Re: Fuel efficient tow vehicles options?
I'm glad you posted this because I just crunched some numbers and they really don't look all that bad. I drive my car during the week and we take the wife's car the rest of the time. I typically drive 15-16k miles a year and assuming gas stays near the same current prince ($3.60 here in NC) a 20 MPG truck would cost about $2,700 per year to run. This is assuming my calculations are correct which could be a stretch considering I suck at numbers.
If you go from a 30 mpg vehicle to a 20, at 15,000 miles per year, it's costing you only $900 more a year.* Hardly worth worrying about; your sales tax and licensing will eat that up, as would maintenance, insurance and taxes if you kept both. So I'd focus on getting a vehicle that will tow, and be comfortable and fairly efficient for the commute (and reliable!) and other use, without focusing on the mileage as a major factor.
Another factor is how far and often you plan to tow. Within reason, many stock vehicles will tow an 18' boat on a single axle trailer for a short or flat haul, without needed to spend the $$ on tow package extras. Not so for a 2 hour tow every weekend through desert hills. A big truck is seldom necessary. Before they invented SUV's the family sedan or stawag did fine!
* many people (like my daughter) think that when gas gets expensive they need to dump their existing vehicle for one that gets better mileage--usually something newer or more expensive than what they have. Once they do the math, the savings seldom approach the cost differential. I used to drive a paid-for landcruiser at 10 MPG but with a 8 mile commute (round trip) mileage was a non-issue, except when I was actually at the pump!
