Car for towing caravan

Mr.Boots

Like the title says, looking for a car...probably an estate that must be able to tow a mid size caravan.
I guess priority is reliability, budget is 6-8k
Running costs are important also so best to stay away from BMW/Mercedes ect. (Servicing and parts)
I have a 2.0 petrol Subaru forester in mind......2007 maybe....probably we'll under budget.
Any other ideas lads and lassies?

Mr.Boots

Anyone?

bazz26

Forester or Legacy estate.

Ferris

A bit more cash but an 08 passat diesel would have decent pulling power and good space. Alright spec on this one too.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagon-passat/6032742

Anan1

A Forester's perfect for that kind of work - auto will make towing less stressful.

bbam

I presume your thinking of a 1400-1500kg caravan. Ours is 1450kg loaded weight.
Currently pulling with an xtrail which has no bother at all pulling it.

The other car is being changed later this year and keeping an eye in the whattowcar website. 140bhp is the target power and a VW Touran is what we're looking at. Returning 50mpg when not towing and gets a 5star rating for towing. Nice upright driving position and plenty of room.

dougie-lampkin

Pretty much anything over a 1.4 will happily tow that up to the legal limit, once the car itself is rated to drag it. Personally I'd choose diesel for towing, it's just far less effort to tow compared to petrol and you'll really see a difference in mileage. That's not to say a smaller petrol wouldn't be up to the job either, though.

Some suggestions:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/skoda-octavia-1-9-tdi/6000799

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a4-2005/6219608

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-v50-2007-1-6d-euro-iv-diesel/6174888

Of course, you could save some of your budget and go down the years, if this just a towing machine: http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-diesel/5887494

Ferris

Anan1 wrote: »

A Forester's perfect for that kind of work - auto will make towing less stressful.

I've been eyeing up this one for a while:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/07-subaru-forrester-adventure-pack-2-5t/5887997

Total bargain by the look of it. Towbar too. Tax and fuel consumption will be big expenses though compared to a diesel.

_Kaiser_

These guys can help you decide OP :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNzybMU8Mbs

bbam

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

Pretty much anything over a 1.4 will happily tow that up to the legal limit, once the car itself is rated to drag it. Personally I'd choose diesel for towing, it's just far less effort to tow compared to petrol and you'll really see a difference in mileage. That's not to say a smaller petrol wouldn't be up to the job either, though.

Some suggestions:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/skoda-octavia-1-9-tdi/6000799

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-a4-2005/6219608

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-v50-2007-1-6d-euro-iv-diesel/6174888

Of course, you could save some of your budget and go down the years, if this just a towing machine: http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volkswagen-golf-diesel/5887494

You'd need to be sure they're fit for the job.
I know the v50 won't tow a mid sized caravan. I think it's towing limit is about 1250kg, and who wants to be towing right up at the top limit of their car.

Anan1

Ferris wrote: »

I've been eyeing up this one for a while:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/07-subaru-forrester-adventure-pack-2-5t/5887997

Total bargain by the look of it. Towbar too. Tax and fuel consumption will be big expenses though compared to a diesel.

That's a lot of car for the money if it's mechanically sound. I have one myself, I get 350-450kms out of a 50l tank and tax is just over €1000. They're very quick - if that's not a priority for you then the 2.0 might suit better.

Theanswers

Land Rover Discovery 3.

Voted Tow Car of the Year. (A Few years Back)

Anan1

Theanswers wrote: »

Land Rover Discovery 3.

Voted Tow Car of the Year. (A Few years Back)

OP has a mid-size caravan, and running costs are important..

Theanswers

Whilst understandable I believe one is safer towing with the likes of a Discovery vs a smaller Diesel.

Anyone who says there is no difference is mad.

You can't put a price on safety!

Anan1

Theanswers wrote: »

Whilst understandable I believe one is safer towing with the likes of a Discovery vs a smaller Diesel.

Anyone who says there is no difference is mad.

You can't put a price on safety!

A Disco probably isn't going to be reliable, they're not great to drive and they're not even particularly safe. For towing a heavy load or doing hard off-road driving they're right up there, but I can't see why the OP would want one.

bbam

Wonder what weight OPs caravan is.

I checked the Forester against a 1430kg caravan and it's over the 85% weight ratio recommended for safe towing.

Would ye be worried about this??

