What are you driving?

JDThorstad · Post by **JDThorstad** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:54 am

Maybe this has been beaten to death but what are you using for your everyday/hunting/training vehicle? I've been driving a 99 k1500 for about six years and love the truck but its pretty rough on the wallet when it comes to fuel consumption. The best I can get out of it is about 15mpg highway. I've usually had a company vehicle but after a recent job change am driving this everyday...time for something a little more economical. I still need a pickup box but maybe its time to try one of the smaller ones like the Canyon/Colorado. What are you driving and how do you like it?

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:36 am

I kind of ride my trucks into the ground and usually buy new. My 03 1500 4X4 got old, (still runs and on the road) 16 mpg. So I bought another truck. Dodge 3/4 ton with a Cummins. 143000 miles, Bought as is (no catalitic converter) 19.888 miles per gallon, When towing the job trailer,17 mpg. Got it for 13,299,00 plus tax. I am happy, the diesle is hard to swallow but, If the Govt, and oil comp keep screwing us I will buy a fuel processor from North Country tool and supply.

gonehuntin' · Post by **gonehuntin'** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:55 am

03 Toyota Tundra. Great truck, tight as the day I bought it. I have 105,000 on it and it runs like new. Gets about 17-18mpg. Used to get 21 until they added the crap ethanol. I'd recommend them to anyone. The only problem it ever had was the switch that locks it in and out of fwd went. Had I NOT had extended coverage, it would NOT have been covered.

JKP · Post by **JKP** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:02 am

2006...Dodge 2500 Cummins.....139K....GREAT engine...they seem to have fixed the tranny problems....I average 18 mpg....have gotten 20 pushing 80MPH Chicago to Philly (with the wind!!!)...couple of little things-power door lock, tailgate closure-other than that a good truck ---

fishvik · Post by **fishvik** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:11 am

96 Nisson 4x4 exend cab, All I need. Fits me, another hunter, and hunting gear behind the seats. Two dog crates, will fit in the bed with a small cooler. I have a rack for my canoe that I can slip into the bed when I go waterfowl hunting. If I go alone w/out another dog crate in the back I can take enough gear to set up a good tent camp. The four popper only let's me cruise at about 60 but even full loaded I get 21-23 mpg.

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:48 am

2001 Ford E350 diesel. Room for 4 dog crates and as much crap as we care to take.

Winchey · Post by **Winchey** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:15 am

2008 Hyundai Accent and 2000 Ford Focus. Go through ball joints like crazy lol.

Ryman Gun Dog · Post by **Ryman Gun Dog** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:20 am

JDT,
I have a new Ford Expedition, almost 2 years old now, gets 18 miles to a gallon of gas with the tranny and rear end in this particular SUV. Room for 6 different size dog cages, for transporting all my Grouse dogs. Has all the electrical outlets for collar charging, cell phones, and electric coffee mugs. Rides real nice and travels thru the mountains in comfort with 17" Wheels. Towing package is real nice, pulls my trailer like it is not even there. Not quite as wide as the old 95 Tahoe but I still get all my hunting and training equipment stored without any trouble. All in all a darn good SUV.
RGD/Dave

Buckeye_V · Post by **Buckeye_V** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:58 am

05 Dodge Ram 3500 SRW 8ft bed with a cummins. Gets 20 on the highway and 16 towing loaded horse trailer.

Wife has a 07 Saturn Outlook with AWD and with the seats down we get 2- 300's and 2 400's in with room for our junk. It gets 20mpg on long journeys and 17 around town. She loves her little caddy.

Birddogz · Post by **Birddogz** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:30 am

2006 Expedition with the 5.4L. Plenty of room, just wish I could put a track on it in the winter.

gsps4evr · Post by **gsps4evr** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:53 am

2000 Gmc Sierra and a 1990 Oldsmobile 98 winter/work beater

markj · Post by **markj** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:29 pm

My everyday ride in good weather is a motorcycle. I have a Honda Goldwing, it has a hitch on the back, I have a small trailor I can put my 2 door dog box on it and away we go. Training is done here on my place as it is out of the city and we have tons of wild birds. My truck is a 95 chevy 2500 4x4 but it isnt driven a lot only when needed.

My bud rides a 125cc scooter, he gets over 70 mpg, he has ridden it to my place too so it isnt just a city rig. I bet more folks will be on these this year.

buckshot0074 · Post by **buckshot0074** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:09 pm

Daily driver is a 2002 Pontiac Grad Prix with 123K

I started looking for a 'truck' when I got my pup last April, finally found it on New Years Day
a 2007 Chevy Avalanche ....

