I've been reading the various car-related blog posts, but they all assume that your car usage will be cut down to a minimum, and unfortunately that cannot be the case for my wife and I.
Now, before you get out your pitchforks and torches, I have cut down on my driving by working from home all but one day of the week, and I'm currently in the process of running a 1996 2-door coup into the ground (Lincoln mark VIII). Unfortunately, my wife works as an in-home therapist for kids with learning disabilities, and as such is forced to drive 3 to 4 hours every day. She enjoys a great deal of fulfillment from that job, so high mileage is just a reality that we have to deal with. She currently drives a Honda CRV which her parents have been leasing for her, but the lease is about to expire.
Also important to note: we're currently in the market for a house and plan to move in by the end of the year, so we'd like to have at least one vehicle capable of moving home supplies, furniture, etc. Here're my current thoughts; any constructive criticism is very much appreciated.
Vehicle for my wife:
3 to 4 hours of daily city driving pretty much necessitates a high efficiency vehicle, so we're leaning towards a used hybrid (probably a late 00's). This would also function as our road trip car.
Vehicle for me:
Since I've already essentially nullified by commute (and I'm hoping to move close enough to the office to bike to work the one day that I go in), fuel efficiency is not a huge factor, so I'm leaning towards getting a small truck. I know hatchbacks are the Mustachian way, but since I don't really care about about mpg for this vehicle I thought I'd get a vehicle that I know will transport anything I need it to. Basically, I'm hoping to never rent a vehicle or pay extra for delivery every again. Also, the wife and I enjoy a lot of gear intensive hobbies (scuba, rowing, sailing...), so it would be nice to have a "lug **** around" vehicle.
Obviously, my wife's situation makes her car purchase kind of a no-brainer, and there's already a ton of helpful information concerning used hybrids. However, I'm really unsure about getting a small truck for myself. I feel silly making such a large purchase when realistically I would only drive the thing a few times a month. Then again, trade in value of my coup is ~2.5k, so a 90's manual transmission truck shouldn't be a huge purchase.