Cheapest realistic option to tow approx 1700kg of horse and trailer

MatteH Oxford

MatteH Oxford

MatteH Oxford

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Wiltshire
As the title! I'm after a vehicle to tow an Ifor Williams horse trailer (approx 1000kg unladen) and my Horse, who weighs 700kg (he's actually approx 50kg less than that but I like to maintain a highish margin of error).

I was wondering what sort of budget I'd need for something worthwhile i.e. the lowest I should go without compromising my criteria. So what are realistic options are there for me?.

Criteria:

1.Must tow 1700kg comfortably, I am 100kg and my stuff probably weighs about the same so needs to be able to cope with my baggage :D

2. Ideally be 4x4/suv/Big estate with decent ground clearance. I have about 12.5 acres shared on a 100 acre estate and driving over some of it would be a bonus,
especially to drop off hay in the field etc and ferry tools and gear about for maintenance etc.

3. Must be reasonably reliable i.e. it may actually get used more than the '2nd car' role I intend currently.

4. Cheap as possible running costs ( I know it won't be cheap overall!). Maybe LPG conversion suitable.

5. If possible, be reasonably pleasurable to own and drive i.e. nice interior and comfy.



Bear in mind I'm quite happy with a vehicle that may throw up (or have) a few issues, I am a former motor technician and I am capable of fixing most electrical and mechanic faults.
I'd just rather have 'niggles' rather than serious engine/gearbox failures to deal with.
 
LC80 4.2TD

No question.

They are long in the tooth now so you will have to hunt around to find a good one. (And even then, you might need to do some remedial work) But they are utterly reliable and, apart from the heavyish fuel consumption, they are really not that expensive to run.

(Especially if you can do your own maintenance, the mechanics are really very basic, there is nothing particularly complex even up to and and including refurbishing axles and differentials)

A good one will have zero (or even negative) depreciation, which is also something to factor in for when comparing with a more modern vehicle.

Keep it sensible on long journeys and mid/high 30's are possible.

(I once did Yorkshire and back from SW Surrey on a single tank and still had quite a lot left over!)

Oh, and one final thing, for some reason, the Girls seem to love them!:cool: :p
 
Hilux surf can be had from buttons to 10k with all kinds of condition between them. Generally reliable and buy the right one would be depreciation free.

The straight hilux is too expensive.

If you buy a Navara you can join the Facebook Navara snapped chassis club :p
 
The Nissan X Trail seems to tick all the boxes. Reliable and with a reasonable variety on the second hand market. High mileage older models don't cost a lot of money.
 
pattojones said:
Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 crdi 4x4. After about 2008 they have 194bhp.
Click to expand...

I forgot about these, for the money they appear outstanding value for the spec. I may spend a few £k more than I planned.

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to wait for a while before I make a decision, my boy isn't even on my land yet as he is stabled at a friend's for now and she has a horsebox. It's 20 miles away from there though so I'm in need of my own transport at some point.
 
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Will this be less than 3500kg or are you ok to drive more on your licence?
 
Parts aint that bad at all, even from the dealers.

Its just the labour getting to things that can cause issues.
 
I have to ask if a tow vehicle is the way to go any why not get a dedicated small wagon instead? Sure it means running two vehicles but at least each one needn't be with compromise.

I ride also (but don't have my own horse) however I can't fathom a decent every day car that is also suited for towing.

Most people I know go through wagon/converted van route.
 
I wouldn't want a converted or dedicated horsebox because they really are compromised for dedicated horse transport, for example I don't compete or hunt so I will only want to go out every few weeks at most (or emergency use). At least a 4x4 will get used for other activities such as accessing areas of my land which are distinctly off road.

I wasn't aware that spares are considerably cheaper now, than they were, for the l322. Is there dealer level (or as close as can be) OBD diagnostic & programming tools available for a good price? .

I currently have a Snap-On solus ultra which is good for a lot of things such as injector, module & ignition key coding etc, plus a Snap-On Vantage labscope.
 
Ended up with a 2008 Touareg 3.0 TDI, 2 owner, vw/specialist history, 100k on the clock, £4k as the owner had a new hilux.
53898173_10157061637467889_5424793507325804544_n.jpg
 
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