High gas prices, what is the 'new' best fly fishing/recreating vehicle?

Well, I love my 2000 Tacoma 4x4, although it doesn't get great mileage since it's a V6. I seem to average about 17 - 18 mpg around town and might get over 20 mpg highway, if I keep my speed down (note - I don't tend to do the later!).

My solution is to make sure to have a job where I can work from home (I'm a developer) or at least drive into the office before or after the peak commuting hours. I'm lucky that in my industry I can expect both options from many of the companies that I want to work for!

I've thought about getting a bike (Roper's type) or buying a second commuter car if I do end up getting a job where I actually have to be in the office everyday. I don't really want the expense of insurance and storing a second car and won't get a bike or at least wouldn't ride it daily without taking a safety class and getting comfortable on it.

I'm not sure that I would consider a hybrid at this point, with the cost of battery replacement so high and the initial cost higher than the same car running on gas. And I don't like the look of some of the better hybrid's out there like the Prius (yes, I'm vane). Plus I don't think the gas mileage on the hybrid's is that good yet, even in traffic. I personally think that a hybrid should be getting in the 40 - 50 mpg range at a minimum and other than the Prius I'm not sure most do. The Escape hybrid's look nice, but think they only get slightly better than the full gas version of the car. :hmmm:

Now a little VW (Passat, GTI) of some kind might be good with desiel being a consideration, but I don't want to trade in my truck to get one at this point.

So at this point, for me, filling up the tank for $60 hurts, but is just the cost of business and fun. I really just wish that they would roll back some of the taxes on gas here locally, since I paid much less out in MT for the past two plus weeks. Most of the time I paid about $4.09, with the lowest price of $4.03 and I saw a few gas stations in ID that were below $4!! $3.97 I believe!

I'll chime in and say that the Subaru is a very good car. A few years ago I had a 2001 Jeep Cherokee and a 1995 Saturn. The two vehicles had their obvious purposes commuting over 50 miles a day and towing a 12' aluminum boat. Getting tired of rising gas prices (it had just peaked $2.50 a gallon), two car payments, and two insurance policies; I sold both vehicles and bought a 2003 Subaru Legacy Sedan.

The Subaru is truly the best of both worlds. Since I've had it, it averages 24mpg commuting to Seattle from Everett in stop and go traffic. I also replaced my boat with a 16' Lund that weighs in at right under 1000 lbs. The Sub pulls it great and has crested Stevens Pass going 60mph with the boat in tow.

The only thing I wish I would have done different with that car is buy the wagon. I miss the space but the sedan really isn't that bad. It's been a great car and I would buy another one in a heart beat.

Oh yeh! I think Boz Scaggs once recorded a song about that..."Somebody Loan Me a New Paradigm." It was sung from the point of view of a guy in a food stamp line.:rofl:

I have a question for you Subaru owners. How do you like the seats? Are they comfortable? For all I know, Subaru is installing better, more back-friendly seats now. I had heard a lot of other complaints about the seats on older models, so I don't think I was alone in hating those old seats (mine was an '82).

I'll have to go sit in a newer Outback, as well as a Forester. Other than the seats, I loved my old Soob.

The seats are great for me. I've done numerous trips to Ellensburg and Yakima nonstop with no aches or pains. I suppose they're as comfortable as any other car seat these days. Look at full size trucks...Would you rather have a bench seat from 1982 or a nice new bucket seat that you see today? It's just all in the evolution of the car industry.

However, it is much more comfortable getting 4 guys into my Sub than an extended cab pick up.

The lines are just beginning...http://www.doctorhousingbubble.com/

I've been considering the SUV version of the Smart Car for some time now. It looks like it would have great ground clearance for jeep trails, plus better fuel efficiency.

Is that the wind up key above the rear tire and just behind the rear shock?:thumb:

No complaints on th Subaru seats for me, though I have not been in a new one so I can not compare.

Which engine do you have? (2.4, 2.4T, 3.0 V6) Hauling that boat over Stevens at that speed; wind at your back, and foot to the floor, I suspect? That's great!

Something to ponder....

http://www.oilshalefacts.org/

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1933427/posts

Supply and Demand. At this point in time, Demand is greater than the Supply by 2 Million barrels per day world wide and growing. If there were a solution to the current energy Shortfalls you could be well assured, it would be in the market place. As a friend told me two weeks ago while driving through Highland Park in Dallas Tx. one evening "these ol' boys ( T. Boone
Pickens, Cheney's old neighborhood and Bush's soon to be new one ) were doing obscenely well, before the so called oil crises... Now.. well.. Texas is doing just fine, thank you.

Don't know where you found this, but he is dead wrong! No Matter how much oil we or any other country produces that which would not reach the market for ten to fifteen years, China and India will out spend any US Co. for a barrel. Those two counties are probably 50% to blame for the high price of oil. He is right that we need alternatives and as the science progresses Nuclear is going to be that logical choice. We are never going to drill ourselves out of the crisis, which I find it hard to call because I don't really believe this rises to that level. Even if gas goes to $6 a gallon it is not going to change my habits as I don't use that much gas and when I do I use as little as possible. May $8 to $10 I would change my tune , but you will see vast new technology in every aspect of our lives that again it really would not affect us that much.

I'm in the Two vehicle mode! Daily driver and local transportation VW TDI GOLF (54MPG Diesel), Garbage/Sailboat/Toy/expidition rig/hauler S10 4X4 getting 22mpg when not towing the Sailboat. Yea it get's abused and overloaded, but I only use it when I must.

I'll stick with the TDI and in the future will look for same, as I prefer to drive something that gets good if not GREAT mileage and has HUGE range. My TDI I go 800-850 miles on a tank without running dry (usually 1gal remaining when I fill up). The Truck would have to fill up 3+ times in that distance..... GRRR.

But The VW just can't do the 4X4 stuff. So each trip must be planned accordingly.

I have the standard 2.5L Boxer engine. Actually there was no wind and it was on cruise control. My boat, trailer, engine and gear weigh 950lbs. I load as much as I can over the axle of the trailer and keep it out of overdrive at all times. It eats gas quite a bit when towing but it still does really well.

whoops.

55mpg. It was purchased as a toy, but as gas prices have gone up I've been riding it to work more and more.

Honda Element and Subaru Outback/Forrester -

I'm looking at a new car, a couple of questions about the above cars:

The Honda Element has a towing rating of 1500 lbs (and supposedly an internal cargo capacity of only650 lbs.) vs. the Outback at 2700 lbs (and RAV 4 at I think 3500) -- what does this tell me? does anyone know why the Element towing/cargo limit is so low? what's the limiting factor?

On the Outback/Forrester - the current listed estimated mpg is 20/26 ... from this post it sounds as if people are actually getting better than the sticker mpg? Or does anyone know if any changes for 08/09 models have reduced mpgs? I know the Forrester is bigger ...

I'm looking to downsize a little (well, really, my 02 Rodeo p.o.s. died a catastrophic death) and I really appreciate this thread. FAF

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/index.php