So, I am shopping for a new vehicle...

[Dean]

Thanks for the advice guys!


I'll take a look at all the options.

I'm not in the market for a hybrid. Don't want one. I have my reasons--but thats another discussion.

[geomiklas]

My favorite small vehicle that would qualify as a tuba hauler was my 1993 Plymouth Voyager 4-cylinder 5-speed manual transmission. 27 MPG always on the highway, 24 MPG mixed driving. Lots of leg room and head room, and lots of room for tubas! The roof rack was always available for curb-side treasure hunts But a deer was the predator one night, and my 93 Voyager was the victim. If you do an autotrader.com search, you may still find a 5-speed caravan/voyager. They were built 1984 - 1990, 1992-94. They were obsoleted because in the last three years of production, only 170 were built/delivered nationwide. Mine had over 200k miles when it met the deer, original engine and transmission, one clutch and one A/C evaporator replaced --no other major repair.

I'm presently driving a 1995 VW Jetta 4-cyl 5-sp. Tuba fits in the trunk, electric bass and amp fit in the back seat. 37 MPG hwy, 31 mixed. Of course when the family goes to a gig with me, I have to drive my 2001 Ford E-350 Superduty Chateau 7-pass, 5.4L, trailer toter.

[ZNC Dandy]

Does anyone currently make a wagon with a c. 2.0 engine and a manual tranny?

Subaru Impreza. Its also AWD. Pretty much a tank. Bulletproof reliability.

[KevinMadden]

Second for Subaru, I have a '98 Legacy wagon.
24mpg /mixed
30+mpg / highway
plenty of room (moved in and out of college several times w/o second car for stuff)
AWD
no frills, but its a solid car that'll go 200k miles easy.

[Tubainsauga]

Second for Subaru, I have a '98 Legacy wagon.
24mpg /mixed
30+mpg / highway
plenty of room (moved in and out of college several times w/o second car for stuff)
AWD
no frills, but its a solid car that'll go 200k miles easy.

I have the exact same car, and it is a great car for tubists. I can even put my WJ case in the back without folding down the seats. It's taken beating too and it still drives pretty well without any issues.

[lgb&dtuba]

Some relatives from out in the Missouri Ozarks showed up here in Ohio with a Honda Element recently, and it seems like it might be a good solution, (along with the very similar Dodge Caliber/Jeep Compass).

It may be practical, but it sure is butt ugly. Though not as ugly as the Toyota Scion.

[MartyNeilan]

Some relatives from out in the Missouri Ozarks showed up here in Ohio with a Honda Element recently, ...

It may be practical, but it sure is butt ugly. Though not as ugly as the Toyota Scion.

I nearly bought a 1st generation Scion XB until I found out my wife was pregnant with our third child. The original XB was very economical (moreso than many hybrids) and had all the space you could want for instruments and equipment with the rear seats folded down. Plus, it did have a certain style.
The new ones get a little more room and some more power, but completely lose the economy of the first gen along with all of its cool points.

[MaryAnn]

Yeah, the XB was well on its way to being a cult-mobile. Friends of mine have one and have driven it literally all over the country. Only thing they coudln't get in it was the harp. (yes, harp. not harmonica.) So they bought a smaller harp.

I like my Forester but it is really more than I need.

And I explained recently to someone that a major reason for a purely electric car (as opposed to a hybrid, which is the worst of both worlds) is that power plants only need one robust installation of pollution control equipment, while every single combustion engine vehicle has to have its own. Them things take energy to manufacture, too.

If we still want to burn stuff in our engines, I vote for hydrogen, as long as we can get some kind of solar technology going to extract it from all that extra seawater we're going to have after the Greenland ice sheet melts and Bloke's condos are full of yuppies.

MA

[SplatterTone]

Since nobody has mentioned it yet:
Southpark, season 10, episode 2, called "Smug Alert!" is about hybrid cars and the people who drive them. If you have time to kill
http://southpark4602.x10hosting.com/
http://southpark4602.x10hosting.com/episodes/index.html

[lgb&dtuba]

Sometimes there just isn't any substitute for raw cargo handling capacity. That's why my vehicle is a Chevy Silverado with 8 foot bed, topper shell and 350 engine. If we need to save gas we drive my wife's Cavalier.

Last weekend the truck was crammed full of band equipment. Full trap set, hardware and a concert bass drum. Mixer, speakers, cables. Stands, lights, music. Props. Nothing short of a full size truck would have worked. There wasn't any room left over for my tuba. It rode in the back seat.

The Silverado is a country Cadillac. It's about as quiet as a luxury car. Rides nice and smooth. All the comforts. Doesn't beat us up on a road trip.

Sometimes is just isn't about saving gas.

[lgb&dtuba]

I could definitely see how a bed liner, cap, and I'd probably go for a CD player, (the current one just has AM/FM, which limits me to pop-country, pop-hip-hip, and smooth jazz), would make it a great thing to have for equipment, despite gas consumption.

I know we're drifting a little here, but if you start thinking bed liners consider the BedRug. http://www.bedrug.com/

I've had one in my truck for 3 years now and it still looks brand new. It has thickly padded bottom and sides, is non slip, easy to clean and really protects music equipment from sliding around and getting damaged.

With the addition of a tailgate lock and the lock on the camper shell I feel things are about as safe in the back of the truck as in most vehicles.

[Tubaryan12]

Saturn L series wagons fit the requirement of 70 cu.ft storage and 25mpg as well.

[Jack Denniston]

We've had our Toyota Prius for a couple years now. We're averaging 45-55 MPG. It's a liftback. With the back seats folded down, it will hold 4 tubas. With the backseats in seating position, it'll hold my tuba, my euph, a manhasset stand, a folding chair, my wife, our 2 grandkids and me, very comfortably. It drives and rides very well.

[tubaguy9]

Honda Fit.

Looks tiny. But big on interior. Under $15,000. Good mpg.

[chipster55]

For gas mileage and still have room to haul the instruments, we take my wife's Chevy Aveo. Otherwise, we take the Silverado 2500HD--can't pull the travel trailer with the Aveo.

[Jess Lightner]

Responding to the manual tranny c. 2 liter question- I've had a Manda 3 wagon for about six months now, with a 5 speed and a 2.3 4cyl.

25 mpg in horrible DC traffic (much better on the highway), fits nicely into tight parking spots, and a PT-6 in a gig bag is precisely the right size to fit behind the rear seats without folding them down.

There seems to be a wealth of four door hatchbacks (like the Mazda or VW Rabbit, Matrix, Vibe, etc.) right now. I'd love to see a Honda civic wagon- light and efficient and inexpensive.

[LoyalTubist]

I always liked classic automobiles. My favorite is the Checker. It's a sedan with a lot of floor space. Imagine, if you will, a SEDAN that will hold two or three cased tubas in the back seat FLOOR with plenty of room for passengers. They can even look out the windows. If you look at the picture below you can see the back doors are the same size as the front doors. There is almost four feet between the front seat and the back seat. These were the stereotypical taxis of Chicago and New York City for many years. These ceased production in 1982.




http://www.checkertaxistand.com/checker_history/

[LoyalTubist]

Right down to the 350 V-8 engine, built for a Chevy...