2008 CarMax Search Data Reveals Surprising Favorites - #4 - Mustang; #6 - Tahoe; #7 - F-150

[hatrack]

So what used vehicles were people looking for during 2008 as gasoline prices spiked to more than $4 a gallon (before dropping to unbelievably low levels by year end)? CarMax, the used-car retailer, says that on its Web site, the car that visitors to the portal were most interested in was the Honda Accord, followed by the Honda Civic. The Toyota Camry was in third place. Those three were obvious choices because they are perennially the top-selling cars in America.

Other popular cars on the list included the Nissan Altima at No. 5, the Toyota Corolla at No. 8, and the Nissan Maxima at No. 10. But surprisingly, the Ford Mustang was No. 4 on the list of most-searched vehicles. And the fuel-hungry Chevrolet Tahoe large sport utility was No. 6, and the Ford F-150 pickup No. 7. Another pickup made the list, the midsize Toyota Tacoma at No. 9.

The fact that three of the top vehicles on potential buyers' lists were models not known for having good fuel economy shows that perhaps even at $4 a gallon, Americans weren't ready to give up all of their favorite rides.

Seeing the Tacoma on the list isn't a surprise, as the smaller pickups did see increased sales during 2008 as buyers looked for better gas mileage. Although not on CarMax's Top 10 most-searched list, the compact Ford Ranger pickup was one of the most popular trucks during the year - probably because it's the truck with the best fuel economy. In fact, Ford had planned to discontinue the Ranger after 2009, but dropped that idea about midway through 2008 as sales of the truck mushroomed. The vehicle hasn't been redesigned in more than a decade, but the gasoline crisis of 2008 showed that the Ranger still has traction in the marketplace even if it is 10 years old.

EDIT

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=ced61e4f-8ca1-41b8-9089-4523ab220f73

[Kolesar]

1. I drove 7000 miles in my car last year

Been trying to cut down

[CRF450]

2. It depends on how the Tacoma is loaded out.

A stripped down, regular cab short bed base model with a 4cyl engine and a manual tranny would get an average in the low to mid 20's. As does every other small pickup setup that way. I drove a 92 Ranger for a short time that had a 4.0 v6 and a 5 speed manual. It got surprisingly good fuel milage averaging 23mpg with right much HWY driving.

Now back to the Tacoma, go up to a crew cab model with 4x4 and the 4.0 v6, it hardly gets better fuel milage than other midsize trucks and even some fullsize ones. They dont even get better fuel milage than my Dodge Dakota.

As for the Mustangs, they actually get decent fuel milage for a v6 or v8. They typically get around the low to mid 20's for mpg and sometimes up to 30mpg HWY. Doesn't matter how many compact econo cars are available, people including me will still a sporty RWD coupe thats enjoyable to drive.

[Nihil]

3. Not that surprising ...

... there will always be the 25-30% element of the population
who consistently make dumb self-harming choices ...
:shrug:

[Greyskye]

4. Are they sure that people weren't looking them up to see how much they could sell theirs for?

I always look to see what prices other people are getting when I go to sell something.

:shrug: