Emily is from Massachusetts and is starting a farm where she will grow and deliver flowers. She needs an affordable daily driver that is good for deliveries but can also handle loads of equipment and supplies, what car should she buy?
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Here is the scenario.
I’m starting a farm and I need a daily driver that can also deliver flowers and transport farming materials. I have about ten grand to spend on something that is reliable, utilitarian, air conditioned storage for delicate fresh cut flowers, fits in at a farmer’s market, some off-road capability.
Quick Facts:
Budget: up to $10,000
Location: Massachusetts
Daily Driver: Yes
Wants: Functional, reliable, durable
Doesn’t want: Something with expensive maintenance
Expert 1: Tom McParland – Be Flexible
If you need to haul dirt and gear to the farm and flowers to your market and you don’t want a pickup truck, something boxy is the way to go. Once again the Ford Flex is the answer. This rectangle on wheels boasts a massive 83 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded. That is plenty of room for bags of dirt, supplies or a load of fresh-cut flowers for the market. While it may be on the larger side as a daily driver, I’ve never met a business owner who has every complained about having too much space in their vehicle.
The Flex was one of Ford’s sturdier platforms with its trusty V6 and easy-to-source parts. The boxy-body also makes for a nice canvas for graphics and wraps to advertise your company. The only real downside is that these are sought after by those who appreciate them so inventory is thin. Here is a super clean Limited AWD with just over 100,000 in New York for only $8500. Now the fact that the condition for a 2013 car is described as “like new” and this seller takes crypto payments makes me a little bit suspicious of the legitimacy of this ad, so proceed with caution.
Expert 2: Owen Bellwood – Durable? Say No More
Emily, what a nice scenario you’ve pitched for us this week! The romantic in me loves the idea of tending to a flower farm and then pottering off around town to deliver some beautiful bouquets – I hope all goes well for you!
Because I’m a hopeless romantic at heart, I think the perfect car for you is a vintage Italian runaround that’s as at home in towns and cities as it is on farm tracks. That’s right, I reckon the perfect car for your fledgling farm is an old Fiat Panda 4X4.
Sure, you might have come asking for a functional, reliable and durable car, but you came to Jalopnik so what did you really expect? And truth be told, the Panda does (just about) tick all those boxes: it’s got plenty of air conditioned space on the back seats and in the trunk for your delicate flowers, can haul all manner of farming equipment around on its roof or hitched to the rear end, and is so durable that it’ll probably outlive most newer cars that we could suggest. It might seem like an odd choice, but this Fiat Panda I’ve found for you is perfect – and it’s only down the road in New Jersey!
Expert 2 – Lawrence Hodge – Make It Last Forever
Emily you need the automotive equivalent of a roach; something that’ll still be running even if the world ends. In my opinion, you need the second generation Toyota Tundra.
This thing was on sale for just six years but they made millions of them and a lot of them are still on the road and for good reason to: They last forever. My girlfriend’s father has one he still drives daily and it has over 300,000 miles on it. The 4.7-liter V8 that powered many of these trucks is bulletproof. Plus, it’s just a nice sized truck, especially in Double Cab guise before Toyota thought it needed to go huge to take on Detroit. While it’s not quite utilitarian, it’ll handle farm duties and get dirty with no problem at all.
Best of all they’re cheap. This example at a dealership in Vienna, Virginia is a 2004. It has just over 81,000 miles, which on a Tundra is like having 20,000 miles and it’s a Double Cab with the V8. It’s also in your budget as the dealer want’s exactly $10,000 for it.