I know there has been some question about this 85% being too low considering awd, traction control, abs and the other safety developments in modern cars. Going over isn't illegal, just not recommended for safe towing.

SleeperService

Anan1 wrote: »

That's a lot of car for the money if it's mechanically sound. I have one myself, I get 350-450kms out of a 50l tank and tax is just over €1000. They're very quick - if that's not a priority for you then the 2.0 might suit better.

About what im seeing too. Manual, pre facelift forester. Im presuming that distance per tank is without towing!

Bbam - 2.5xt has a higher rating for towing afaik. Figure of 1900 seems familiar from some review?

As much as I like my forester , I think regular towing calls for diesel!

Theanswers

I was towing with a Landcruiser last week. About 750kg with no breaks. (Border line I know)

Anyways - Car in front full on the breaks.

Landcruiser stopped no bother. I think with a smaller and car and therefore breaks it would have been a different story.

Mr.Boots

Thanks for the input guys,
As much as I love land rovers....I wouldn't touch a disco unless it was under warranty....speaking from experience!,, bag of p@ss regarding reliability.
I've had subarus before, never ever had an issue with them, and I know they love a drink.
Regarding towing with a smaller car.....no thanks.
The forester 2.0l can tow 1500kg while the 2.5l can tow 2000kg
The 2.0l is ample for me and I prefer the lower tax and consumption.
My current budget doesn't stretch to a diesel Subaru, and again speaking from experience those VW 1.9 tri engines get a little troublesome as mileage stacks up......plus they give me a boredom migraine.
Most 4x4's have 2.5/3.0 engines.....again.....tax,servicing,tyres etc make these pricey to run.
Anyway I prefer the slightly left field choice......(wonder would she agree to a Unimog)

Jesus.

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

Pretty much anything over a 1.4 will happily tow that up to the legal limit

I dunno man. You could burn the clutch to dust pulling a heavy load with a little motor

zapata

I read somewhere that a Nissan X-trail was a popular choice among caravaners.

Mr.Boots

Anyone wanna share an opinion on a Volvo v70 2.0l petrol?

Jesus.

Mr.Boots wrote: »

Anyone wanna share an opinion on a Volvo v70 2.0l petrol?

I'd be going daysul all the way for a tower bro

TigerTim

I've been towing a large 6-berth caravan(can't remember the weight) for the past 2 years with a 2.2l Citroen C-Crosser diesel. Fantastic for towing but heavy on the diesel when towing. Averaged 22mpg last summer over 1500miles. Plenty of power & nice height when towing. Motor tax is a killer though - think its around 265 per quarter. I towed same caravan previously with a Citroen C5 with no issues. I did look at the Forester when buying the C5 but caraven was too heavy for it.

T.

bbam

zapata wrote: »

I read somewhere that a Nissan X-trail was a popular choice among caravaners.

Thats what we use..
Its an 06 2.2 dci, I kow they have a bad rep as regards reliability but we have it two years and it really has been great, trouble free..

It pulls great, apart from the big white thing in yout mirrors you could forget the caravan was behind you ! 38mpg solo 28-30mpg towing. Tax is tough €1k+

Would really like to check out a newer 2.0dci, aparrently just as good to tow and a bit easier on fuel, and lower tax bill.

Del2005

Theanswers wrote: »

Whilst understandable I believe one is safer towing with the likes of a Discovery vs a smaller Diesel.

Anyone who says there is no difference is mad.

You can't put a price on safety!

A 4x4 is more dangerous for everyday driving than any car. The OP is only going to be towing for a tiny percentage of their time behind the wheel, therefore they are better off getting a car which can handle the weight of the caravan as the best compromise.

The safest option would be to get a car which is fuel efficient and has a high safety rating for normal driving, as this is what it'll spend most of its time doing, then hire something to tow the caravan. The savings on tax and fuel, from everyday usage, should cover most of the renting costs.

TigerTim

Can you rent a car with a tow bar?.

T.

bbam

TigerTim wrote: »

Can you rent a car with a tow bar?.

T.

I'd wonder.
And then what about bringing it to France ?? I'd say they'd fairly lorry on the charges to cover joe soap towing a caravan to France on their insurance.

Odyssey 2005

TigerTim wrote: »

Can you rent a car with a tow bar?.

T.

Prob the best place to do that would be a garage with a car for sale with one. It's a long shot but I managed to do it. I couldn't find any of the regular car hire co's with one. Worked out well, I just transferred my ins over.