Buying a car with a hitch?

teednab-el

Just wondering boardies, if you saw a car you liked, would the addition of a hitch on the back of the car put you off buying it?

I have been looking at a few cars lately that have had hitches and I just don't like it on them. To me, you would never know if that car was used to transport big trailer weights or not by the previous owner.Again if it was used for such activities, mechanical parts of the car would have experienced more wear and tear than normal.

A neighbour of mine who is a farmer has a nice 2009 Audi A4 with a hitch and this car has been severely abused by transporting cattle in trailers containing big weights from one farm to another. The next owner of that car wouldnt know how badly this car was used unless they discover the car engine, gearbox, clutch or some other mechanical part starts showing signs of wear before they buy. A dealer or a private seller even if they knew wouldnt highlight this cars history and if they did they would loose a sale.

Again some garages may remove hitch in order to sell it at a higher price, I actually wouldn't trust some garages. IMO they are only good if your reversing near a wall and they stop car from getting damaged.

Just a thought.

Opinions?

robbie_998

but sure you could say the same for an ordinary car.


most cars are equipped with tow bars both at the front and back.

sure i seen a 1.4 petrol focus tow a 2.4 tonne isuzu trooper on back country roads using bungee straps.... the jeep was also filled with tools !

every car has a history really.

Rowley Birkin QC

I have a hitch on my car but it's absolutely pointless to be honest given the engine, 1.3 petrol.

I used it once to bring an empty car trailer home and never again. Actually thinking of taking it off the car as it may be putting off potential buyers with the line of thought you expressed in the OP. See below.

mathepac

robbie_998 wrote: »

... most cars are equipped with tow bars both at the front and back. ...

They most certainly are not.

Cars are supplied with a "towing eye" in the boot with the jack and spare etc. but these are for the purpose of towing the car itself in case of breakdown / accident. They can be temporarily screwed into receptors behind the front and rear bumpers accessible via a small plastic "plate".

A tow-bar is a different beast entirely.

robbie_998

mathepac wrote: »

They most certainly are not.

Cars are supplied with a "towing eye" in the boot with the jack and spare etc. but these are for the purpose of towing the car itself in case of breakdown / accident. They can be temporarily screwed into receptors behind the front and rear bumpers accessible via a small plastic "plate".

A tow-bar is a different beast entirely.

worded wrongly... my apologies.

should've said "tow ring" or as you said yourself "tow eye"

cjmcork

I've a hitch on my car, but have never towed anything - I always have one put onto any car I buy, it's a great way of making sure that if some twit rear ends you at a low speed that no damage is done to your car, they end up with a tow bar shaped dent in theirs though........also, a very handy parking sensor!..........stop when you hear the bang!

shawnee

teednab-el wrote: »

Just wondering boardies, if you saw a car you liked, would the addition of a hitch on the back of the car put you off buying it?

I have been looking at a few cars lately that have had hitches and I just don't like it on them. To me, you would never know if that car was used to transport big trailer weights or not by the previous owner.Again if it was used for such activities, mechanical parts of the car would have experienced more wear and tear than normal.

A neighbour of mine who is a farmer has a nice 2009 Audi A4 with a hitch and this car has been severely abused by transporting cattle in trailers containing big weights from one farm to another. The next owner of that car wouldnt know how badly this car was used unless they discover the car engine, gearbox, clutch or some other mechanical part starts showing signs of wear before they buy. A dealer or a private seller even if they knew wouldnt highlight this cars history and if they did they would loose a sale.

Again some garages may remove hitch in order to sell it at a higher price, I actually wouldn't trust some garages. IMO they are only good if your reversing near a wall and they stop car from getting damaged.

Just a thought.

Opinions?

Wouldn't bother me nowadays. Most guys used jeeps to tow heavy stuff. That guy with the Audi has coloured your judgement. I have had a hitch on last three cars but all I ever towed was a small trailer three times a year. Check what business the seller is in , if you want to find out more

MadsL

American system is way better...




Choose your insert



https://www.google.com/search?q=tow+ball&hl=en&tbm=shop&aq=f


Remove when not required, no more bashed shins...

si_guru

MadsL wrote: »

American system is way better...




Choose your insert



https://www.google.com/search?q=tow+ball&hl=en&tbm=shop&aq=f


Remove when not required, no more bashed shins...

