Hey guys...haven't really been around since I sold my truck. Been checking out cars n'trucks and can't decide on whether or not to get something good on gas and reliable...like a Matrix..or stick with a truck or 4runner. I'm living a little out in the boonies and roads are maintained but I'll have a 60km roundtrip commute everyday. This will be mostly highway and county roads (mixed gravel/paved) so I'm stuck on what to get. Do I just get a car and throw good snows on and save big on gas and just drive carefully (I do anyway )...or get good ol'fashion toyota truck reliability and take a hit with gas (twice the price compared to lets say...a toyota/honda 4banger) A guy is selling his 98 4runner LImited for $12500 said he'd go as low as $11500 and it only has 150XXXkms...just a baby. He's avg. 380km to a tank all city and offroading so is this normal? If I offered $8000 would that be an insult..considering gas is only going up?
http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/6150308 Just to compare..I've been looking at '04 Matrix's for the same price all with less than 130000kms. What do you think? Any comments or advice appreciated.
Here's another option but more KM's http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/6428600
And another http://www.usedottawa.com/classified-ad/5738472

 

Why not just get another old xcab pickup 22re or an older 1st gen 4runner 22re. My 4runner with a 22re/auto combo gets 500-550 km to a tank mixed driving.

 

I'd get the matrix and then get an old beater truck to have some fun with. Wait what am I saying would? I pretty much did that already (replace matrix with tercel)

 

I just bought a 97 4runner as a daily driver

I average about 20 mpg

I didnt buy it for its gas mileage, I just needed something that had space to move stuff around and reliable so i went with a 4runner

 

About 2 months ago, I bought a 1998 Limited with an e-locker with 160,000 miles on it for commuting. It was in good shape, though it needed a timing belt, water pump and shocks. I snagged it for $5,500 USD, threw OME springs/shocks on it, a set of 285/75R16 BFG T/A KO's, some Wet Okole seat covers and it is like new. It is a great commuter car, and I find myself wanting to take it on road trips instead of my wife's Mazda that gets 33 mpg's.

I've been getting around 16mpg's in town and 20 mpg's on the highway going about 65 mph.

-Dan

 

I wouldn't buy a 4Runner for DD purposes. There are a lot of smaller vehicles that get better fuel mileage. I can coax 22-23 mpg out of my 4Runner on a good day, where-as I can easily get 40+ mpg out of our Yaris. It's just too expensive to drive the 4Runner a long ways daily.

 

I see you're browsing Usedottawa, there a used dealer on Scott just around the corner from Churchhill he's selling a 99, 150k, leather etc... for 7,999. I was into look at it last week, very nice truck.