Towcar advice.

[Badgers]

Hi guys,
First off I'm quite new to ribnet so hello to everyone!
I'm looking for some advice regarding purchasing a 2nd hand car to tow a 6.5m rib. The MAM of the trailer is 1.5tonnes (the metric ones, I hope i got the right spelling).
I'm not too bothered how great it tows on normal roads I'm more concerned about ability to recover from a fairly straightforward slipway.
A second priority would be a fairly good fuel economy for non towing driving.
I hope to spend something in the region of 7-8k (as I said 2nd hand) and was wondering what advice anyone could give me.

Many thanks.

[AVDB]

Toyota Land Cruiser - Toyota Hilux - Mitsubishi Pajero (known as "Shogun" in the UK I believe...?) - all great towing cars!

[psychopic]

Mitsibitshi L200 pickup. You can get a very tidy one for 8k. really handy for having the pickup part of it as well to chuck all your wet crap , trailor board , wheel clamp, jerry cans of fuel, oil, dogs in with out destroying the interior of the vehicle. Plus has high and low ratio 4WD, locking diffs etc to get you out of trouble.

[AVDB]

Mitsubishi L200 vs. Toyota Hilux = L200 not nearly as stiff as Hilux, both very strong and long lasting work horses...

[fred bolton]

is 1500 kg the trailer capacity or does outfit actually weigh that much if it does then you really need a vehicle that weighs about 2000kg so you're into 4X4 territory Ideally the towed outfit should weigh approx 75% of the car personally I would go for a bmw 320 or 520 diesel ( trailer weight permitting) both rear wheel drive and enough torque to do pull up most slipways but no good off the beach + you get 40 - 50 mpg solo. There's no doubt the 4X4s are better tow cars but how much time do you spend towing?

And before Codprawn starts I'd love a Disco, but do i want to live with one everyday of the week? yes please Incidentally I have been offered a T reg grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 petrol has anyone any views on this?

[codprawn]

Welcome Badgers - reminds me of my ringtone

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/badgers/

Why pay £8k? For that money you could get a Land Rover which will tow 3500kgs and a decent diesel saloon - best of both worlds?

[blinddog]

Does it all depend on how steep the slipway is or if you get at light green seaweed growing on it,
I had the L200 2.5 Diesel ok but very poor on the fuel, The 3.2 DID engine i have found better on fuel,My friend Has the 3.0 Diesel toyota manual gears it does around 28-32 mpg you get the same as the uk one ( prada) at good prices.
It all depends on the gearing you need to get out the slipway, you may want to consider if the slipway is not steep, recovery of the boat, in a car may require dipping the back of the car in the water to get the boat back on.
In the past if this is happening is to get a scaffold pole, hitch on one end ball on the other this give you another 12 ft or so not getting the car in the water.
The pole then can then be put on the bed of the trailer for travelling.
I've been in your position many times over the years!!
The wife wants a nice car but Dad wants the boat in and out the water.

[psychopic]

Originally Posted by fred bolton

I have been offered a T reg grand Cherokee 4.7 V8 petrol has anyone any views on this?

I borrowed one for a weekend a while ago, they are very very expensive to run. Everytime you even look at the throttle it will cost you a fiver.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by psychopic

I borrowed one for a weekend a while ago, they are very very expensive to run. Everytime you even look at the throttle it will cost you a fiver.

The electrics also leave a lot to be desired and the build quality is crap!!!

[eupa]

Kia Sorento .. tons of torque, quality build matches that of BMW/ cheaper, better than any other 4x4.. of course I am bias as I have one since 2004- tows up to 2800 kgs , very comfortable. Good road car as well.
Now with 50000 miles on it - never been to a garage..tyres still original..Negative - a few bangs at the back as writer reverses by ear.. ( bad rear vision).

Jonathan