For the last 2 years, I’ve had a Prius. It was a good car, with some nice electronic toys to be sure. It most definitely gets fantastic gas mileage. That being said, it is a bit… meh. Now I didn’t get rid of it because it was “meh” (IE unexciting), I got rid of it because I didn’t drive it much these days. When I first got it, it was my primary mode of transport. That has since been replaced by my motorcycle. The only reason I took the Prius out was if it was raining heavily, I needed to carry multiple people, or carry sizable stuff. I figured if I was going to have a vehicle lamenting in my garage, unused, I wanted something A) more utilitarian and B) cheaper.
So I bought a 2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 with the “access cab”. I got the 2006 rather than something 2007 or newer mainly because I don’t need a BIG truck. A truck yes, but not something huge. It’s in good shape, doesn’t have terribly many miles, but most importantly it is cheaper for me. I made sure, before I bought it, to check and see if it was large enough to fit my motorcycle in the back, which it is. I don’t have any specific need to carry my bike about, but I figure it is useful to have. The truck also came with the towing package, which I again currently don’t have a use for, but I know that it is extremely handy to have. This isn’t my first foray into pickup trucks; I used to own a Dodge Ram 2500 V10. I’m used to being “the friend with a truck”, and really don’t mind helping out where I can — but you’ve got to be prepared.
I will, of course, drive it a bit over the next few days so I can get a good feel for it and get a baseline for mileage. I’m not expecting any “good” numbers, but I know a guy — he works magic. I will also need to be re-buying the accessories every truck owner has. You know the things like tie down points, cinch straps, cargo nets. All the misc little bits you have to have when you own a truck because inevitably someone will want to use you for something.
To my friends who now know that I’m once again “that friend with a truck” (Everyone has got to have one, a friend with a truck): Yes, you will be paying for gas money for anything I’m moving for you. Yes, you’ll be feeding me — I don’t work for free ya know!