Got a '95 Mazda pickup- one of the little B2300 models- 14 years old, right? My buddy Matt, who is a gearhead, tinkered with the engine a bit- nothing major- and I keep the tires a little over-inflated, drive the speed limit, coast to a slow stop, accelerate slow and easy, etc.- and I'm getting nearly 35mpg average. Of course, I live in the boonies where you can get away with driving like Grandpa, but I feel good about doing my part, and the accountant in my head is happy when it's fill-up-the-tank-time.
I need a pickup for hauling stuff and camping, but there is no need (for me) for one of those monster gas hogs that you see on the highways (usually with an empty bed and not a bit of dirt on them).