regret it a bit. In our case, I think the decision was even easier: the Dakota was a third vehicle for us and was rarely used. I tow the 5x8 trailer with our CR-V almost every weekend doing yard jobs and such. The trailer works so much better for us than the truck.
I dislike driving trucks and prefer the fuel mileage and handling of a car.
I don't have a lot of [censored] that needs to follow me around so I find the average 4 door sedan to have tons of room.
I don't have a lot of [censored] that needs to follow me around so I find the average 4 door sedan to have tons of room.
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Originally Posted By: ARB1977
For those of you who done it. Have you had any regrets? I don't use the truck bed too often but when I do it's nice. I would say it gets used four times a year mainly hauling yard waste to the dump.
I love my truck but its not very practical for the family.
While not done for "family" reasons I went from driving almost nothing but full sized trucks since the early 90's( one suv and a Tacoma in there )to something more economical due to financial reasons after I became disabled in 2009. I stuck with the truck for 2 years longer than I should. In 2011 I finally made the move and downsized. I won't lie and tell you I don't miss the truck because I do, a LOT! However, I can say in all honesty I do not miss the higher payments, insurance, registration fee, and especially the much higher monthly fuel bill.
I still needed some 4WD ability and towing ability so a "car" as you have in the title didn't work for me. Instead I went with a suv/cuv. I bought a 4WD Jeep Patriot. It has done everything I need it to do for far less money. Every time I start missing having a truck I think about that 14 MPG I was getting vs the 24 MPG I am getting now and the payment that is less than just my truck's fuel bill was.
Once you have had a truck you will always want one. However, you won't die if you move on to something more suited to your needs. The few times a year that I could now really use the bed just are not worth the expense. I find other means to do what is needed.
Not exactly what you asked but FWIW.
Went from...
2008 Dodge Ram
1500 Quad Cab SLT
5.7L HEMI 4WD
To a...
2011 Jeep Patriot
Latitude
2.4L 4WD
It tows my boat too although the boat is bigger than it is
...
For those of you who done it. Have you had any regrets? I don't use the truck bed too often but when I do it's nice. I would say it gets used four times a year mainly hauling yard waste to the dump.
I love my truck but its not very practical for the family.
While not done for "family" reasons I went from driving almost nothing but full sized trucks since the early 90's( one suv and a Tacoma in there )to something more economical due to financial reasons after I became disabled in 2009. I stuck with the truck for 2 years longer than I should. In 2011 I finally made the move and downsized. I won't lie and tell you I don't miss the truck because I do, a LOT! However, I can say in all honesty I do not miss the higher payments, insurance, registration fee, and especially the much higher monthly fuel bill.
I still needed some 4WD ability and towing ability so a "car" as you have in the title didn't work for me. Instead I went with a suv/cuv. I bought a 4WD Jeep Patriot. It has done everything I need it to do for far less money. Every time I start missing having a truck I think about that 14 MPG I was getting vs the 24 MPG I am getting now and the payment that is less than just my truck's fuel bill was.
Once you have had a truck you will always want one. However, you won't die if you move on to something more suited to your needs. The few times a year that I could now really use the bed just are not worth the expense. I find other means to do what is needed.
Not exactly what you asked but FWIW.
Went from...
2008 Dodge Ram
1500 Quad Cab SLT
5.7L HEMI 4WD
To a...
2011 Jeep Patriot
Latitude
2.4L 4WD
It tows my boat too although the boat is bigger than it is
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A guy with a good Tacoma has a lot of options if he keeps the Tacoma.
If you decide that you must have one vehicle that does it all, then you end up with a Ford XLT 150 4x4 SuperCrew for about $33K. Trade in the Tacoma and you are down to $29K. Mileage is better on these new trucks, but still not good. No fun parking, either.
Plenty of nice sedans in the $25K range. Note I said sedans. You don't have to compromise by getting an SUV to haul a utility trailer, because you have the Tacoma. Between the saved cost of the truck you don't buy and the gas you don't buy, you save $6K plus a little depreciation the first year. OP doesn't say so, but perhaps he has some pre-teens at his house. The Tacoma would be available for them to drive as they get older.
If you decide that you must have one vehicle that does it all, then you end up with a Ford XLT 150 4x4 SuperCrew for about $33K. Trade in the Tacoma and you are down to $29K. Mileage is better on these new trucks, but still not good. No fun parking, either.
Plenty of nice sedans in the $25K range. Note I said sedans. You don't have to compromise by getting an SUV to haul a utility trailer, because you have the Tacoma. Between the saved cost of the truck you don't buy and the gas you don't buy, you save $6K plus a little depreciation the first year. OP doesn't say so, but perhaps he has some pre-teens at his house. The Tacoma would be available for them to drive as they get older.
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