$8000ish for a tow rig and trailer combo... wwGRMd?

I got approval from the higher authority after some bartering and experiencing real-world strife regarding being a leech and needing to borrow things from family members. The scenario is this-

• She gets my X3 that I currently DD.
• I get to sell her car and use the proceeds to do with it what I please, which is ideally a reliable tow vehicle and a car hauler.

This works on both fronts because she loves the X3 and is a huge upgrade from her car, and I am desperately in need of a car trailer and something that tows stuff... I have ATV's and snowmobiles, and a track car that is getting longer in the tooth with every event.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to play this. I want something that is easy to maintain with readily available parts, rust free or damn near it, bonus points for manual, and can tow either 5-7500#, depending on the trailer acquired. Steel is looking like it's more in my price range at the moment. Because I'm in New England, a fly-and-drive from a non-rust belt state is completely on the table. I consider myself an average to good mechanic with space and tools to do pretty much any automotive repair. Keep in mind this would be a DD for the most part, especially in the winter which will need to be pretty reliable, as I won't have many other options in inclement weather.

Any suggestions appreciated. I carry zero brand loyalty for what it's worth.

'00-04 (the '05s and '06s are too expensive) Suburban 2500 and trailer. Try to get the 8.1 liter for reliability and grunt and you'll never notice any car behind you. Plus it's a pretty nice place to be when not towing, though the fuel mileage is kinda crap. But a tow vehicle will usually be crappy for fuel mileage, at least any that are in that price range.

Kind of like this

Or this

Should be able to find a clean combo like this under budget all day long.

Van's blow as a daily driver, but are great for track/Tow duty.Suburbans are also great tow rigs, but less fun to daily. Basically the best tow rigs tend to be longer, which makes them no fun to park. You might be able to find a v8 grand Cherokee, Chevy Tahoe or Ford Expedition in your budget. Maximize the effort on the tow rig, and rent a trailer short term if needed, while saving funds for the right trailer.

I agree that in that weight range a E250 van is the way to go. I've owned a 2500 "Burban" with 8.1L and it rode rough and got crap mileage all of the time. Yes it would pull my trailer fine but it drank gas. My E250 extended has a smaller engine and doesn't get up to speed as fast but it will cruze at what I consider a good speed when towing. (60-65mph) and has loads more room for stuff and up to now I have see no reason to pop for an enclosed trailer as 90% of my racing stuff fits in the van with room to spare. The PO did pull an enclosed trailer with my van so I know it can.

Only issue with an E-250 is 2wd only (without excessive modification). 4wd would be mandatory, especially for snowmobile trips, which almost always place me driving to the camp in the middle of a blizzard.

golfduke wrote: Only issue with an E-250 is 2wd only (without excessive modification). 4wd would be mandatory, especially for snowmobile trips, which almost always place me driving to the camp in the middle of a blizzard.

Nicest, newest full-size SUV you can afford, then. The brand doesn't matter as much as the condition and mileage.

I loved the '99 1-ton Chevy cargo van I had. If it had a/c I would have kept it. It actually rode/drove very nice, and got about 16mpg empty...not too bad for a big-ass box on wheels. With the Miata on an open trailer I averaged 10mpg.

So... am I on total crack for even contemplating a 3rd gen 4runner (5k towing capacity)? I know the towing part is 'eek', but it clicks all boxes otherwise.

They're great trucks from a dd standpoint. I'm just not sure how they are at towing, and I know all about toyotas legendary rusting ability.

golfduke wrote: So... am I on total crack for even contemplating a 3rd gen 4runner (5k towing capacity)? I know the towing part is 'eek', but it clicks all boxes otherwise.

I don't think so. Look into the first gen Sequoia, too. Josh's works well enough for towing e30's and a bunch of tools/gear on a heavy trailer and is fairly comfy inside. The 4wd has a 6,200 towing rating. The ride home on Sunday from BRS back to DC was way more pleasant than I expected, especially in the back seat.

actually, berk that. go buy an x5 from far away.

only half joking, I don't know if the price point works, but I definitely see them hauling trailers/campers.

In reply to jimbbski:

Do you every put new shocks on it? I had the same car with 200k miles. I got rid of the fancy shocks for traditional cheap shocks. I thought it rode pretty good. You are right on the mileage. It was terrible no matter what. 12 was a good day

jimbbski wrote: I agree that in that weight range a E250 van is the way to go. I've owned a 2500 "Burban" with 8.1L and it rode rough and got crap mileage all of the time.

My 8.1 liter 2500 Suburban rides quite smooth with the magnetic ride shocks. Maybe yours was broken.

This is what mine regularly does, and it drives very smooth...

Back when I was looking for a $5-8K tow rig, 2500 Suburbans and F-150 SuperCrews were what I was looking for, so that's what I'd suggest.

...of course, I wound up finding a Silverado 2500HD Duramax and blowing out my budget to buy that instead. :)

Price range? I've been very pleased with my Cayenne Turbo. It's a fabulous DD and still can tow 7700lbs. I had a 3/4 ton quad cab pickup for about 7 weeks as a rental and while it towed ok, everything else it did was worse than the Cayenne.

The cayenne, once it got the load moving, actually towed better than the pick up...

nice. docwyte w/ the mic drop.

docwyte wrote: Price range?

Less than that trailer :-)

Got the trailer used. So saved a bunch vs new but still more than a steel trailer.

How cheap are the old Ford 7.3 diesels now? Those are great...

I'm occasionally seeing Ford Expeditions or whatever the Suburban competitor is called with the 7.3 for $6k-$7k out here. They'll have a ton of miles though.

Very occasionally you can find a nineties Ford f250 with the 7.3 for less, but with even more miles and potentially no turbo.

v8, not a terblo

BoxheadTim wrote: I'm occasionally seeing Ford Expeditions or whatever the Suburban competitor is called with the 7.3 for $6k-$7k out here. They'll have a ton of miles though.

My daily driver 7.3L has 530K on the clock. I drive it about 1000 miles per week.

I would jump at the chance to buy a 7.3L for $6K and think nothing of it having 300K on it.

I didn't have that sort of budget for my tow rig, but I bought an EconoTrailer for $2700 brand new- full deck, electric brakes, and free delivery to my driveway. To me it was worth it given that anything even remotely serviceable was $2k+ on the used market around me, and I don't really want to have to work on my trailer. I have over 5k towing miles on it so far with absolutely zero issues.

Also, she gets to upgrade her ride to your X3, while you go through the trouble of selling her car in order to get a tow vehicle that helps you both out? I dunno, if YOU'RE ok with spending some extra scratch on top of whatever the impreza outback goes for, I don't think she should complain about it.

Does fuel economy matter? You could get the 90s GM and Ford 3/4 ton trucks with a big block and a manual transmission, which sounds like it could be fun.