Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

[evilratgirl]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Hey Link, have to pipe in here. From what I've read, you have 3 kids, want towing capability of a 18' boat and general usability beyond towing.

I understand your concern about room for 3 kids and room to grow or strech. We used to have very simular issues. Down to 1 kid at home now.

As far as towing a 18' boat and your ~1900# rating I'm guessing its either a stripped fishing boat or the dry weight. Our 18.5 aluminum Crestliner is 2200# dry. Either way, when you load up with kids and supplies that weight goes up drasticlly.

From a personal point I've never cared for the idea of a front wheel drive as a tow vehicle. Even though "rated" to pull such and such a weight, CV joints aren't really up to that kind of abuse on any regular basis. Thus we have SUV's. The only real towing capable mini vans were the Astro/Safari and the Aerostar.

We had the AWD Astro conversion for MANY years. Very capable of towing and very comfortable on long trips with the kids. They aren't made anymore which is too bad. The 3rd row seat SUV's don't provide the same room/ comfort level. The plus side is there are alot of the Astros out there at a good price.

Kids grow fast and often include friends. If you do much for longer trips you may want to keep that in mind also. Space really helps sooth the nerves.

 

[scoathy]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Hey man,

We just purchased a 2000 Tahoe Q3 18ft w/ 4.3 i/o. We pull it behind a 2004 Chrysler Pacifica AWD with a 3.5l v-6. I have towed it in and out the water, on small country roads and on open freeway at 70+ mph. It certainly is not the best on a steep hill but I swear it tows the boat like a champ! What I love about it is that it has front and 2nd row captains chairs and 3rd row seating that is very comfortable too (especially for small kids). It is roomy, versatile and has a 3500 lb towing capacity.

Sure I look silly trailering that boat with a car but until I get a bigger boat this will be my tow vehicle/family truckster of choice. Amazingly my wife and 12 year old daughter love the car too so I got that goin for me...hehehe

Good Luck on finding that right vehicle!

Scott

 

[JB]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Seats 5 comfortably, Tows 5,000lb, gets 16-18mpg while towing, 19-25 without tow. AWD, two speed transfer case, traction control and all the luxo features of a Mercedes. Also drives like a Mercedes.

This 1998 can be found in the $10K range.

I have now put about 200K on first generation MLs and wouldn't trade for anything I see on the market now.

 

[Kymasabe]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Forget vans and SUV's, get a truck. We tow with our 4-door Dakota pick-up and fit 4 comfortably. You have 5 so my suggestion would be the big Nissan pick-up with 4 doors, the new Toyota Crew-Max has a really big back seat that'll easily fit three people and I'm pretty sure that Dodge is now making an over-sized rear seat 4-door truck called something like the Mega-cab or something like that.

Truck = strength, versatility, towability. My wife loves her Dakota. It's delivers the kids, is the grocery getter, and my full time boat-yanker.

 

[escapade]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

I have a 99 Venture, and i towed my boat with equipment inside and had no problems, would cruise at 120Km/H no problem braking was harder but just plan it out, (trailer brakes are a def good idea!!) i jimmy rigged a reese class III hitch on my van and its amazing!!! mind you the it looks really funny as the trailer is longer then the van

 

[dingbat]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Forget vans and SUV's, get a truck. We tow with our 4-door Dakota pick-up and fit 4 comfortably.
Truck = strength, versatility, towability. My wife loves her Dakota. It's delivers the kids, is the grocery getter, and my full time boat-yanker.

I could just about fit the Dakota in the back of my SUV (Surburban) and get the 3 kids in as well.

 

[Matthew_B]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Hey, just go for the 1 ton Dodge with a Mega cab!

No worries if you ever want to upgrade your boat.

 

[Grunt_Sculpin]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

I have a 99 durango and it is perfect. It has the 5.3 V8 in it and with 4 wheel drive it can be a nice addition to slippery boat ramps. It has seatbelts for 8 people in a pinch but is really comfortable seating 5. Plenty of room in the back for luggage, toys, etc....and we had a DVD player installed after we bought it. I bought it used and have put about 50,000 miles on it since then. It has been a great vehicle. My boat weighs about 3000 pounds and I tow it over mountain passes with no problems. I would really consider one of these...the resale value is not very high so it makes it a bargain when you are buying one!

Good Luck!

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Most V-6 equipped minivans will tow your boat without problems. Many even have all-wheel drive available (nice at the ramp, but not necessarily necessary). If you are buying new, make sure to get the trailer tow package. If buying new-to-you make sure to add an auxiliary trans oil cooler, and heavy duty rear shocks (I recommend air shocks, air them up with the load, let them out for normal rides). I know the Chrysler minvans have class III hitches available.

Good luck and have fun. Just remember to keep the stopping distances safe and when you replace brakes, insist on premium grade parts. They're more expensive, but in an emergency situtation you'll be glad you got the better quality brakes.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Most V-6 equipped minivans will tow your boat without problems. Many even have all-wheel drive available (nice at the ramp, but not necessarily necessary). If you are buying new, make sure to get the trailer tow package. If buying new-to-you make sure to add an auxiliary trans oil cooler, and heavy duty rear shocks (I recommend air shocks, air them up with the load, let them out for normal rides). I know the Chrysler minvans have class III hitches available.

