Last Legs

I'm contemplating the demise of an old friend. Ten years we've been together through thick and thin. Where is the love? The honeymoon is over. It's time to move on.

I acquired my current chariot ten years ago -- when it was already ten years old -- and drove it up from Texas. In these last ten years I've added not only another 100,000 miles, but a second engine, a new braking system, and a few other little touches that have been relentlessly nickel and diming me to death for the last three years.

In the first five or six years of owning this truck, I would have argued that it was the best $4500 I'd ever spent on a vehicle. After all, I hate having car payments and a good used vehicle makes more sense to me than most new purchases. The utility has been invaluable and I can't see ever being without some kind of SUV/truck/crossover vehicle in the family.

So that's what I'm looking for -- something the same only different. Gas mileage is key. My current behemoth has a thirty-five gallon tank feeding a 5.2liter (318ci) V8 that is now barely getting nine or ten MPG as it inhales ballparks of air whenever I step on the accelerator -- and that's provided it's down hill with a tail wind. At $112 per tank every two weeks, it adds up quickly -- and that's just to drive the thirty mile round trip to work for ten days.

I ranted in an earlier post about not getting anything back at tax time, so I'm looking for something really cheap (doesn't have a good ring to it) or really affordable that's nearly new. Wish me luck. If the stars are aligned, I'll find something in my favorite color -- blue.