Drivers of gas guzzler vehicles check in!

Just wondering who else here has one, possibly for legitimate reasons. I have an 04 Dodge Dakota 4x4, crew cab, 4.7 v8, averages 16mpg. I got it mainly because of my summer time job which is cleaning pools at the beach. Its something that a small 4cyl compact truck getting 25mpg could easily do, yet theirs been a few times that I had to put it to some heavy use plus a little bit of off-roading. I'v also used it for just carrying passengers around town since my 01 Trans Am has tiny back seats. I try to use it strickly for work and utility use, so the car gets driven when I dont need the truck, it gets much better fuel milage average 22 to 23mpg, so its no big deal for having a high performance car.

So, what do you use your gas guzzler for?

When it dies, I really want to get a more efficient one though.

Interested?

There's a couple of nice used cyles we have our eye on. :-)

I could probably use a good motorcycle myself, but I cant get one right now.

:-)

I have to drive one. I tow an RV all over the country, for business purposes. It gets 19.1 mpg, without the RV attached to it. It's new, though, so maybe the mileage will decay? I don't know much about cars.

If you take care of it. They take about 75k to get the full mileage out of em.

That's good to know. They told me, when I bought it, that it would last me for the rest of my life, but I thought that might be a comment on my age! Haha!

I was actually TERRIFIED of that truck when I first saw it, and I refused to test drive it, until they told me I couldn't sign the papers until I did. Even after I bought it, I let it sit in the driveway for three months, until I got up the nerve to drive it again.

24/30 and 19/24 and at this point I consider both of them to be gass guzzlers. Fortunately we don't go anywhere and only have to fill up ever couple of weeks.

Next car will definitely be a hybrid.

My current car is a 2005 Chevy Malibu, it's rated at 32 Hwy, and that's exactly what I get on road trips, and I average around 27 mpg in mixed driving. Decent mileage compared to almost any SUV out there, but it could be better. My next car will almost definitely be a clean diesel or a hybrid, though I'll be holding onto this for at least five more years.

We use it so little we only fill it maybe once a month, but it sure comes in handy when we have to evacuate our home office for hurricanes. (We live in a mobile home.)

Unfortunately, we have to go almost 800 miles in our motorhome tomorrow, which we often use as a place to live when working.

Won't be doing any bragging on gas mileage tomorrow.

If that's true, then maybe I can go to the: http://www.lilacfestival.com/

DON'T FORGET - All MUSIC - All DAYS - All FREE!!

I have a Honda Civic too! ;)

Dont know what else i'd haul 1000~1500lb loads with.

I use it to pull my boat trailer. I'm selling the boat, then the truck.

One (ford)is a farm vehicle and we tow a large stock trailer with it.

The other (Dodge mega cab) we use for towing our RV. We show large breed dogs and needed a vehicle with enough room to carry them in and also haul a 5th wheel RV.

Both trucks when not hauling get 21-22 MPG.
When hauling loaded we run around 16 mpg.

10 mpg but I make up for it with the Trailblazer.:P

I also have a Taurus (which isn't so bad)

The thing with the F-150 is that it's paid-for. From a purely personal financial standpoint, based on our current driving, there's no justification for getting a Prius. (we've done the math).

Jeep with the inline 6 gets about 24 on the highway, 19 around town. It's paid for. Benz is an classic with an inline 6, runs on premium, but is driven seldom. Honda gets the bulk of the miles. To sell any of them and purchase a car on the basis of fuel consumption may be practical to some, but the price difference etc, would buy a lot of gas.Fuel while important does not address all the costs of running an automobile. The Benz for instance while it runs on premium, has few problems mechanically. The Jeep costs about the same to maintain as the Honda. Bottom line is they're all paid for, the costs are insurance, fuel, oil and basic preventative maintenance with some major costs every few years. Good tires, suspension a K & N air filter, synthetic oils etc will all improve fuel mileage. Keep your foot off the gas peddle, plan your trips will save you far more than one could ever achieve by purchasing a newer automobile, unless one was in the market for one.

Unfortunately I can't afford to buy one. Maybe once all the kids are out of the house I can get myself a hybrid.

Those who could afford the higher prices for gas ARE buying
the newer more fuel efficient models now on the market.

Those of us who CAN NOT afford the higher price of gas
are also forced to drive the gas guzzlers because we cant
afford to purchase the newer more fuel efficient models.

