Need recommendation for new tow vehicle

[courtney]

Been pulling my 13' with my company car, a Grand Caravan, but the Nissan Rogue I'm about to get won't work.

Need to gets the hubs a new vehicle that will pull our egg. He drives about 35 miles round trip each day for work, so gas mileage is a factor. Also need a backseat for the littles. Want to spend less than $16k.

I'm having paralysis by analysis. Hoping y'all can throw out some ideas.


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[Jon in AZ]

How about another van? Best road trip car for kids, good gas mileage for commuting, and you should be able to find something in decent condition within your budget. I'm partial to Toyota Siennas for their reliability. I owned a 2000 for 11 years and 180K miles.

[courtney]

If it was for me it'd be great, but he's not ready to hand over his man card


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[courtney]

Thinking truck/SUV/crossover.


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[Mike Magee]

When you say 'new,' I assume you mean 'new to you'? Because you can't buy much of anything brand new for $16K.

There are plenty of possibilities with highway mpg in the low to mid 20s. Will that be good enough? You could look at Toyota Highlander and Rav4, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee (this one might add a punch to his man card), Nissan Pathfinder, Chevy Traverse.

[Pam Garlow]

I pull my 13footer with a 6cyl Ford Escape. It gets 25mpg back and forth to work (and I also drive 32 miles one way).
I did a quick search and spotted several in the Michigan area for under 15K with around 60,000 miles on them.

[G.C.]

Toyota Sienna van is a great tow vehicle. Been driving and towing with them for many years. Just tell him it takes a real man to drive a van. Once he realizes how useful a van is for towing and hauling extra camping items he will get trump the man card.

[Gilda]

We tow with a Subaru Legacy sedan because we bought it as a commute care before we had any idea we would be towing a trailer. We bought the trailer because our sedan could tow it. We LOVE our Subaru (and our 13' Scamp) and our next car will be a Subaru Outback or Forester because they have a hatchback, have all-wheel drive, are fun to drive AND, most importantly, have the highest safety rating.

[War Eagle]

Originally Posted by G.C.

Toyota Sienna van is a great tow vehicle. Been driving and towing with them for many years. Just tell him it takes a real man to drive a van. Once he realizes how useful a van is for towing and hauling extra camping items he will get trump the man card.

Hey Garland, It was great to meet you and your wife at the Green Eggs & Ham rally this past weekend and tour your EggCamper to get some great ideas for mods to ours. Safe travels....

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by courtney

If it was for me it'd be great, but he's not ready to hand over his man card

Another Scamp/Sienna rig here.

Real men put practicality above image.

While the "card carrying" men put their cargo in the bed of their pick-up so it can get stolen, rained on, etc.. I am transporting 4 x 8 foot sheets of plywood, or camping gear for a month, in the back of my Sienna van, 100% protected from the elements.

Actually, the Sienna would not be my first choice for a tug because of the things like it is not pre-wired, it sits quite low and the tailgate would not open until I replaced the stock trailer jack, but once set up for towing it does a fine job. It is rated to tow 3500 / 350 tongue (sans WDH) and with my ~2500 lb Scamp it only struggles on the very steepest roads but still gets the job done. The 2015 is better than previous Gen 3 models but it will cost a bit.

[Raz]

We tow with a double cab midsize pickup. The double cab gives the seating of a sedan with a smaller (5'x 5') bed for camping gear, grills, ect. It's also nice for hauling the occasional 2 x 4, or lawn mower, or making a run to the dump. Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, or the Honda Ridgeline will all tow most eggs out there. The cost is, of course, mpg. Expect 20 mpg at best and down to 15 mpg depending on the trailer. Most guys like driving a truck and used trucks are easy to find. Years ago a fellow said to me " once you have a truck you won't want anyhng else". So far he's been right. Good luck, Raz

[Martins HeirCon]

The problem with pickups is that they're more expensive than SUVs. I'm not sure why, except that the used market is glutted with secondhand soccermom-mobiles right now. You can buy a pathfinder, 4runner,yukon,whatever for half the price of the same maker's same platform pickup. That buys a lot of gas.

The only problem I see with most minivans is front wheel drive. I know that's not a problem for a lot of people in normal (paved and level) circumstances, but it just doesn't sit right with me.


