My son drives 50 or more miles to work at various locations so milage is important. He is also into hunting and fishing. He has about $12k saved. What vehicle should you recommend for him that would be dependable and not out of the park expensive? We live in the Idaho area
Tundra I guess. What else are you going to toss a moose into.
Tough ask. Ruggedness + dependability + fuel economy + utility + daily drivability... for $12k!
Take out the price limit, and I’d say 4Runner. But at that price most 4runners will be pretty worn out.
Id start looking for a XJ Cherokee. They’re getting old, but still plentiful. Easy to find in your price range, cheap to service and repair, and if you find a 6-cylinder one that’s been well maintained it will be close to the 4Runner in longevity.
A good XTerra also would work.
He has 12K but could finance the rest.
An 150 with a 6-speed transmission and a 5.0 Coyote engine
So what year models would we be talking about here? BTW he has 12K cash but can finance more if needed.
You said mileage is important, do you mean gas mileage?
If you mean gas mileage it can rule out a great one, as @imperator mentioned, a Tundra.
I think I would want a little more detail before making a recommendation.
Where and what does he hunt? Does he have to go deep in the woods to get to his hunting or fishing spot? Do you think a truck is needed?
This sounds like it may be one of those, I need it to travel to work, but it would be nice to hunt and fish with too, type of situations?
Yes gas mileage. He hunts fowl and coyotes but given more time and opportunity would hunt bigger game.
So if gas mileage is a concern, that pretty much rules out a Tundra. I was thinking about 4Runner as well, but the gas mileage might be around 20 at best. Depending on where he lives, he may be able to get a decent 4Runner, and it could get most anywhere, and although not great on gas, it would save money on repairs.