Best used daily driver/tow vehicle for $13k or less?

My goal for next year is to get a tow vehicle and trailer, and retire the S2000 to competition use and occasional street driving.

In the spring we’ll be buying Melissa a new vehicle. She is dead set on a car-based 7-passenger crossover (Highlander/CX-9/Explorer). I think she’d be fine with a sedan or wagon, but she’s the typical suburban mom, so she’s convinced she needs to have something bigger than her current CR-V. Of course, the car-based utes she wants aren’t rated to tow more than 5000#.

I’ll be taking the CR-V, and probably trading/selling it for a used mid-size SUV. I’d like to spend roughly $12-13k, since I don’t want to take on two new car payments next year.
This will be my daily driver and will probably be used to tow the S2000 once a month or so, sometimes to out of town events.

My daily commute is 12 miles round trip, so gas mileage doesn’t matter that much. However, I want to park it in the driveway, so I’m not really interested in a full size truck or SUV.

The two I’ve been looking at the most are:

• ’03+ V8 4Runner – bulletproof and ubiquitous. I know several people towing STR cars with this exact setup. 2WD V8 rated to tow 7300#. Tougher to find the V8 in my price range though, and the V6 only tows 5000# (same as a Highlander).
• ’05+ Nissan Pathfinder – the only Nissan I’ve ever owned was tough as nails, but that was 20 years ago. This is only available with a V6, but it is rated to tow 6000#.

Anything else I should be looking at?

I would look at the 2005 and up Jeep Grand Cherokee. As long as you get a V-8, you should be able to tow the weight you need. Here are the ratings I found on the interwebs.

Engine	Transmission	Maximum gross trailer weight (GTW)
3.7L V-6	W5A580 5-speed	3500
4.7L V8	545RFE 5-speed	6500
5.7L V8	545RFE 5-speed	7200

Tow in style...of course it'll probably be broken most of the time. Looks like 7,700 lbs capacity.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/3395596913.html

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/3312210356.html

I'd go 4Runner! I still miss the one I had.

Any reason to not go quad cab truck? Lots more tires fit in the bed than the back end of an SUV. Plus mulch doesn't hurt it as bad.

I mean something like this will pull the literal stump:http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/3377018162.html

I would check out the Jeep diesel's. They are selling pretty low right now due to the temporary higher difference in gas to diesel prices. There is a Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel with the Mercedes-Sprinter turbo diesel engine as well as the Liberty CRD with a smaller European diesel.

A full size truck would be a great tow and race support vehicle, but I don’t really want to daily drive one. I’m also limited on parking space, so the bigger the truck, the more likely the wife will back into it.

Jo-jo, Range Rovers are pretty, but there’s a reason a 10-year old truck that retailed for $80+k is only worth $14k now. I love the fact that the CR-V has been to the dealer exactly once in 7.5 years, and that’s worth far more to me than the snob appeal of a fancy nameplate. If it could tow I’d never get rid of it.

V8 Grand Cherokee is a maybe. What’s the long term reliability like? My inner domestic snob tells me a 4Runner would be a better long term choice.

The other alternative is to convince the wife to buy something that will tow, keep the CR-V, and steal her car once a month. What’s plush (has to have leather, sunroof, blah, blah., blah), reliable, seats 7, tows 7000#, will fit in a normal garage and can be bought CPO for ~$35k? Diesel X5?

How much does an S2000 & Trailer weigh?

The car is what about 5000lbs. then another 2000lbs. for the trailer??

Yukon Denali if that's your plan.

Honestly, I loved my 2002 Ram quad cab. Tons of room, great for trips, mpg sucked, but it was a truck.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by POS Racing

How much does an S2000 & Trailer weigh?

The car is what about 5000lbs. then another 2000lbs. for the trailer??

---

Remember, the car has no soul. Souls weigh a lot. ;)

Figure 2650# for the car, 2000# roughly for a trailer. 4650# before spares, luggage, tools, me, etc.

6000# towing is my bare minimum requirement, but I'd prefer 7000# or more.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by altiain

The other alternative is to convince the wife to buy something that will tow, keep the CR-V, and steal her car once a month. What’s plush (has to have leather, sunroof, blah, blah., blah), reliable, seats 7, tows 7000#, will fit in a normal garage and can be bought CPO for ~$35k? Diesel X5?

---

You can get a nicely equipped brand new Durango I think for that price, with a v8 after incentives. It would be in the low 40's for a loaded 4x4 with every bell and whistle. The same chassis /drivetrain in my jeep is very refined, easily handles the towing load. 5yr 100k powetrain warranty, and same engine and trans as the 1/2 ton trucks. Towing packages are well integrated too. At least add it to the test drive list. One thing I can vouch for are solid brakes and cooling package, no issues in the mountains of CO and NM, and in the last 2 summers. The brakes on mine still had 1/2 life left at 46k miles.

This has Iain written all over it.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/3341628821.html

I'd throw the V8 or TDI Q7 into the mix, or trade the CRV for a used V10 tdi Toureag and tow whatever the hell you want.

V6 Tacoma or 4 Runner will tow the S2k just fine.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OZMDD

I'd throw the V8 or TDI Q7 into the mix, or trade the CRV for a used V10 tdi Toureag and tow whatever the hell you want.

---

...straight to the dealership for service.

Been looking at the same tow vehicle/daily driver. I am in the same camp...i don't want a full-size as a daily driver.

I am considering the '03 V8 4R, but there are a couple others I am considering:

'05+ Nissan Frontier Double Cab
'05+ Toyota Tacoma Double Cab

There are a few things to consider, as I learn more about this stuff. I am sharing what I read and have been told by other track rats.

Trucks allow you to separate greasy/flammable items from the passenger compartment. A tow vehicle with shorter overhangs should tow better. You want some "head room" in your tow vehicle's towing capacity. Early '03 and some '04 V8 4Rs have a class 3 hitch on them. To tow the 7300# limit, make sure it's a class 5 hitch. Some of the V8 $rs have a ERS(?) in the rear to help with the load. Remember how much the old ones sag in the ass?

If you are looking at an automatic transmission, you are better off with a 5speed auto over a 4 speed. You don't want to tow in OD, so the gearing in the 5sp auto will cause less hunting and abrupt shifting under load. Tranny cooler, oil cooler, you want those too.

Electric brakes and load bar? Yeah, you want them.

I have looked at diesels, including the CRD Liberty (don't waste your time). The only ones I would consider are in the full size trucks, and I don't want or need a vehicle that large.

It scorches my shorts that we don't get the diesel options the rest of the world does. Ford's "world platform' new Ranger has two turbo diesel options with a crew cab that I would kill to have. Same with the Hilux.

Those Nissan and Toyota trucks are nice but they won't be happy pulling as much as you guys are talking about.................

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by VFR750

Those Nissan and Toyota trucks are nice but they won't be happy pulling as much as you guys are talking about.................

---

I've pulled small cars with a Tacoma and an Xterra, would totally buy them. I know this is Texas and you're supposed to buy a 1-ton dually to pull a tire-trailer though. No one on here has a problem telling people to pull whatever with a mid-90s half ton truck. Today, the Tacoma makes more power, more torque, and has bigger brakes than the old truck, it's less than 1' shorter too.


The "no towing in over-drive" thing is a myth in this modern era. That was a problem with ATF pumps in the early 90s Ford a Chevy trucks, but it's not anymore. There are a lot of people at NASA races who pull cars long distances with Tacomas and smaller trucks. You don't "need" a 1-ton dually to pull a 3500 on the tag, contrary to popular belief.