Rubbish.. hold that up to the back of your avergae EU car and look where the receptor would need to be.

A removable swan neck is much better and still pedestrian friendly.

Chimaera

I bought my last car with a hitch already fitted, and saw it as a plus - that was €400 I wouldn't need to spend afterwards.

TBH I'd rather buy one with a hitch than one without to discover it was without because it had been removed prior to sale. If you can, have a good look around the boot/bumper area for evidence of a hitch having been there.

Things like cutouts in the bumper, evidence of repair to the light wiring harness, scuff marks on the sheet metal in the boot floor, especially near grommets or holes. (These days, most cars are pre-drilled from the factory for hitches so you can't rely on the presence of holes in the floor as evidence of a hitch).

Also, if the hitch is still on the car, have a look at the ball for wear - if it's polished smooth and the rest of the hitch is painted, there's a good chance it's had a hard life. Likewise if it looks very clean and the rest of the hitch is a bit grubby/worn, maybe someone's just painted it to hide a lot of wear.

bbam

Few things spring to mind here...

Would never buy a small car with a hitch, don't think small cars can take much work with a trailer..

Larger cars like Passat/A4 I feel are well able for some trailer work, within reason. My last two Passats have been used to tow trailers and I don't feel it damages them in any way.. And I put more than 150Kmiles on one of them and clutch etc never gave any problems...

Someone mentioned the hitch as a safety feature... while it may save cosmetic damage I've been told that in a rear end impact it can be detrimental.. It essentially bypasses the crumple zones and transfers the impact right into your chassis and then right into you..

To be honest it's all about the user and the hitch/no hitch is a side issue.. If a car is badly driven and regularly abused it will be knackered.. Adding a trailer may speed up the car being knackered but the abuse is the problem not the trailer..

I like to see a hitch on a car when I'm buying as I use it regularly and it can be expensive to have one fitted..

_Kaiser_

My current Passat came with one and I've never used it (and I'd be confident that neither did the last owner as nothing untoward has shown up in the service history in the nearly 4 years that I've owned it) but it's nice to know I have it if I ever needed it, and it has come in handy (genuinely only) once or twice with low walls - I tend to reverse into spots whenever possible as it's a lot easier than trying to back out of a busy car park and I've gotten quite good at it over the years, even though it van be a pain to judge the distance sometimes!

Probably should just get parking sensors

Ferris

Some cars, automatic Volvo's for example, require an additional oil cooler for the gearbox if they are to be used for towing. If a tow bar was fitted retrospectively to one of these cars without the oil cooler then the gearbox could be damaged.

In saying that I would rather my next car had a towbar as it would prevent me having to buy one.

Del2005

teednab-el wrote: »

Just wondering boardies, if you saw a car you liked, would the addition of a hitch on the back of the car put you off buying it?

I have been looking at a few cars lately that have had hitches and I just don't like it on them. To me, you would never know if that car was used to transport big trailer weights or not by the previous owner.Again if it was used for such activities, mechanical parts of the car would have experienced more wear and tear than normal.

A neighbour of mine who is a farmer has a nice 2009 Audi A4 with a hitch and this car has been severely abused by transporting cattle in trailers containing big weights from one farm to another. The next owner of that car wouldnt know how badly this car was used unless they discover the car engine, gearbox, clutch or some other mechanical part starts showing signs of wear before they buy. A dealer or a private seller even if they knew wouldnt highlight this cars history and if they did they would loose a sale.

Again some garages may remove hitch in order to sell it at a higher price, I actually wouldn't trust some garages. IMO they are only good if your reversing near a wall and they stop car from getting damaged.

Just a thought.

Opinions?

At least the owners are being honest and leaving the hitch on. I'd say your neighbour will remove the hitch prior to sale.

You buy on the condition of the car and seller, if you suspect it walk away as there are plenty of other cars around.

I've had hitches on all my car till this one. Was very handy for collecting broken down bikes, now no one I know works on bikes any more so no need. But we still have 2 cars in the family with hitches if needed. Handy for big purchases.

bbam

Del2005 wrote: »

I'd say your neighbour will remove the hitch prior to sale.