MATT4126 · Post by **MATT4126** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:27 pm

95 Range Rover, County LWB. 178k miles on it and takes me everywhere I need to go and then some.

helpful_cub · Post by **helpful_cub** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:52 pm

Honda CR-V with AWD with 65k miles. I've never gotten it stuck and there's room for the dog, hunting and camping gear. Some days I wish it had a little more power so I could tow a 4000 lbs travel trailer but with it being paid off and getting 24 mpg I can't complain to much. I'll look into something like an Expedition or a Pilot if and when this one dies then I'll also get the optional 3rd row seating. With a trailer I can haul more stuff and take more people!

gittrdonebritts · Post by **gittrdonebritts** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:51 pm

buckshot0074 wrote:Daily driver is a 2002 Pontiac Grad Prix with 123K

I started looking for a 'truck' when I got my pup last April, finally found it on New Years Day
a 2007 Chevy Avalanche ....

That's not a Truck silly willy

06 Toyota Tundra full size 17 around town 22 high way love it I'm totally sold on the Toyota trucks

jimbo&rooster · Post by **jimbo&rooster** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:56 pm

JDThorstad wrote:Maybe this has been beaten to death but what are you using for your everyday/hunting/training vehicle? I've been driving a 99 k1500 for about six years and love the truck but its pretty rough on the wallet when it comes to fuel consumption. The best I can get out of it is about 15mpg highway. I've usually had a company vehicle but after a recent job change am driving this everyday...time for something a little more economical. I still need a pickup box but maybe its time to try one of the smaller ones like the Canyon/Colorado. What are you driving and how do you like it?

I drive a 2000 F250 Diesel 4x4 6sp, extended cab longbed. It gets about 14.5mpg around town or pulling a horse trailer and 18sh cruising down the Highway.

I do have a comment for the original poster....... For what you are paying in fuel, consider what fuel+truck payment will cost.... you can probly spend $1000 on your truck and gain a few more MPGs.

Jim

crazyboy · Post by **crazyboy** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:17 pm

1993 Chevy Blazer Full Size K5. ~12 MPG, 163000 miles on it. Cosmetically its pretty good. Transmission leaks a bit, antifreeze leaks a little, oil goes missing, the front end is kinda loose, and its gonna need tires.

Would like to get a 2500hd Duramax, but not with the economy the way it is.

buckshot0074 · Post by **buckshot0074** » Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:45 pm

gittrdonebritts wrote:
buckshot0074 wrote:Daily driver is a 2002 Pontiac Grad Prix with 123K

I started looking for a 'truck' when I got my pup last April, finally found it on New Years Day
a 2007 Chevy Avalanche ....
That's not a Truck silly willy

06 Toyota Tundra full size 17 around town 22 high way love it I'm totally sold on the Toyota trucks

Believe it or not a Tundra was my second choice (2004 - 06) like that body style better than the 2007 + one

JDThorstad · Post by **JDThorstad** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:18 am

Thanks for the replies so far guys, interesting to see whats working for everyone. Jim, good suggestion, I have taken some steps to try to improve economy, updated the fuel system, ignition, plugs, wires, distrib., new high flow air filter, and check tire pressure regularly. The only thing I havent messed with is the exhaust and the results seem to be mixed at best by those who have done it (from what I've researched). She's just a beast I guess. Last season driving at 65mph (1800rpms) I got 12.9 if there was wind, 15 if none. This winter I've been getting about 9mpg. I keep my foot out of it, its just a big old motor. I've kicked around a few smaller trucks, Rangers, Colorados etc and even thought about going to a Jeep Liberty or something equivalent. We'll see I guess...

nikegundog · Post by **nikegundog** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:50 am

I looked at the liberty, I don't think a fat dog can fit in sideways in the cargo area. I think there was about a foot of space between the backseat and that door.

rkappes · Post by **rkappes** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:37 am

2002 PT Cruiser. Not ideal but does the job. Hope to have a four door Tundra w/topper one of these days.

mcclinj · Post by **mcclinj** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:58 am

Any opinions on the Ford Escape....my wife and I are thinking of getting one here in a week or two to replace our little Saturn car. The car can't fit a kennel, and she's getting big to ride in the front seat.

For the Escape, our thoughts were to add the cargo storage bin, a roof rack, and the 4WD package.

