Do you really need that truck? I know that in the “Land of the Free” bigger is better, but come on, do you really need a dually to take your 5 year old daughter to school? Based on sheer observation, 2 out of 3 vehicles are pick-up trucks or SUVs. I have a feeling that the proportion of contractors and other professionals who need a truck for their daily duties are far below that ratio. So who drives those heavy duty trucks and other four-wheeled behemoths? I would venture a guess that being able to move some furniture once in a blue moon, normally for somebody that you might talk to only out of necessity, is worth the horrible gas mileage, the large monthly payment and the harsh ride. If you have to have a V8 a product from the SRT lineup or a Ford Mustang might be better choices. And yes, you will still be able to carry your gear, and your crew. Now for those who believe monster trucks powered by diesel are to be “dragged” on the streets, with the large amount of black smoke they produce under heavy acceleration, be aware that these are not racing vehicles and that you will always make us laugh for trying (after we cease coughing).  

GREAT QUESTION!!!!!FRANCK!!!!!

I am a homewowner that is about to sell or donate my beloved 1989 Nissan King Cab pickup truck and have just replaced it's carrying cpapcity needs with a Holmes 5x8 trailer which we will be towing in drive three of the transmission behind our 1999 four cylinder Honda Accord.

I really wanted to keep that wonderful old Nissan but the reality of four dollar a gallon gas prices soon and the 246,000 miles on that great running Nissan weighed heavily on the decision to get rid of that truck.

Right now our beloved Nissan needs a rear main seal and it will cost more than the truck is worth to fix it.

Also,when I went shopping for a replacement,I was greatly saddened to see that ALL the small pickup manufacturers had forgotten WHY people buy SMALL pickups.

ECONOMICAL OPERATION.

Heck,the only truck I saw that I could justify buying was a new Mazda Pickup truck manual that gets 29 miles per gallon.

The irony there is that THE SAME Ford Pickup only gets 26 mpg !!!!!!!

What The Heck!!!!!!!!!

Anyway,we drive alot of distance and with the economy dying the way it is,a five year loan on a truck we could actually do without did'nt make much sense.

Greatly unhappy with Toyota and Nissan that they have abandoned fuel efficient pickups that you can afford to buy.

And what the heck is going on with the big pickups!!!??

Jeez,if I wanted to drive a pickup the size of a semi,I'd get a cdl license!!!!LOL!!!!  

You need to understand that although some people who own trucks do not need them for work and could instead have an economical car many of us have hobbies where having a 4 wheel drive truck is necessary.  For example, where I now work I don't need my truck, but in my spare time I enjoy going snowboarding, camping, riding my quad at various places, and other activities that require me to have a 4x4 truck.  If I had enough money to buy a car to drive me to work everyday and keep my truck I would without question but I don't.  

For the vast majority of drivers- NO!

I am so sick and tired of monstrous trucks and SUVs clogging up our highways and cities and chugging gasoline like an alcoholic in a liquor store.  It's ridiculous how many people justify their "need" for a truck.  Okay, if you regularly tow a large boat or trailer, or actually have a job that requires the towing capacity and storage area of a truck, that's alright.  But for everyone else, like cal40 who just posted, an AWD car is almost always sufficient for moderate off-roading and towing.  My aunt is able to tow a jet ski with her Honda Civic!  

You only really need a pickup if you are doing a lot of towing or hauling. Other than that, a minivan would probably do just as well.  

Obviously MazdaManiac has never been off-roading before.   There are so many places that an AWD vehicle cannot go that a lifted truck can.  I am guessing you never get out and actually do any serious activity that requires any off-roading and that is okay.  I am just saying that you need to understand and keep an open mind that there are people out that have hobbies that require a serious off-road vehicle.  

In response to cal40-
Actually I have been off-roading many times, and it's quite fun.  Ever heard of Hollister Hills in California?  It's friggin awesome!
You probably misunderstood my meaning of off-roading; I meant by light to moderate off-roading as in unpaved roads, gravel, open fields, and that sort of thing.  AWD cars can handle that.  For serious off-roading, like boulder crawling and going up hills and through riverbeds, yeah, you're going to need a truck or an SUV (preferably with a lifted suspension and good tires).
In your post you mentioned having a quad.  Couldn't you tow your quad as far as possible using an AWD car and then use the quad to do the serious off-roading?

4X4 trucks are great- if you actually use them.  I have two friends that drive Ford Super Duties as their daily drivers, and hardly ever use them to tow or go off-roading!  It's so wasteful, it makes me crazy!  

You can still get a Toyota Tocoma or Nissan Frontier with a 4cyl. averaging about 21 mpg city.Funny thing is that minivans aren't  that "mini" anymore. Honda/Toyota/Dodge minivans'mpg average in the mid to high teens in the city.  

And that is why mini vans are not only horrible looking but just a bad overall investment  

well i dont realy need one..all i need is a sports car with an sportster 5... cool one right?

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many thanks!

LhianeAivee  

Well,just because I don't need a truck does'nt mean that I think everyone should get rid of their.

This works for me.

As far as slamming minivans.

A minivan is one of the single most versatile vehicles you would ever own.

It is the single best way to move eight people all in great comfort.

With the Dodge stow and go system of stowing seats,the seats can be folded into the floor and that people moving van becomes a cargo moving van in just minutes.

And,if you have a trailer,you can move alot of people and cargo at the same time.

It baffles me how people continually downrate minivans.

I've driven one for the last five years everyday and it's been a great help on the job and in my personal life getting things done.

And it averages 20 to 22 mpg a tankful of regular gas.

It's a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan,now with 265,000 miles on it.

Rides and drives great too.  

Different rides work for different people  

I wish one of the car companies would build a small pick-up with a dual range transmision , a 7 speeed
manual trans. and and a dual range rear axle
(to greatly change the gear ratios) with a good
4 or 6 cyl that would get 30 to 40 mpg.
Just imagine driving down the hwy in 7th gear ,dual range trans in HI gear and your rear axle in HI gear
while your engine is only turning at a gas saving 1500
rpm. Imagine that same truck pulling a load so many
different gear ratios I'm sure one of them would not over stress the engine. Then you go one step further to get even better fuel economy you incorporate the displacement on demand technology and offer the Hybrid
system as found on the Hybrid Chevy Silverado.Guess Im just dreaming to much it will never probably happen
But I bet alot of us would love a pick up with 40+mpg  

The reason that pickups are not getting an better gas mileage now then they were twenty years ago is weight.
The large pickups have massive steel frames and bodys built for durability.
Massive sixteen inch rims that although some are alloy rims,those alloy rims weigh alot.
The Hybrid Silverado you mention gets a very small return on it's cost and the current cylinder shutoff systems have,in the real world,not returned alot for the complexity they add to the motor.
Right now,the gas mileage champion that I see in small trucks is the manual transmission Mazda pickup at 29 mpg highway.
But I don't know if you can even buy that truck now,Mazda may not be getting anymore from Ford.
The SAME TRUCK from Ford is rated at 26 mpg highway,go figure.
I was really hoping that Toyota would start selling a diesel four cylinder six speed automatic transmission pickup that got around 35 mpg hwy.
But the market has to be screaming about gas prices and so far the rates have been rising but slowly.