Catch 22 AGAIN !:nuke:

Wanna do something to help with the fuel crisis? Watch the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" and give some serious thought to purchasing something like a ZENN ( http://www.zennmotors.com/ ) or a GEM who's made by Chrysler. My partner and I love our ZENN, but it's a low speed vehicle which suits our needs perfectly. We live on an island where gas prices are $4.99/gallon, so we decided to organize an electric car show here on the island. Both the ZENN people and the local GEM dealer have been great to work with, and we all agree it's more about spreading the word that electric vehicles are a very realistic opportunity than making a quick buck. We as a nation desperately need electric vehicles! By the way, ZENN has announced that they're coming out with a highway-capable car in late 2009 that can go 80 mph and travel 250 miles on a charge. They use the new ultra-capacitor technology that charges in 5-10 minutes on a 440 volt line. I can't possibly explain how wonderful it is to get into your vehicle and just drive without worrying about gasoline. It costs about 60 cents to charge our vehicle from empty to full, and there are even several business owners in town that have placed charging stations in front of their businesses. I think this is one of the very best ways to fight Big Oil: Buy an electric vehicle and tell EVERYONE you know about electric vehicles!

I don't have 12 k for a new car. I can barely pay the bills. I have to get a second job this fall to pay for heat next winter.

The problem is that those of us who would benefit the most from an electric car cannot afford to go buy one with the every rising cost of gas, food and heat.

I use it to tow and as a woods truck.

I get 15mpg city driving. Bought it in June of 2001 when gas was $1.40/gallon.

It may not be a legitimate reason for most here considering the fact that I'm single, live in a fairly urban setting, and I definitely don't need the extra cargo space. But I don't drive very much (less than 5k miles per year) so it has has very low mileage on it, its paid off, and the insurance is pretty cheap. There's no economical reason to spend more money or make payments on different vehicle with better gas mileage.

:)

Extended cab, 4.3 v6, ZQ8 sport suspension and wheels, auto tranny, and a sidestep bed. He's gettin around 21mpg on average. I like that truck too, drives and handles almost like a car! Is yours a 4x4?

However I'm lucky in a way because its a diesel. Unloaded on the highway at sensible speed it actually has got as good as 24 miles per gallon, in everyday use it gets 18.7 and when hauling very heavy loads its drops down between 11 and 16 mpg. The main problem I have with it - because I do not drive it unless its capabilities are required - is that we are being screwed worse on the price of diesel fuel than we are on gasoline.

up into the mountains of Virginia next weekend. My daughter is graduating school and we have to bring back all of her dorm belongings. I hope it can all fit.

EPA mileage (city/highway)**
FWD Automatic Transmission 16/22

these are our babies...My dd is a Honda accord



The jeep get around 3 tanks to the year for the past 7 years. I've owned it 9 years now and put 20k on it. 17k of that in the first year when it was my DD.

The X is my wifes baby, she's so happy to be out of a gas hog ford minivan, we gave up 5 or 6 MPGs but it's well worth it not to be in a minivan. She has a 4 mile a day round trip so I think we'll be able to manage.

Gets about 19mpg...and requires premium fuel.

Me whenever I have to fill up (which is about every week) ------> :scared:

Bought Millie when we lived in the back o' beyond, because I knew she would get me out of any ruts I got into. Plus I was making a fairly good living, had some disposable income, a Jeep was fun...and gas was $1.20/gal., so I wasn't concerned with mileage.

I'd love to get a more efficient vehicle now, especially because Millie is kinda in her late middle age and has some "health" issues, but she's paid for, and I can't take on a car payment at this point. :( (Plus I still love her, even if she costs me money.)

The Monte Carlo has less than 48,000 miles on it. That's right. Less than 48,000 miles in over 30 years - one owner. The LeBaron has nearly 110,000 miles on it in 18 years.

How much fossil fuel energy is used to manufacture a new car????

:eyes:

Haven't for several years. I use a minivan for work that doesn't get terrific mileage, but not bad, I don't think. Never charted it.

The guy I work for has a HUGELY gas-guzzling Escalade, which he seems to find a more-than-worthy substitute for having a penis.

(I hope more threads like this come up. This is the second time this week I've been able to vent about that hideous barge-on-wheels.)