-John

Buckeye_V · Post by **Buckeye_V** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:04 am

With the small SUV's when you go to the second dog (not if, when) - they are not big enough for my tastes. I want something I can put 2 400's in the rear and still use the back seat. That si why we went with a used Outlook/Traverse/Acadia. Other than the Ford Taurux X/Flex, nothing out there besides a full-grown SUV will do it. Unless you get a minivan and that was simply out of the question for my wife. Stigma, I guess.

Karen · Post by **Karen** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:15 am

My everyday driver is a 2003 Dodge Durango....18mpg highway. John has a Mini Cooper (JCW) Convertible....no dogs allowed

I had a 6 cyl Ford Escape before my Durango and LOVED it! Only reason I got rid of it was I needed a tow vehicle. The way they designed the rear seats in the Escape so that they fold down flat is really nice, and the gas wasn't killing me.

I CAN fit 2 crates behind the rear seat in the Durango, and 4 crates with the seats folded (I bought 2 crates with front & side doors so that I could get dogs in and out from the side of the crates. I even made a platform to raise the 2 rear crates up to the ceiling so that I could store stuff under the crates, which worked really well. In the Escape the rear seat has to be folded down to fit more than 1 crate, but with the seats folded, you can fit 3 crates.

displaced_texan · Post by **displaced_texan** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:41 am

97 Dodge Ram extended cab with an 8' bed and a Cummins, manual tranny.

Way more power than stock, 240k HARD miles. Lots of towing, lots of back roads, lots of off road.

Looking to replace it with a 7.3 Powerstroke Ford...

Cajun Casey · Post by **Cajun Casey** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:49 am

crazyboy wrote:1993 Chevy Blazer Full Size K5. ~12 MPG, 163000 miles on it. Cosmetically its pretty good. Transmission leaks a bit, antifreeze leaks a little, oil goes missing, the front end is kinda loose, and its gonna need tires. Would like to get a 2500hd Duramax, but not with the economy the way it is.

We used to say vehicles like that averaged twenty miles to the gallon of everything.

Ryman Gun Dog · Post by **Ryman Gun Dog** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:55 am

John,
Several of my friends have Ford Escape vehicles and they love them, including my best friend who has his back beauty all decked out. They are getting about 25 miles per gallon with them, the Escape goes almost any where for winter time bird hunting. The draw back is limited space for more than two hunters and two dogs. These gentlemen have had few if any problems with their Escape vehicles, and they seriously use them for both hunting and fishing.
RGD/Dave

tommyboy72 · Post by **tommyboy72** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 9:15 am

They must have the 4 cylinder Escapes because my wife has a 6 cylinder and it doesn't get anywhere close to 25 mpg, closer to 19 or 20. The 6 cylinder is extremely quick and powerful feeling due to the oversized 6 cylinder compared to the weight of the body of the vehicle but the gas mileage is nothing to brag about. Also it has a small 16 gallon tank. The fuel light comes on after about 250 miles of driving and I am not sure how many miles it will run after that because I don't want to push it and run out of gas to find out.

I know my Explorer has exactly 50 more miles of fuel left after the fuel light comes on and I have a trip computer on it that I can monitor how many miles left till empty. My 98' Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4 wheel drive gets 17 mpg running back and forth to work 20 miles away and will get 19 or 20 on the highway running down to Amarillo 100 miles away and it has 175,000 miles on it. I was going to get rid of my Explorer this year but I spoke with a NAPA mechanic who has been building engines professionally for 25 years and he told me the V6 SOHC that is in my Explorer will continue to run out to 300,000 miles before it wears out provided you keep it serviced regularly so I decided to keep it for a bit longer. The good thing about the Escape is it is a front wheel drive which helps out in the snow and ice and mud. Also I custom built a 2 hole wooden dox box to fit in the cargo area of my Explorer and it will not fit in my wife's Escape without putting down the back seats.

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:07 am

I had a 2003 V6 Escape for awhile. Nice truck, limited on space and towing capacity. I think I might have gotten 20-22, but not much more. The seats didn't fold completely flat for at least that model year, which made it hard to get 2 crates in securely. There are better options, IMHO.

ACooper · Post by **ACooper** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:21 am

05 Dodge quad cab 4x4, no complaints other than of course MPG. Have been looking for sometime at a used 3/4 or 1 ton Ford crew long bed or even a dodge of the same type... but with a paid off truck making a jump doesn't seem likely for a little while yet.

sjkennels · Post by **sjkennels** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:37 pm

i know i put this on here before but.

