When we leave here and move on to our next life adventure, my place of abode I hope to located so that I can use my bicycles to get around on for daily errands. But for now, I am a sportscar person who leads a truck life. I think that will likely be the case even when we move on. You can hate on trucks all you want but gas mileage is not the only cost to ownership. Just yesterday I saw a flat panel TV come off the roof of some bitzsy little ecobox. Bet that was expensive. Hope they used American Express!
Trucks tow boats, carry my kayaks and bicycles, carry hiking gear far into the mountains down high clearance and 4WD access only, carry plants home from the nursery, load bags of mulch, tow my tractor out of the pond, carry lumber from the yard to remodel the house, take my telescopes to a dark sky site and among a million other things, swallow up dive gear.
Renting a mini van like the Dodge Caravan with the stow and go seats might be fun. I like them pretty good. Vehicle capacity is poor but it is a rental, who cares if the suspension is crunched. I have rented vehicles for trips. I have reached a point in life where schedules are to be avoided. My own vehicle lets me do as I wish but renting is a good option, no doubt about it. Your auto insurance should take care of you, no need to buy the expensive renter insurance, check with your agent.
I see so many people who are car poor purchasing BMWs and such who cannot really afford them. A paid for vehicle offsets a lot of gasoline. I have two Jeeps, a Jeep project and a Tacoma, all paid for. All have low mileage. I work on a cash basis most times anyways. I would have to like something or need something an awful lot to make a payment on it or sign a contract etc. Do not tie yourself into a depreciating asset just for a couple of extra MPG or some more cylinders or a 0-60 time .3 seconds faster. No car payments, now we are talking. Buy for the long run.
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I'm always hesitant to use my personal auto insurance for anything other than "total loss" type situations. The way insurance co.s operate these days, even a few "no fault" claims puts you at risk for "no renewal". Also, if you have filed claims within a certain # of years, many insurance companies won't take you on as a client. What a racket - and clearly a "sore point" of mine 
