Cheap Track Vehicle

[georgeb]

So, I'm racking my brain trying to think of a good, cheap vehicle to transport my bike to and from the track. I really don't want to go with a trailer because a trailer requires something big to pull it. My goal is to have one cheap vehicle that gets good gas mileage. Ideally, I'd love to find a decomissioned work van that already has the cage and tool cabnets installed, with room left over to squeeze in a bike. These are actually not that hard to find. They come up on Ebay pretty often, but are not cheap.

So my second thought was an old 4 cylinder Toyota pickup truck. I figure that those trucks run forever, get good gas mileage, and might just be big enough to put a bike in the back. My question is, would a little 4 cylinder pickup be powerful enough to carry a bike, and tools?

[V-Twin Power]

I had a 1992 Toyota pickup 4cyl. I put bikes in the back on occasion. It was enough truck, but definitely a workout for it. You could do it for a track hauler. I sold it back in '02 for around $5500 if I remember right.



FWIW, I had a header back exhaust, custom cold air intake, bilstein shocks, automatic trans cooler, Hella headlight conversion, aftermarket wheels, stereo, slotted rotors, Optima yellow top battery, etc. . .

[georgeb]

What was your opinion of the quality of the truck? Do they run forever, or do they implode after 150,000 miles?

[V-Twin Power]

It was unstoppable in the snow, OK off road. Quality was decent, about what you would expect. I blew the head gasket at about 130,000 miles or so. I heard a few people tell me that those engines are notorious about losing the bottom end ~1000 miles after blowing a head gasket, no matter how good you were about shutting down right away and changing the oil a bunch of times when fixing it. I was good about it and had it fixed without driving it after it blew, and the dealership said I was in good shape after they did the work. I sold it promptly after having the head gasket replaced. Maintenance was normal, belts and hoses here and there. brakes, alternator, etc. went after normal times.

[AZ Scott]

How cheap is cheap? What kind of budget are you talking about?

[georgeb]

Cheap is really cheap. If possible, I'll find a little Renault, cut off the top and stick the bike in there.

Well, okay, not that cheap. Why, do you have a suggestion?

[speedbird]

A '95 Toyota Tacoma has served me well: 260,000 + miles so far: (180k on the orig clutch, 190k on the orig front brakes, 250k on the rear, 200 + on the orig exhaust) and I still get ~30 mpg! The change in 95 from the "Truck" to the Tacoma was pretty big esp. the engine. The 16v 4cyl will get the job done, I haul mine around all the time. Keep in mind replacement parts are expensive. Also my 2wd has very poor traction, it seems worse in the wet than it does in the snow. It has lasted 10 winters though, including a few in Chicago. So I don't think 4wd is worth the mpg/$ penalty with as many miles as I drive (~100/day.)


I would also consider a Subaru Brat if you can find one.

Rgds.

[AZ Scott]

I remember Mark Miller toting his ZX-7 superbike around to all the nationals in the back of a Ford Aerostar minivan. I imagine one of those would be pretty inexpensive if you could find one. But I don't know what kind of reliability it would have, being a Ford and all. Oddly enough, he's now using a Honda Element, which I was shocked that he could fit a GSXR 1000 and all his gear in there, but he does. But those are new, and sound like over your budget.

Toyota pickups have a pretty good rep for long life, but it depends if you want a pickup or a van.

There are so many choices, I think your best bet would be to check your local Auto Trader and find a list of candidate vehicles in your price range, and then ask for opinions on those selections...

[Macx]

Not a Toyota, but I have carried an FZ1 and a CBR900RR loaded side by side in a Ford Ranger 4cyl. I did have to negotiate the hills of PA (which can be pleanty steep even if they aren't "Rockies"). I think anything in that size category would be adequate for a single bike & gear. . . no problem.

[Eddie]

I see used ambulances for sale in the auto trader all of the time. I have always thought that these would be sweet a RVT (race vehicle transport)



Think about it – they are going to be maintained to a high level, most have low mileage for the age of the thing. They are built on truck platforms with a box or just a full size van. Lots have internal shelves or cabinets – some are made of stainless!



They are almost always diesel. They are going to have extra batteries and dual alternators. Some list power converters – some don’t but I imagine that they all had them at one time (think tire warmers).



Some have the outside lights (not the strobes) that would be nice when working on the bike at night at the track.



And since they load gurneys in the back, you should be able to fit a bike in there with no problem. Won’t sag and ride on the bumpstops like a areostar van with an extra 400+ pounds.



I have seen them from less than $1500 but most are $3000 - $5000.

[superduc21]

Bad thing about boo boo buses are they are driven really hard. You are right about the inverters, they connect to either shore lines or they charge 110 while running. Scene lights arent too bright. Most will have plenty of storage for tools and they all have at least one lock box. Also plenty of room on the outside compartments for tires and such. But watch out, one of our older ones had an alternator go out and they don't make them anymore(they are extremely high output) it cost about 1500 for a new setup. Also the schematics of those things can be confusing, most mechanics won't touch the "box" parts of them. I would look for the mod-van ambulances They have all the perks of the bigger ones without the fix issues. Plus they go a lot faster. About 120mph compared to 92 on the big ones.

[kaos]

tough to beat an astro cargo van for stealth and price.

[patman]

Check your local u hall I just seen a liltle toyota box truck out front of the local U hall for sale. Most likely under 2 grand.
Pat