Ritey Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Classic landy's are now out because as I've recently found out, if your born in the 80's chances are you haven't got the right categories to drive a landy towing something because of the weight category - oops (Unless you've done additional courses) So a tow vehicle that is ideally quite short but can tow a trailer and car (88" landy was ideal!) but unlike the landy was, would be nice if it did more than 12 miles to the gallon, 30+ would be lovely! What are peoples thoughts? Suggestions so far have been along the lines of high mileage VAG vehicles ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacake Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 What's your combined weight limit? Is it 3.5 tonnes? Bearing in mind that you shouldn't tow any more than 1:1 (the trailer and load should weigh less than the car), you could be knocking on the limit whatever you choose. Having said that, best tow cars are generally big, heavy rear wheel drive cars with lazy under-stressed engines, or turbo-diesels with an excess of torque (which will all have done starship miles). Possible petrols include: Omega V6, Mitsubishi Sigma (get the Aussie 12V estate rather than the Jap-built 24V), er, Lexus LS400?, E34 BMW 5-series, Ford Scorpio V6. Older Volvos are RWD but will all have been to the moon and back. Front wheel drive cars aren't as good, but even so the are some reasonable cars. There are FWD petrol Volvos and Saabs with decent torque, but they may not be up to the job if the car you're towing is anything more than a small hatchback. Also in your price range among FWD cars are some of the Honda V6 cars, the Alfa 166, Nissan QX, and - dare I say it - the Rover 800. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritey Posted March 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 99% of the time it will be a classic mini, front half of which is carbon fibre Thanks for the suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galballyj Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Sierra XR4x4 / GLS ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgwz Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 some form of volvo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Isuzu Trooper? Subaru Legacy/Forester? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbletop Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Have you checked the weight of the 88" LandRover? I make it 2900lb (from http://www.lrfaq.org/IDAR/SeriesII.html) which is 1.3 tonnes. I'm running a Series IIa LightWeight myself, which is 2650lb, or 1200kg with the softtop on. Surely both of these are considerably less than a big old modern barge? Plus if you get a pre 1973 one its tax exempt, and they are such fun to drive! (although I can't possible comment on the mpg.. *cough* I'm only getting 15 myself) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacake Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 [ QUOTE ] 99% of the time it will be a classic mini, front half of which is carbon fibre [/ QUOTE ] So that's about 500kg at most? How much does the trailer weigh, and is it twin-axle? So if I guess your combined trailer weight as about 1200kg, you've got loads of choice. Booster's mention of a Subaru Legacy would be a good one. Manuals often have dual-range as well as AWD, so would be useful for getting away from muddy paddocks at the end of the day. And they're tough as old boots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Se5aScott Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 my choice would be a big citroen diesel if it was long distance towing, their suspension is ideal for that sort of thing. 2k would get you a 2001/2002 C5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritey Posted March 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Have you checked the weight of the 88" LandRover? I make it 2900lb (from http://www.lrfaq.org/IDAR/SeriesII.html) which is 1.3 tonnes. I'm running a Series IIa LightWeight myself, which is 2650lb, or 1200kg with the softtop on. Surely both of these are considerably less than a big old modern barge? Plus if you get a pre 1973 one its tax exempt, and they are such fun to drive! (although I can't possible comment on the mpg.. *cough* I'm only getting 15 myself) [/ QUOTE ] Thanks for that, useful info. I did love driving it about, it even made it to a few meets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritey Posted March 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 It's only a single axel so not that heavy really, home made jobbie specifically for a mini Subaru could even make a decent daily driver for me too, good suggestions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 If you're after a good tower, Dave, I'd go for an early 90s estate with a fairly chunky engine - something like a Volvo 850 or maybe a V70, because you can get 2.5 engines which have got a fair bit of grunt. Alternatively, try an Audi 100 or early A6 2.5TDI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
962C Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 [ QUOTE ] my choice would be a big citroen diesel if it was long distance towing, their suspension is ideal for that sort of thing. 2k would get you a 2001/2002 C5 [/ QUOTE ] Good idea, the self leveling suspension come in handy, although with the trailer being home made I'm guessing the car is balanced perfectly over the wheel, not putting too much weight on the tow hook. Also consider the older but more reliable Xantia HDi, 406 Estate HDi, Volvo 850 Estate with a straight-five (as mentioned above), Toyota Rav4 lwb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Much more than half a ton trailer weight and I'd say a Transit. But if it's just the Mini, an old Subaru Legacy would do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve2 Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Dave, my choice would be a Rav 4 or a Forester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisel Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Whatever you choose, check out the RATED towing capacity (nowt to do with weight balances) of the vehicle before buying. The vehicle kerb weight/GVM bears little relation to what it can actually LEGALLY tow. In the event of an accident any insurer or even the police/CPS will look up the towing capacity for that vehicle and act accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacake Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 [ QUOTE ] Subaru could even make a decent daily driver for me too, good suggestions [/ QUOTE ] Skip the turbo which, while a great car in other respects, is no tow vehicle. Either the '89 - 94 2-litre or 2.2, or '94 - '99 2-litre cars should do the trick in your price range and will out-last you. The early 2.5 has a bit of a reputation for doing head gaskets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorburn Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Fuel consumption isn't great on our Forester, but it's a blast to drive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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