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[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Martins HeirCon

...
The only problem I see with most minivans is front wheel drive. I know that's not a problem for a lot of people in normal (paved and level) circumstances, but it just doesn't sit right with me. ...

Thats a good point. it can be an issue with excessive tongue weight for example. On the other hand, I sold my very light-in-the-bed Pick-em-up truck after it failed to pull my boat up the ramp while a four door sedan was hauling a larger boat up the next ramp with no tire slippage. Life is best when balanced.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Raz

...The cost is, of course, mpg...

Years ago a fellow said to me " once you have a truck you won't want anyhng else"...

The cost is also... cost. The Honda Ridgeline, as an example, is a great vehicle, but with a budget of $16K, you'll probably be looking for one with high miles or a blemished Carfax. Ditto Toyota. Both have very high resale values. Good for sellers. Bad for buyers.

Mid-sized trucks also have very confining back seats compared to vans and crossovers, with fairly upright, non-reclining seatbacks. Something to consider if you are planning long road trips with kids.

I traded my last truck and my man card for a Sienna just before our first child was born. With my current tug, a Honda Pilot, I got a little of my respect back... But by every objective measure, the Sienna was the best vehicle I have ever owned. My kids still prefer it to the Pilot.

[emij]

My husband drives 35 miles one way to work each day, and drives a 2011 Toyota Highlander, which averages right at 25 mpg for his commute. We use it to tow our 13 foot Scamp and it averaged 23 mpg while towing. It's a V6 with the third row, which we rarely use, but comes in handy for carpooling kids and having visitors. Great leg room in the second row and not to shabby with the third row in place. It's AWD, with a tow package factory installed. It's a really comfortable ride and tows our Scamp like it isn't even there.

[Martins HeirCon]

Keep the commuter car. Buy a 15 year old 4runner for 5-7000 as a second car. Tell your old man to make friends with a shadetree mechanic, just in case.


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[Raz]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

The cost is also... cost. The Honda Ridgeline, as an example, is a great vehicle, but with a budget of $16K, you'll probably be looking for one with high miles or a blemished Carfax. Ditto Toyota. Both have very high resale values. Good for sellers. Bad for buyers.


Mid-sized trucks also have very confining back seats compared to vans and crossovers, with fairly upright, non-reclining seatbacks. Something to consider if you are planning long road trips with kids.

My 2012 no frills Frontier crew cab comes in at $16k with 2wd. A quick look at Craig's list show's a number of Ridgelines with about 100k miles for about $10k.

Also my crewcab has about the same back seat space as my CRV. I'm not looking to argue what's better. What's better for you may not be for me. The op asked for options and clearly stated she wanted something other than a van. So I suggested a pick up. Just because some don't want a pickup doesn't mean she won't.

[Uplander]

Since you live in the Deep South don't consider any AWD or 4X4 vehicles as they lower gas mileage. Since your budget puts you firmly in the used car market be a smart shopper and first get your hands on the Consumer Reports Buying Guide and look at the long list of vehicles NEVER TO CONSIDER FOR A USED Car/SUV or TRUCK. This will save you a lot of grief and repair bills. (Note: a few on their list have been recommended in this post...don't go there!!!).

Know the real tow weight of your trailer and research the towing capacity of any vehicle you might consider...remember the weight of passengers and gear gets deducted from the total tow rating! A transmission cooler could be added to anything you select (it is a cheap insurance item when towing).

It is hard to keep emotion out of any vehicle selection process...but...remember it is not how sexy it looks it is however how well it performs and how long it will last without repairs.

Best and most dependable brands: #1. Toyota....#2. Subaru....#3. Honda
( see Consumers Reports for a complete listing by model).

Good Luck and Happy Camping !

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Martins HeirCon

Keep the commuter car. Buy a 15 year old 4runner for 5-7000 as a second car. Tell your old man to make friends with a shadetree mechanic, just in case.


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Having owned several vehicles in the 10 to 15 year old range , I would be leary of using one as a tow vehicle especially for long trips . The only one who was enamored with my last 15 year old vehice was my mechanic ,who made a good living off repairing it.
We recently made a 7500 mile trip which I would not attempted with my 1999 truck. I have driven a truck for the last 40 years and like them as a tow vehicle plus they have that Macho factor

[Martins HeirCon]

The trick is to avoid domestics over about 150k.


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