Opinions on used tow vehicles

[uglyfish]

i have 300K on my 2002 grand cherokee and its still running great, no major issues with it.

[grimsbylander]

I tow a 20' Ranger with a Ford Explorer with the V8. I love it...the boat that is. Lol the trucks a ticking time bomb and I will never buy another. Most likely never buy a Ford in general.

[Carp]

I had a 2007 Ford Escape 4x4, 6 cyl. for four years. (lease) Rated for 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

It towed our 16 foot Legend with no problem. Even towed my 5 1/2 x 10 hd utility trailer with 8 x 8 heavy ice hut strapped to it. No issues.

 

Recently bought a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 with 3.0 litre, 6 cyl. Mercedes diesel engine. 7400 lbs. towing capacity.

2007 & 2008 are the only years they put this engine in the Grand Cherokees.

Towed my friends' 16 ft. Sylvan with 60 hp Merc. a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes I forgot the boat was even back there.

This vehicle is great, but unfortunately, the resale price on these trucks is very high.

 

2005 and 2006 the Jeep Liberty came with a 2.8 litre 4 cyl. diesel and are much more affordable. Might be something to consider.

[Billy Bob]

I pulled a number of TJ's out of the mud with this...

 

Mind you this was more fun to drive around in during the summer...

 

Now now Ladies.....you want a real tow vehicle....a work horse........these toys you are driving don't compare to the Might Toyota Tundra.....

If it has wheels and is a trailer of some sort....TUNDRA will tow it down the road...SAFELY...

[Fisherman]

Listen we all told you before, get off the soapbox with your TOY, besides my Cummins wheel nuts need more torque than your Toota makes.

[Fish4Eyes]

I own a 4Runner and am really happy with it. To my knowledge any 4Runner up to year 2002 with the 3.4L v6 is bulletproof. Haven't done any research on the newer models, but I would expect that they are good too, given that it is a Toyota. Have herd of guys getting 600-700k out of them. Mine is at 315k and showing no signs of slowing down. For your budget, you can get into a 99-02. I find it very convenient that the back window on the hatch goes all the way down. Allows you to communicate with your partner at the launch easier and allows you to transport long materials if the need ever arose. Rated to tow 5000lbs as well. Best part of all I get about 13L/100km when towing approx 3000+ lbs up Hwy 69 which has alot of hills. It is also built on a truck frame.

Edited May 29, 2012 by Fish4Eyes

[BillM]

If you can swing it, stay away from anything domestic, you will eventually pay more in the long run for repairs. Nissan Frontier is probably the best truck in the industry, no matter the size and Toyota make a fine vehicle as well, although generally more pricey.

 

I picked up a 2000 Nissan Xterra with low mileage for $4700 last year. The body is mint and it tows really well, just love it.

 

Contractors and the people that use their truck to make a living will disagree with you. It doesn't get much more reliable then the 350/4L80E combo GMC has been stuffing in their trucks for the past 20 years.

 

BB that poor Toyota of your would puke it's guts out if it tried to tow what my oldmans Duramax does :)

Edited May 29, 2012 by BillM

[DanD]

JoshS

All the different vehicles suggested here will likely do the job you want it to do.

Just do yourself a favor once you find something that interests you; go to an independent garage away from the seller and have the vehicle checked out. It doesn’t matter that the vehicle is safety checked and emission tested (if required in your area) neither one is a guarantee that the vehicle is in good condition. All a safety certificate means is that on the DAY of inspection the vehicle has met all MINIMUM safety requirements, set out by the MTO.

Plus by having this inspection done before you sit and talk money; this garage may find you some bargaining power. Yes the brakes pass a safety inspection; but there’s only 4mm of friction material left. That means 2 or 3 months before a brake job. Same goes for other mechanical things away from the safety inspection. There could be oil leaks from one end to the other and unless they are “severe” oil leaks they pass safety inspection.

It may cost you $75 or $100.00 for this check but money well worth spending. I actually do these checks for my regular customers free of charge. If they buy a decent vehicle I have a decent vehicle to work on and everyone is happy.

 

Dan.

[Skipper D]

Don't get caught like this ........waitting for some kind soul to come along and pull your butt out of the bind you've got'en your self into .......... .

[Fish4Eyes]

Don't get caught like this ........waitting for some kind soul to come along and pull your butt out of the bind you've got'en your self into .......... .

 

[uglyfish]

Toyota tundra is a great truck and one of the best towing vehicles, and I was gonna buy one myself... I just didn't have a spare 60K sitting around to pay the dealer!!

[Raf]

toyota tundra is the 2nd coming of christ.

[Raf]

chuck norris drives a tundra.

[BillM]

Let's hope Chucks doesn't have headgasket or frame rot issues! LOL

[Skipper D]

I like to have a bit of fun some times but to be honest last year when i needed a new truck i did try out a new tundra , i liked the horse power it had but since i 've been towing since the mid seventy's and had many turcks i knew after trying the suspention in the tundra would never stand up for me , for light towing yes but not for heavy towing , to play a trick on the dealer at the time , when i brought the truck back from the test drive i said , i wanted one but i wanted it in a 2500 seires knowing full well they did'nt excist , had they had of i would be driving one right now . The dealer did how ever ask me if i could wait for a few years as they were working on a 2500 series to come out with a Mitsubishe diesel in it , so in the mean time i've bought this ... truck number five of the same brand as my last four old one's gas jobs and this one a diesel , i still dont see the Tundra 2500 on the road yet . All i'd say is , buy some thing that trips your trigger and you'll be happy for a long time no matter what it is .

Edited May 29, 2012 by Skipper " D "

[big guy]

Contractors and the people that use their truck to make a living will disagree with you. It doesn't get much more reliable then the 350/4L80E combo GMC has been stuffing in their trucks for the past 20 years.

 

BB that poor Toyota of your would puke it's guts out if it tried to tow what my oldmans Duramax does :)

 

Can you get one of those within his price range, $9,000?

[BillM]

Can you get one of those within his price range, $9,000?

 

A used previous gen Z71? Shouldn't be too hard.

[jedimaster]

Chuck Norris drives a tundra because he can pull a boat with his teeth. If you are less of a man and need a vehicle to do it, get a jeep.

 

 

 

 

Enough said...

[BillM]

Great photoshop, lol.

[big guy]

A used previous gen Z71? Shouldn't be too hard.

 

And right in to the shop after the first road trip

[JoshS]

Really appreciate all the feedback, some great advice. Still looking hard....

 

Anyone know how the Wrangler is on fuel in the city?

[Raf]

Anyone know how the Wrangler is on fuel in the city?

 

If I were to guess, you are looking at 16-17 mpg (13-15 l / 100) in the city. Any way you slice it, a vehicle in this category will not be great on gas, especially in the city and mileage will be fairly close across the different models.

[BillM]

And right in to the shop after the first road trip

 

You obviously aren't a truck person are you, lol.

[big guy]

You obviously aren't a truck person are you, lol.

 

Yes, just not a domestic truck person

[jedimaster]

A 4 cyl wrangler is not too bad on gas, I had one of those. I also used it to tow a 21 foot blazer bass boat with a 250merc on it. I would say that is NOT a recommended towing arrangement for a boat that size. However it pulled around my 16 foot lund without issue.

 

An SUV or a wrangler shouldn't be considered if gas is a concern. If you need to tow a decent sized boat your options are fairly limited. Towing, 4x4 and fuel mileage is not something that has been solved yet. a 6 cyl wrangler will get about 15-18mpg in the city if you drive it gingerly and use stock sized tires. I have never had a jeep with less than 31's.