What daily tow rig?

Life changes mean I need to buy a tow rig for my 24' enclosed trailer, but I also can't have multiple vehicles. I'll be towing about once a month during the summer season with a 2,100lb car (trailer is 3,000lbs) and 500lbs in gear. New England isn't particularly flat, but it also isn't Colorado.

Daily commute is 15 miles of Boston's finest traffic. I have a motorcycle to share the load during the warm(ish) months.

What's the best all-rounder? Budget is <$40k

I'm making the purchase in the Spring

My first thought was 3/4 ton Suburban.

Any half ton truck/SUV from the last 10 years or so.

Tahoe/Suburban. For what you're towing, you should be fine with a half ton, but 3/4 will of course do it better. Chevy Avalanche or a CCSB Silverado/Sierra if you want a bed.

My friend picked up a 2016 F150 2.7L ecoboost. Gets good mpgs and can tow 7600 lbs with 3.31 gears. Optional ratios can pull 8500 lbs. Might be worth a look.

Porsche Cayenne's are tow rated to 7700 lb...Just sayin'.

In reply to Driven5: I've driven the Cayenne and wasn't feeling it haha

I know that without rebates they would go a little over budget, but what about the diesel powered Ram 1500 or Colorado?

I don't think a Colorado is heavy enough to stay on the road when a stiff breeze hits the trailer

Buying new or used? You'd be hard put to find a new Tahoe for less than $40k. I'm looking at replacing my 3/4 ton Dodge Ram with something smaller and more practical. 3 year old used Tahoes are about $35k 'round here. I'm also looking at the Lexus GX460 that has a 6500 lb tow rating. I like it because it will fit in the garage better (based on 4runner) and has the Toyota/Lexus build quality, but I'll be towing less trailer than you and it might be marginal in your case. 3 year old GX460's are a few thousand more than the Tahoes. Both get sucky mileage when not towing.

A gently used 'Hoe (CPO) would be fantastic for this duty.

In reply to DaveEstey:

The Colorado crew cab long bed 4x4 diesel has a virtually identical wheelbase, bed length, rear seat legroom, towing capacity, and payload capacity to the Ram 1500 quad cab 4x4 diesel. Colorado looks to weigh a right around 4700 lb, while the Ram is a little over 5500 lb.

Does just having the equivalent weight difference of like four more people on board really change the towing characteristics of a truck that much? Consider that the 'aluminum' F-150 super cab 2.7 EB 4x4 has similar dimensions and standard capacities to both of the above noted trucks as well, while also weighing in roughly the same weight as the Colorado. If the Colorado isn't going to be stable enough because of the weight, what would make said F-150 appreciably better?

Same situation for me but I do live in Colorado! I picked a 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.

Tows 7700lbs, I use it to tow my open trailer with E36 M3 on it, ~4000lbs total. Tows it easily.

Really nice DD, fabulous performance, great ski car, fun to drive, reliable. Did I mention its fun to drive?

I'd take the Megabus to Atlanta in the spring. Buy a well-used 4wd crew cab 2500HD for cash. Rent a parking space at a u-stor-it. Use the truck all summer and sell it as 'rust free' around Thanksgiving to cover your summer storage and consumables. Repeat.

The rest of the time, drive something you like.

A 24' trailer isn't an easy tow, you're pushing a lot of air and controlling a long beast. 3/4 ton anything will make that a LOT nicer than a 1500 near the top of its capabilities. 3/4 ton rigs aren't nearly the penalty boxes of yore either. Embrace the huge and while not fast, the kick of say a 6.0 GMC when unladen will get you out ahead of all but the most determined stoplight warriors.

For that little towing the GM would be my recommendation. No point in dealing with the diesels issues to tow once a month.

F250 XL diesel. Friend of mine got one last year, 4 door 6' bed for $40k. High teens to twenty mpg running unloaded. Rubber (plastic?) floor. Nice truck.

OHSCrifle wrote: F250 XL diesel. Friend of mine got one last year, 4 door 6' bed for $40k. High teens to twenty mpg running unloaded. Rubber (plastic?) floor. Nice truck.

Theres a reason Powerstrokes are way cheaper than duramax and cummins

24ft enclosed I'd get a 1ton diesel as new as you can afford.

bentwrench wrote: 24ft enclosed I'd get a 1ton diesel as new as you can afford.

For once a month towing in the summer, I'd make friends and borrow a diesel truck 3-4 times a year.

While a v8 Dakota can tow a 7500# load, the 24' enclosed part is what calls for a heavy hitter. It is a matter of where you want to compromise, something to easily handle that load, or something more city friendly. I would look deeply into renting once a month for the towing.

Yeah, while I really like owning a 3/4 diesel crew cab for towing, driving it to work every day in an urban environment would get really old, really fast.

patgizz wrote:

OHSCrifle wrote: F250 XL diesel. Friend of mine got one last year, 4 door 6' bed for $40k. High teens to twenty mpg running unloaded. Rubber (plastic?) floor. Nice truck.

Theres a reason Powerstrokes are way cheaper than duramax and cummins

You gonna expand on that? Or, is throwing a blanket statement out there without any type of information that will support your opinion what we coming to these days?

Gotta love the Internet.

Tyler H wrote: I'd take the Megabus to Atlanta in the spring. Buy a well-used 4wd crew cab 2500HD for cash. Rent a parking space at a u-stor-it. Use the truck all summer and sell it as 'rust free' around Thanksgiving to cover your summer storage and consumables. Repeat. The rest of the time, drive something you like.

I think this might be the winner.

I paid $3,500 for a 2005 Yukon XL Denali with the 6.0 and it's a fine commuter and will certainly tow what you need it to.

Don't look for great or even good mpg's but it's worth it to me.

Plus AWD in New England isn't a bad thing to be sure.

I think the Tahoe recommendations are on-point, but if it was me I'd put up with a few more miles and an earlier model year to get a 4Runner, Sequoia, GX460, or even a Land Cruiser/LX570. The new Tahoes are nice, but in my long experience with GM and Toyota, the Toyotas are going to be a lot more reliable and easy to own. When the car is a tool, not a toy, I put a lot of emphasis on reliability.