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<moo@anonamoo.com> wrote in message news:e22ifu$1sg$1@emma.aioe.org...[color=blue]
>I need to find a cheap truck that has high MPG for work
>
> Hauling a lot of stuff wont always be necessary but I will
> need to carry some light small loads.
>
> 2wheel drive, Automatic, small standard cab, best MPG
> Between say 1985 to 1998 and easy to find.
>
> S10 , Ranger, B2300 I have no idea but it should be small
> and still be able to carry small loads of construction materials.
> Large loads would be delivered.
>[/color]


Just my opinion, mind you.....

You have two problems: 1) the auto tranny is going to steal some (in my
case, a lot) of the benefits of a smaller truck and engine, and 2) a
well-maintained V6 can actually do better for you than a 4-banger which
initially might appear to offer better gas mileage.

The problem is (if I were in your shoes and had to have an automatic)
finding a V6 that's been well maintained with that kind of age on it.

People on this board have routinely complained about the mileage of their V6
Tacoma/4Runner/Prerunner models, auto or manual transmission. 16/17/18 in
town. Worse yet, my 4-cyl Prerunner X-cab (no manual offered) gets crappy
mileage precisely because it's an automatic, and because the truck is almost
too damned large for the engine. So I've given up performance (versus a V6)
for pretty much nothing.

I once had a (new) '88 Ranger 4x4 2.9 V6 5-speed that consistently got 20 or
better in town and mid-high 20's on the highway. But with age, that mileage
dropped to 17/18 also (beyond 75k miles).

Right now (I have no choice) I have an '05 Grand Caravan with a 3.3L
automatic and it consistently gets 20mpg in town - but it has less than 25k
miles on it.

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So I'd find a standard cab Tacoma or Nissan Frontier with a 5-speed
4-banger, or a V6 automatic. Best you can hope for out of any of those is
20mpg to low 20's depending on how you drive, what you drive in, and what
you're carrying.

Further, I wonder if one couldn't find a *full-sized* F150 or Chevy with a
large V6 or small V8 and do as well. I'd read up before I bought.

Lots of variables out there.


Stew