I plead absolute ignorance on the subject of automobiles. I have a driver's license, and owned a Toyota Matrix for 3 years during college but hardly used it. I haven't driven in about 6 years and haven't given any thought to cars, until now...
as much as I'd love to continue to live a car-free life, my partner and I are relocating in the spring and will be living in a much more rural area. We're also looking at properties with 10+ acres with the expressed intent of expanding our current 1 acre that provides about 15-20% of our food into as much self-sufficiency as possible. This goes to say that we're going to need a car for purely utilitarian purposes; one can only haul so much manure, equipment, etc. on a cargo-bike, especially if we're 20+km from a major city.
So, would some kind soul weigh in on the following questions?
- Biodiesel vs. hybrid vs. full-electric? Oregon has a very robust biodiesel infrastructure. At the same time, green energy is not hard to come by so the issues that I have conceptually with hybrid/electric vehicles from an environmental standpoint are reduced. Leaving issues of carrying capacity and overall power to be the determining factors, there. Distance is a non-issue. We're not road-trip people. Don't suggest the new Tesla truck because I a) can't afford it and b) think it's fugly as fug.
- SUV vs. pickup vs. hatchback? or smaller car with a trailer? We are two people with very little social life (and no plans to change that), no kids (and no plans to change that), and a cat. In other words, I don't think we need a car with three rows of seats.
- Specific suggestions or brands with known issues? My BIL, who is a "car guy," warned us against subarus because they are apparently very expensive to fix if something goes wrong. I have no way to verify this, but similar intel or contradictory experience is welcome. We want to get a used, not new car, so repairs/upkeep is a deciding factor.
- What else am I not considering? My favorite car of all time was my late grandfather's 1970 F100. He had a small battery operated radio that would slide along the dash when he turned. The heat didn't work, and neither did the a/c. But it did everything he wanted it to and nothing more. This is what I want. I don't need a car with bells and whistles, I need a car that will haul sh*t around, deal with inclement weather, and not require too much of my attention.
Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide to a luddite car-noob like myself.
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