2007 dodge ram 1500 mega cab 4X4 5.7 hemi 10.5 mpg in town and 13 high way mpg 41k

markj · Post by **markj** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:44 pm

I may want to change to a new ford, there is a ford thing on the web called ford eco boost torture test. A v6, they put it thru a lot of punishment.

gripper39 · Post by **gripper39** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:49 pm

I drive a 2003 Jeep Cherokee Overland 4x4 and V8 smooth enough to ride i n the city and highway yet rugged enough to take it hunting with dog crate and everything.

pointshootretrieve · Post by **pointshootretrieve** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:08 pm

2006 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 double cab with a cap last long trip averaging 72 mph I pulled down 20.7 MPG . I have had full size and mid sized trucks domestic only all makes and models until buying the Toyota by far the best vehicle I have driven and owned. 101k on the odometer and haven't done brakes or anything JUST CHANGE OIL AND DRIVE. It does need a set of shocks right now and am sure the brakes aren't far behind.

Mountaineer · Post by **Mountaineer** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:12 pm

Tacoma/175K/4-door/topper/average of 19-20 mpg

jarbo03 · Post by **jarbo03** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:35 pm

1999 ISUZU Trooper, 245,000 miles, replaced the engine due to a freak occurence, nothing else has been touched except for normal maintenance. Drives great, 16 mpg, will get me places most vehicles won't with plenty of room for dogs, people and gear.

cmc274 · Post by **cmc274** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:51 pm

Honda accord, kennel fits in the back seat sideways. Trying to figure what to get when we get the 2nd dog this summer. I can think of no sweeter ride than an early 90s full size bronco.

Firemedic · Post by **Firemedic** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:06 pm

Fully loaded 2007 F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4x4, owned it since it had 13 miles on it. Put firestone airbags out back for when I pull the camper, but other than regular oil changes with Mobil 1 and a K&N filter, nothing special done.

Quill Gordon · Post by **Quill Gordon** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:22 pm

Me ole lady drives an Escape Limited 6cyl, she avg's 22mpg city/hwy miles. A little small for my 6'3" frame but I do fit. Nice for quick fishin trips but me myself I like a little more room

tommyboy72 · Post by **tommyboy72** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:34 pm

Same here Quill, I am 6'3" almost 6'4" and a shade over 300 lbs. so the Escape is a bit uncomfortable but I can still drive it on a trip when I have to. Better than letting my wife drive.

buckwildbirddogs · Post by **buckwildbirddogs** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:10 pm

We have an 08 Acadia and 08 Dodge quad cab. Acadia gets 21-22 HWY and 18-19 city. I can fit 2large kennels in the back and still have plenty of room in the middle row for my 6' 2" hubby and all other crap you can think of. OR the middle row folds flat and can fit another couple kennels in the middle. LOVE IT and would not trade it for anyting. The truck gets about the same 18-19 hwy and city. Even got 21 once on a long haul to NE.

Linescreamer · Post by **Linescreamer** » Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:20 pm

I drive an Envoy XUV and can't think of another vehicle that would meet my needs like this one. I can keep the dog and all my stuff in the back and still have front and back seats without dog smell or mud from the fields. It also turns into an open pickup if need be and fully enclosed so no need to worry about the weather. The fact that is has 2WD, AWD, 4Whi and 4Wlo doesn't hurt with the best MPG at around 19 on the highway in 2WD with the 5.3L V8. I really don't know what I will do when this truck goes to the junkyard.

madmurph · Post by **madmurph** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:19 am

2004 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton with Hemi motor. About 3 blocks per gallon. Other than the terrible gas mileage, I have been very pleased with the truck.

ultracarry · Post by **ultracarry** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:28 am

07 tacoma 4 door. 115k and 16-17 mpg lifted. When stock it would get 20.5 all day no matter how I was driving.

JDThorstad · Post by **JDThorstad** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:44 am

Anybody have a Jeep Patriot? I'm coming around to the whole smaller SUV thing... Some of these seem to get pretty great fuel economy. Not really worried about hauling more than two dogs and a little gear.

Britguy1 · Post by **Britguy1** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:28 am

Where are all of the Suburban drivers? Thats what I drive. Lots of room, comfortable ride, decent mileage on the highway. I have had 3 and am looking for my 4th.

Linescreamer · Post by **Linescreamer** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:47 am

A couple buddies have them and they are wihout question one of the best large SUVs. That truck would be my second choice vehicle if I didn't own an XUV!

displaced_texan · Post by **displaced_texan** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:20 pm

I've looked at a few Excursions...

I'd be lost without a bed though...

ACooper · Post by **ACooper** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:34 pm

displaced_texan wrote:I've looked at a few Excursions...

I'd be lost without a bed though...

+1 never could be without a truck, I am kind of surprised so many are driving SUVs.