Je5us you don't even know the guy and you're dishing him just because he uses a trailer behind his car...:rolleyes: I'd say more likely he could care less and just passes it on as is..

David09

Personally, I couldn't care less if a car I was buying had it or not. If it did it would be an added advantage. I couldn't see how a car could be damaged by towing a trailer. If anything the clutch could wear a little faster but even so it's negligable.

As for having a tow hitch to protect from rear end shunts, well that notion is just ridiculous. The bumpers are designed to absorb energy from a low speed collision. A tow hitch is bolted directly to the car's chassis and is the first point of contact with an object. Therefore if the hitch gets struck, the chassis can be damaged.

dgt

Depends on the vehicle, not impressed one of the w126s here has a towbar...

Saw a daihatsu charade with a ball hitch attached to the bumper in recent months :pac:

johnos1984

I have never minded having a towbar on my cars.

I just consider them as rural parking sensors

Delancey

I remember asking the same question a year ago on here. Opinion seemed to be divided - some folks said it wouldn't bother them while others said they'd run a mile .

galwaytt

Jeez, OP, never heard of a bike rack?

Half the people who have towbars wouldn't know what to do with a trailer, tbh.....I getting one to carry my motorbike......

If my car had one when I bought it, I'd have considered it a +, not a - .....

And if your mechanic can't spot a knackered clutch and gearbox, well........

Timmaay

bbam wrote: »

Someone mentioned the hitch as a safety feature... while it may save cosmetic damage I've been told that in a rear end impact it can be detrimental.. It essentially bypasses the crumple zones and transfers the impact right into your chassis and then right into you..

Hmm I would guess that some people would rather that their car was declared a writeoff (which its most lightly to be if there's chassis damage), instead of having of the insurance company fixing up the car, which leaves you with the hassle of having a car that has been through an accident (when your selling it etc).

But anyways, My parents picked up a one year old car last year, it had a towbar on it, what the garage said was yourman put it on for protection only, and in fairness I believed him, the paint was still on the ball, I'd say a trailer was never put on it!

MadsL

si_guru wrote: »

Rubbish.. hold that up to the back of your avergae EU car and look where the receptor would need to be.

A removable swan neck is much better and still pedestrian friendly.

They make various drops/risers you know....

karltimber

Hi,

Have an 07 Octavia I got before Xmas - very clean motor.
So, want to get a tow-bar to use a friends small trailor - mainly tree cuttings, odd bags of coal etc - so no horse boxes

anyhow - whats the best type as such. Flange (!! ) or swan neck.
And is it worth it having either tow-bar as detachable ?

May want to get a tow-bar style bike rack later in year.

any opinions on types ?

Thx
K

An Ri rua

It has generally NOTHING to do with the car and EVERYTHING to do with the occupation / hobbies of the owner.

Someone here said little point in a drawbar on a 1.3 petrol. Untrue. I know dairy farmers who have brought 2 animals to the mart with a 1.4 almera. Now THAT car was shag tired.

My Xantia 2.0 HDi has 200k on it, has towed quads and bikes and various trailers but, again, based on my lifestyle, no bullocks or loads of turf.

Its all about the owner. Study them. When you can. Google the vehicle and sometimes previous web ads show up. Leading to more detective work. If its local, just ask.

db330

David09 wrote: »

As for having a tow hitch to protect from rear end shunts, well that notion is just ridiculous. The bumpers are designed to absorb energy from a low speed collision. A tow hitch is bolted directly to the car's chassis and is the first point of contact with an object. Therefore if the hitch gets struck, the chassis can be damaged.

I have a modern Pajero and a nice big towbar (damper unit for large trailers) a large steel box that the towbar is connected too.I got rear ended by Dublin bus and it saved me from needing any work done, the chassis was spot on, and i also get to use the towbar as a parking sensor for walls as said above.

it your hit hard enough on the towbar to bend the chassis, the rear of your car is still gonna be hit so it makes no difference

db330

also forgot to say that most cars would be fine with a towbar but there are always those exceptions that would have ruined all the running gear pulling cattle and what not,

another thing someone said they wanted one for their bike, if its a motorbike DO NOT get one of those towbar mounted bike carriers they will ruin the rear suspension, so stick to a trailer

mathepac

I once bought a car without a hitch - the whole deal went swimmingly.