Courier recommendations
 

Hmmm, need a recommendation for a good courier vehicle. Typically I carry little more than 2 dozen or so envelopes (roughly the same size as those inter office envelopes), although I do handle one account that's usually 4 mail totes (roughly the same size as a milk crate), so it doesn't have to be a large vehicle, heck, a motorcycle tricycle would prolly work.

Right now I use a Venture, but there's a couple problems with that. One, its big, and gets only 22MPG, second is that either the chin spoiler is rather low, or driveways here are rather steep, since I keep scraping going in and out. Throw in the occasional dirt road, and a van just doesn't cover it.

So, I'm deciding between a small wagon or hatchback like an Escort or Metro, or a small SUV. I do suspect a CRV or a RAV4 will be outside of my budget, I'm suspicious of the Sidekick having had a problem with one in the past and knowing someone else that'd had similar problems, and I doubt a Bronco II or Grumman LLV would get particularly good mileage, no matter what I do.

So, any ideas?

yea, the chin spoiler is common to all chevys (every chevy I've driven any year since mid-80s except frame-based vehicles. that's saying something since I worked at a chevy dealer a couple times) and scrapes on everything. its neither you nor your area.

I'd be partial to a rav4 because I'm a toyota guy but either that or the crv get good mpgs.

I'd also go for the metro over the escort being a (generally) anti-domestic guy.

CRX or VX.

The Escort since '91 has a lot of Mazda in it, it's related to the 323/Protege platform. I'd say if you want an auto, get an Escort or Saturn S-series, and only if you want a manual think about metros, swifts etc.

Yeah, the Escort's solid, simple. I've driven some that get 40MPG+ with manual. Someone on here has a wagon that gets high thirties consistently.

somehting cheap and that has cheap brake pads, clutches, and easy to work on engines...

I didn't know they made fwd cars with engines that are easy to work on. ;)

Javarod: You should get in touch with Matt Timion and purchase the VX he has for sale. It's in Salt Lake City, but Matt just got it in early fall and now he's gotten it all gone through, he is looking for someone to sell it to. It will get you great mileage and the back seats fold down, so you can put your mail trays in through the hatch. You could easily hop a one way to SLC on Southwest and come back on the cheap.

Stick is fine with me, Metro's been suggested. Really a matter of what's easy to fix and inexpensive, whether that's a Metro, an Escort or something else. Any suggestions on a compact SUV? Kia perhaps, my mate's 99 Kia's been ultra reliable, I like the Sidekick's for looks and ride, can't remember how the mileage was, but I'm not sure I trust the engines. RAV4 & CRV sound good, but I'm worried about the cost.

I'd love to buy that VX, but I won't be in the market until likely this summer I'm afraid.

If you just want a more upright driving position and a better view of the road, try test driving an Echo/Yaris, they actually feel quite tall when you're in them. 2000 models are going for a reasonable price these day.