[Greenbuilding] Off Topic: What car do you suggest?

[Reuben Deumling]

I can carry all of that on my bike trailers, but not for that many miles a
week if I wanted to get any work done. Are those 760 miles minimum a
constant? Might there be a way to reduce that figure substantially? I mean
in advance of much higher fuel prices which will likely help us all move in
that direction anyway.

A 1980-'83 VW rabbit/jetta diesel with a five-speed will probably be your
best bet. They're fairly cheap to buy and you can expect 55 mpg or better if
you drive slowly. Some even came with a turbo. The rabbit pickup from that
era was also available as a diesel and is very sought after over here on the
West Coast at least. You can expect mileage near 50mpg with these.  A Honda
Civic VX (1992-'95) will get you 60mpg if you work at it, but the seats are
terrible (this could be fixed, of course, just letting you know).

Reuben Deumling

On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 11:33 AM, AUSTIN SHEATSLEY <asheatsley at msn.com>
wrote:

> Okay, okay. I know this is wayyy off-topic for this list but this
> mostly-a-lurker, y'all are type out some of the most interesting stuff I
> read on the web. So, who better to ask their opinion than the other
> conscious folks who read this list? The facts: 6'3", 235 pound man, 36"
> inseam, drives minimum 760 miles around New England each week, requires
> trunk/stowage area for 3 large toolboxes and telescoping ladder, wants
> drivers seat comfort, don't care about back seat. Historically, I've
> driven
> my previous cars "into the ground" and aiming to keep my next car at least
> that long.  It would be great if I could also carry my 16-foot-long kayak
> on
> a cartop roof rack but that's not a requirement.
> Thanks for your (anticipated/hoped for) input.
>
> Aus
>
>