On Fri, 1 Apr 2016 10:20:25 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 4/1/2016 8:23 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:

...while waiting for routine service to be completed on my wife's car, I
test drove a 2016 Toyota Tacoma truck. What a sweet ride...made even
sweeter by the presence of its six speed manual transmission. The last
time I drove a pickup truck with a stick shift, it was back in the late
1950's, at my dad's boat store. I think it was a four speed, but you
started in second because first was there only to get the truck rolling
if you were pulling something really heavy.


I just bought a new ride. I've been thinking of getting a more
comfortable vehicle for a while and tried out several of the "mid-sized"
offerings. Ended up with a Nissan Altima SL. It's the four-banger with
the continuously variable transmission. Nissan also
offers a 3.5L six but I don't know why anyone would need the extra
horsepower. The 2.5L four moves the car along surprisingly well. After
almost two weeks of driving a mix of highway and around town it is
averaging between 32 and 33 mpg. Far cry from the 12 to 13 mpg with the
Ford Superduty. Gonna hold onto the truck though, at least for a while.
Sometimes only a truck will do.


We are still hanging on to the Sport Trak. It is not really a truck
but it serves the function. I can put a pallet of sod in the back but
I would not want to drive far with it.
It gets used to haul gas more than anything else. Next would be moving
my boat around.
My Honda is a 5 speed and that is sporty enough for me.