ANOTHER help me pick a daily/hauler/tow/toy vehicle COMBO thread

I've been pondering this one for a good while now and I'm still way too on the fence to come close to deciding but I always enjoy hearing what the GRM crowd has to say for their own poison of choice

I'm looking for a good daily driver with good MPG (~>25), while either being fun or able to tow all the fun I can handle. I love driving with friends, my large dogs, and road trips so I'm looking for either a 2 seat hatchback car, an extended cab/4 door truck, or a van. If I were to buy a van or truck as a daily driver I'm really only focusing on the MPG for the daily part because the most I would want to tow is a motorcycle or two inside or in the bed. The most towing I see myself rarely doing is a small car or boat on a trailer. I think I'd honestly most love having a van that gets around 25mpg but as far as I know vans especially (and trucks) that can tow anything of weight don't get that sort of mileage. Of course GRM knows all sorts of forgotten wonders...

I love sportbikes but it gets old as a sole daily driver. I miss taking a boat out to sea (fishing!). I love fast and fun cars but I'm reconsidering spending and relying so much on a single vehicle and I'm still looking for the best combo for daily driving, fun, and light towing. I'm still thinking about finding a slower (non turbo) yet still fun (rwd) car to be daily driven (hatchback) and the only thing I can think of to be perfect would be an AE86 (older + hatch=$$$), 200sx (older), 240sx (not a fan), or MR2 (2 seats, no hatch!).

What would be the ultimate Grass Roots trifecta besides a cheap truck, sportbike and boat (with the emphasis being on either a fun, do everything hatchback or a van or truck with good mpg)? The best I can think of is either a 4 (tacoma/ranger, etc) or 8 cylinder truck (gmc 1500, f150, etc) with extended cab/4door and a topper but I wish I knew of a van (or truck) with similar capability with even better mpg than these options.

Towing and high MPG do not go together. Small, fun and economical don't play well with storage space and GVWR.

A 4cyl minivan might work for you, or a Subaru wagon, or perhaps an old Civic Wagon.

dj wrote: ...I wish I knew of a van (or truck) with similar capability with even better mpg than these options.

Chevy Astro in either 2wd or awd.
Not 25 mpg but close to 20.
A 2005 (last year) is rated at 14/16/20
Cheap purchase price helps to offset the fuel costs. Tow 5,000lbs with a stout 4.3L V6.

I ran an Astro on the BABE rally in 2007. 275k miles and still 22mpg average. That was not flat level freeway travel either. In fact I smoked 2nd gear going up a mountain. (It got to where it would roll backwards as soon as I selected 2nd. Whoops!) Still made it the rest of the way to New Orleans and then back to Columbus, OH.

GM managed to take some of the worst materials known to man and slap together a hell of a vehicle. Astros are awesome.

Well I guess I'm really looking for half-assed towing with serious daily driving capability. I'm in Fl so the only thing besides flat land I'd ever face is a boat ramp. The most weight I would possibly ever tow is a small boat or car on a trailer on flat land (besides dropping a boat in the water). I would most likely need to rarely carry two motorcycles at time.

I have two friends in their earlier and dumber days pull their boats with their cars. One was pulling a 20 some odd foot sailboat with a clapped out 86 4dr Celebrity. The other was pulling an alum fishing boat with his 87 Mustang GT.

But nothing beats seeing an '02 Camaro SS pulling a 5x8 DUMP trailer into the local Lowe's.......

Ford Ranger gets higher mileage in the 4cyl form, no 4-door option but can get the extended cab with jumpseats. Cheap, reliable, cheap, simple, did I mention cheap?

Not a great vehicle, but good at what it it does given it's compromises. If I were going to do it over I would have gotten a 4.0L powered Ranger, manual with taller gears (3.55) and an extended cab, 6 ft bed. Gives you the best MPG out of the bigger engine while able to tow alot more, and have room behind you for storage and will fit in most garages.

I have towed 3100lbs (XR4Ti with dolly) behind my 3.0L Ranger (about same power as the 4cyl) - This is dicey and difficult ~19 MPG

I have towed 2300lbs (Fiat 124 Spider with dolly) no problems, barely felt it back there. ~ 21MPG

I have carried over 500lbs in my bed (Ford 2.3 Turbo motor with accessories on it) no problems, barely felt it back there ~21MPG

Buick Roadmaster with an LT1? 5000lb tow capacity, room for everything and everything that everything comes with, neat and fun cause they're corvette engines with cool skylights, and they're WAGONS!

I'm looking into the new VW Touareg TDI. Supposed to get mid to high 20's on the highway when not towing.

It's a nice truck with decent room inside and can tow my race car on an open trailer the few times a year I need it to.

Going to wait another year or two to let them work out the bugs, then try to buy one certified so I get a nice long warranty.

Howabout you spend a grand on a high-mpg DD and a grand on something with which you can tow?

Problem solved.

/end thread