OK. I've been pondering over this for a week now and am unsure of what to do, so i'm turning to you all for some professional advice!!!

I will be moving myself from Fargo ND to Victoria BC via Denver CO in mid-may (2007). I've checked around, and Penske seems to offer the best price for their trucks and unlimited mileage. I've calculated the miles i will need to drive at 3000 (i will need to pass through Denver CO as well as Jackson WY on my way to Victoria). So my questions are these:

Penske offers 4 sizes of trucks. 12', 16', 22' and 26'. The smaller two are gas driven and the larger two are diesel driven. I really only need the 16' to move my stuff, but Penske claims a $230 fuel price advantage on their diesel trucks. Here's the info i was given:

16' truck will get 6-10 miles a gallon and will cost $823 to rent.
22' truck will get 8-11 miles a gallon and will cost $958 to rent.
(a bit more info on both of these trucks can be found on the pensketruckrental dot com site, but the forum won't allow me to post the links.)

While i only need the 16', will i be saving money on getting the 22'? how acheivable are those gas mileage figures? I'm used to driving in a conservative manner in my own vehicle and i routinely manage to get the EPA mileage figure. What should i expect from these moving vans? I've checked fuel prices along my route, and for the most part, diesel seems to be about 5-15 cents a gallon more (except in oregon, where it is cheaper).

What would you recommend i do?!?!

Also, another consideration is the ferry i have to put the truck on. I will be using the Washington State Ferries to get to Vancouver Island. They currently are running a special for vehicles under 30' long. The 22' truck has a total length of 30'9"...Does anyone know how strict WSF are with their measuring of truck length? If they do charge me the over 30' rate, it will cost me $50 more than the 16' truck which will get the special rate.

So, there's my dilemma! Any and all help would be most appreciated!

Darin

I cant help much with your decision but you will have to factor in the cost of gas vs diesel which it looks like you have done. Myself I would go with the 22 because the engine is probably more reliable and you have that extra 6 feet to work with which can be a blessing when you get right to the back and cant figure out where to put the one last shoe box. Will you have to pay tax on everything you bring over their border?

I don't know about how much they'll charge me to bring personal items across the border, but it'll be much cheaper than buying everything new up there! I'm already thinking that even the 16' truck is more than i need, but you are right, i suppose, that one often never has enough room...