In the vast landscape of personal finance and efficient living, as espoused by the teachings of Money Mustache, every aspect of our lives presents an opportunity to optimize and save. And when it comes to our choice of vehicle, the principles of efficiency hold just as true. Colorado Springs, a beloved starting point for many of our southern-bound road trips, serves as a backdrop to explore how we can make the most of our cars, regardless of their size.
The key to wealth, as any avid reader of Money Mustache articles knows, lies in leading an efficient lifestyle. When it comes to cars, this means selecting a vehicle that is perfectly suited to your most frequent needs. Yet, in the United States, this rational approach to car buying is surprisingly rare. Instead, most individuals opt for the largest and most powerful cars they can afford, driven by the belief that they might need the extra capacity on rare occasions. Take the Ford F-150 pickup truck, for example. With its 360 horsepower and a mere 17 miles per gallon in the city, it dominates the sales charts, selling more than double the number of the top car on the list, the relatively large Toyota Camry.
However, the reality is that most people spend the majority of their driving time alone. In such cases, a very small car is the most efficient choice, assuming four wheels are even necessary. Anything larger is not only inefficient but can also lead to financial inefficiency and, in the Money Mustache world, is closely linked to a path towards poverty. The good news is that in the US and Canada, even the smallest cars can comfortably accommodate a family of five in a relatively luxurious manner.
But what about those infrequent situations where more space is needed, such as camping trips, ski adventures, or cross-country journeys where you’ll be living out of the car? Instead of immediately opting for a massive Cadillac Escalade or a Chevrolet Tahoe, there’s a more practical and cost-effective approach – the Money Mustache Style. All you need is your existing small car, complemented by some clever outboard storage solutions that can be added for road trips and removed for the majority of your regular car use.
My trusty Scion xA serves as a prime example. Despite being one of the smallest cars available in the US, just 7 inches longer than a Mini Cooper, it features a full four-door-plus-hatchback design. It can comfortably seat five adults, hold their backpacks, and achieve over 40 miles per gallon when driven properly. This little car has embarked on some truly impressive road trips, from Moab to Phoenix, Santa Fe to South Padre Island, and even to the Great Lakes region of Canada.
One of the Scion’s most ambitious trips was a month-long journey through Colorado, New Mexico, and the Gulf Coast of Texas. The trip was carefully planned to include family beach camping, boating with an inflatable kayak, and cooking our own food. All of this was done with a four-year-old child in tow, in one of the smallest cars on the market.
To prepare for this adventure, I first added cruise control to the car, which was surprisingly absent in the 2005 model. A Rostra kit from Amazon, costing around $200, not only added this useful feature but also provided an educational experience in car maintenance. Next, I needed to find more space for our camping equipment and the boat. This led me to discover three effective ways to transform a small car into a spacious one.
The first option is to utilize the roof. Even if your car doesn’t come with roof rails or racks, companies like Yakima and Thule offer easy-to-install options. You can simply strap waterproof duffel bags to a basic rack or invest in aerodynamic hinged roof boxes for more frequent long-distance trips. These can often be found nearly new on Craigslist at less than half the price.
The second option is to add cargo behind the back bumper. While a roof box is convenient, it increases aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption. Adding accessories to the back of the vehicle, such as bike racks, cargo baskets, or large locking boxes, allows the cargo to ride in the slipstream behind the car, reducing drag and saving fuel.
The third and most powerful option is to hook up a trailer. Car companies often discourage small car owners from pulling trailers, but in reality, even a tiny car with a 108 horsepower engine is more than capable of towing a reasonably-sized trailer. You can find a basic 4x8ft trailer for about $320 at Harbor Freight tools and customize it to your needs. Trailers like these can serve as a rolling workshop, storage unit, or shed and are frequently available on Craigslist.
After considering all the options, I decided to take a unique approach and build my own custom back box for the Scion. Using the car’s tow hooks as a mounting point, I welded a custom metal support frame and built a large box with an 80-gallon internal volume. The total cost was only about $30 worth of wood, metal, and paint (although I used scraps from my business, so it was essentially free). This box was the highlight of our month-long road trip, holding all our gear and even attracting admiration from fellow Money Mustache travelers.
Before you rush to upgrade from a sedan to an SUV because of trunk space concerns, think logically. Coupes and sedans with low and awkward trunks are less practical. Instead, look for a hatchback or a wagon, which are more common in Europe and offer better functionality. SUVs, essentially wagons with a raised suspension, are inefficient for on-road use. A small hatchback can handle most of what an SUV or minivan can do, and with the addition of a roof box, back box, or trailer, it can even outperform larger cars on those rare occasions when extra space is needed.
Just as we enhanced the functionality of our bikes with backpacks and trailers, we can now transform our small cars into versatile vehicles that can take us on big adventures. So, let’s hit the road and see each other at the campsite, proving that with a little creativity and a lot of efficiency, small cars can make a big impact.
