Need a towing machine

HummuH1 · 13 Dec 2011 at 13:34

Next year, I'm going to need a vehicle capable of towing c. 1.5 tonnes.

I have two options as I see it:

1. Chop in the M3 and get 3.0D X5 or similar with warranty, which would also be used as our main car.

2. Get a cheapo 4x4 (say, £1,500 to £2,000) as a 2nd car and keep the M3.

Plan is to do it late Feb/March when hopefully the 4x4 market has cooled off a bit as Spring approaches, unless something comes up sooner.

I'm coming to terms with ditching the M3 and having a 4x4 as a main car as I do find myself in some pretty remote parts of Scotland, regularly. The M3 has coped admirably with this to date, but having something a bit more capable with rougher terrain wouldn't go amiss.

I guess the question is, are there any options worth considering at the bottom end of the market? I can't help but think that having a rust bucket 4x4 as a 2nd car will be a bit of a money pit, I wouldn't expect otherwise. I need something that's reliable, not pretty, just reliable and capable of doing the towing work.

Cheers.

bledd · 13 Dec 2011 at 13:39

L200 tend to be nice and cheap, my neighbour has one. Tackled the snow & ice last year with no problems

HummuH1 · 13 Dec 2011 at 14:25

bledd. said:
L200 tend to be nice and cheap, my neighbour has one. Tackled the snow & ice last year with no problems

Not a bad shout. Would consider a "pick-up" if it was the 2nd car. The early models seem to be quite agricultural, do they have the reliability to go with it?

bledd · 13 Dec 2011 at 14:27

Well my neighbour never ever services his cars, and he's had this for about 5 years. They usually run out of oil and die by now, so I guess it's pretty hardy

HummuH1 · 13 Dec 2011 at 15:22

bledd. said:
Well my neighbour never ever services his cars, and he's had this for about 5 years. They usually run out of oil and die by now, so I guess it's pretty hardy

LoL, has some promise!

MofoKilla · 13 Dec 2011 at 15:24

I picked up a 2.5 manual pajero for under a grand about 4 months back its been spot on

took it offroading a couple of times also, handles great

not brilliant if using a lot of motorways thou as it tends to munch the fuel faster.

paddy · 13 Dec 2011 at 15:38

*Sensible hat*

Remember your MAM allowance on your licence when towing - you can go over when towing 1.5 tonnes with some 4x4s (Discovery's are > 2000kg)

This of course assuming you have a "newer" licence without B+E category as standard

------

Unfortunately I can't offer anything useful wrt vehicle choice

pcoltrane · 13 Dec 2011 at 16:12

What are you towing and how often?

4T5 · 13 Dec 2011 at 16:15

Best thing for towing is a Landy 110 & don't be talked in to no other 4x4 as they can't tow half as much so as soon as you put a motor on the trailer you'll be overweight & illegal.

HummuH1 · 13 Dec 2011 at 17:24

MofoKilla said:
I picked up a 2.5 manual pajero for under a grand about 4 months back its been spot on

took it offroading a couple of times also, handles great

not brilliant if using a lot of motorways thou as it tends to munch the fuel faster.

Useful to know, thanks. Won't be much using on the motorway much.

Confused · 13 Dec 2011 at 17:27

Mitsubishi Shogun, 3.0 V6-24, circa ~1995

More power than the 2.5/2.8 TD of similar age, no real difference on fuel economy - and the ability to throw LPG onto it.

Also - very "car-like" to drive, and handles superbly. Just try to make sure it's got the Bridgestone tyres on it, without them they tend to wander across the road a little.

Crizzy · 13 Dec 2011 at 17:38

As already mentioned I'd look at the Shogun or Pajero (Japanese spec Shogun, tend to be better spec'd). Get a fairly cheap one and then you can have some real fun offroad without worrying too much about trashing it.

HummuH1 · 13 Dec 2011 at 17:43

paddy said:
*Sensible hat*

Remember your MAM allowance on your licence when towing - you can go over when towing 1.5 tonnes with some 4x4s (Discovery's are > 2000kg)

This of course assuming you have a "newer" licence without B+E category as standard

------

Unfortunately I can't offer anything useful wrt vehicle choice

Valid point. We've looked into this and think we should be OK. I have Class BE on my licence. The car and trailer when combined should be hopefully be about 1,250 to 1,350 kg gross weight max. Might be a lot less than that, as guessing the trailer weight at the moment.

pcoltrane said:
What are you towing and how often?

Trailer with car on it, say two weekends a month on average.

4T5 said:
Best thing for towing is a Landy 110 & don't be talked in to no other 4x4 as they can't tow half as much so as soon as you put a motor on the trailer you'll be overweight & illegal.

I agree but the thought of a bottom end budget Landy does not fill me with joy. Also, driving one to the far reaches of the country (when not towing)would be quite tiresome. I think there are other vehicles equally capable of towing this sort of weight.

HummuH1 · 13 Dec 2011 at 17:45

Confused said:
Mitsubishi Shogun, 3.0 V6-24, circa ~1995

More power than the 2.5/2.8 TD of similar age, no real difference on fuel economy - and the ability to throw LPG onto it.

Also - very "car-like" to drive, and handles superbly. Just try to make sure it's got the Bridgestone tyres on it, without them they tend to wander across the road a little.

Thanks, will look in more detail. Any known issues to look out for?

Confused · 13 Dec 2011 at 18:01

Wear on front passenger side tyre. This is due to the weight transfer and load going around roundabouts. If you get one, be sure to rotate the tyres regularly so that you get an even amount of wear across them all.

Make sure you get the 24 valve one, not the 12 valve one, the engine is better, and if you get an automatic, the later gearbox hooked up to the 24 valve one has a locking torque converter, which should lock at around 50mph in top gear.

New springs are fairly cheap if the rear end is sagging whilst a trailer is hooked up - and you can wind up the torsion bars on the front slightly to compensate for the new springs on the back.

TRNC · 13 Dec 2011 at 19:37

1500kg is nothing, most estate cars have a towing weight of more than that, mine has 2200kg, for a 4x4 there isnt a proper one out there that wouldnt manage it with ease.

If you want to replace the M3 and have style and comfort then look at a Discovery 3/4 (budget dependant) as they are without question the best tow vehicle ever made, better than a 110 simply because they have the same towing weight and are far far more comfortable!

dod · 13 Dec 2011 at 20:44

we've got a 57 plate navara. Handles a horsebox and two horses on a regular basis and pretty decent off road. Always seems to return 28 mpg no matter what we do

Scania · 13 Dec 2011 at 20:46

Confused said:
Mitsubishi Shogun, 3.0 V6-24, circa ~1995

More power than the 2.5/2.8 TD of similar age, no real difference on fuel economy - and the ability to throw LPG onto it.

Hmm, I have a friend with one (3.0 24v Auto) he's a professional driver as I am and knows how to drive in a fuel efficient manner.....

His returns awful fuel economy - it gets mid teens at best around town - by comparison, my 528i averages mid 20's around town.

pcoltrane · 13 Dec 2011 at 21:14

I'd also be tempted by a large car rather than a 4x4. It'll be cheaper, more comfortable, will return better mpg and will still tow well.

I tow my racecar around the country with a Mk1 Octavia 1.8T 4x4. It pulls it very nicely.

I used to tow a huge 8ft high box trailer around the country with it too. That would have weighed more than you are planning on towing - the weight was no problem at all, although the height of the thing did give it a lot of drag at higher speed! Still the car coped just fine.