Good luck and have fun. Just remember to keep the stopping distances safe and when you replace brakes, insist on premium grade parts. They're more expensive, but in an emergency situtation you'll be glad you got the better quality brakes.

Minivans are not now on my list any more.
Windstar with trailer package, tranny coolers, heavy rear spring / shock set up crapped out at 140,000km towing less than 2,000lbs in Sothwest Ontario (flat with minimal hills)
Chrysler minivans even worse.
The minivans you need they do not make anymore. GMC Safari, Ford Aerostar (extended with 4.0 litre motor)
Now using a GMC Jimmy for towing and it has never felt better.
Get something with enough seats and a truck frame and to heck with the gas mileage and economy. You will find it extremely difficult to find great towing ability, plenty of space and good economy. It is a very difficult combination.
Good Luck and let us all know what you choose.

 

[wildspeed]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Sure I look silly trailering that boat with a car but until I get a bigger boat this will be my tow vehicle/family truckster of choice. Good Luck on finding that right vehicle!

Scott

Not to me....Only in the USA you hear that you need/want to have a ton truck to pull a 2500 lbs boat.....

All over Europe people use cars & vans to pull their boats and campers.

I don't understand why if you buy for example an Audi A6 3.2 in Europe you can tract 1900KG/4100Lbs braked trailer, now you get the same car in the States and the towing capacity is only 2000Lbs. Looks to me that some people over this side of the pond don't want us to give up on those gas guzzler vehicle....

Here is a 19+ pulled by a mercedes wagon turbodiesel in France

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Manual or automatic transmission ????

I used to tow a 14ft bare bones house trailer back when I lived in England with a 1.3 litre Nissan Sunny with 4 people aboard and the family dog. Manual transmission and no issues (except for a new clutch and thrust bearings every 50,000 miles. Automatic I think is another matter though.

 

[vandy21]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Yeah, My Volvo V70 with a 5 cylinder, 2.5 liter, turbo charged engine has a 3300 pound towing capacity. The boat is bigger than the car haha!

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Toyota Highlanders are good family / towing vehicles. They are rated at 3500 lbs. towing capacity, and some of them have 3rd row seating. You can find a used one for a decent price, and won't have to worry about the headaches of owning a minivan that loses it's transmission in a year from towing the boat.

 

[Matthew_B]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Not to me....Only in the USA you hear that you need/want to have a ton truck to pull a 2500 lbs boat.....

All over Europe people use cars & vans to pull their boats and campers.

I don't understand why if you buy for example an Audi A6 3.2 in Europe you can tract 1900KG/4100Lbs braked trailer, now you get the same car in the States and the towing capacity is only 2000Lbs. Looks to me that some people over this side of the pond don't want us to give up on those gas guzzler vehicle....

I think it's for several reasons.

First is that they don't have gas guzzlers over there so they don't know what they are missing. I've towed both ways, and I'll stick to my 1 ton truck for towing, thanks. It's a case of relaxed towing vs. white knuckle driving. I'm going to stick to towing where the trailer is less than the tow vehicle to around 25% heavier. More than that and the control and safety drop drastically. Note that I'm talking about tongue pull, not gooseneck or fifth wheel trailers.

That leads into the second part: They don't drive long distances so they don't get exhausted from fighting the trailer all day long. 100 miles is a long ways over there and a short trip here.

 

[tmh]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

OK, we just went through the exact same excercise. 3 kids, ages a bit older than yours so 3rd row seat comfort for bigger kids important. HANDS DOWN the best combo family/tow vehicle for a moderate weight boat like your is the Chevy Trailblazer EXT, figuring cost, milage and ride quality. The TB EXT is nearly as long as the Suburban - LONGER than the Tahoe so the 3rd row is a REAL SEAT. Tahoe is good also, btw, but much more expensive and worse mileage. We bought a 2004 loaded TB Ext for $15,000 w/ 36000 mi. Not too expensive. 5000# tow capacity for the inline V-6. Decent low-end torque also.

The Explorer 3rd row is OK for a smaller kid, NOT for older kids and adults. Durango 3rd row is a joke, so only useable in a pinch IMO. Suburbans are HUGE and gobble gas.

The highlander/Pilot/minivans are car-based and will never hold up long-term towing much. Read the owners manual - our Honda Odyssey is rated at 3500#, BUT you need to subtract for each person, ANY gear in the van, etc. When we go on vacation it brought the tow capacity down to like 1000# when calculated per the owners manual. Also, the suspension, etc isn't designed for real towing.

Good luck.

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

....
The highlander/Pilot/minivans are car-based and will never hold up long-term towing much. Read the owners manual - our Honda Odyssey is rated at 3500#, BUT you need to subtract for each person, ANY gear in the van, etc. When we go on vacation it brought the tow capacity down to like 1000# when calculated per the owners manual. Also, the suspension, etc isn't designed for real towing.

Good luck.

Misinformation at it's finest.

The Highlander ,when equipped with the FACTORY INSTALLED towing package, has a larger intake fan, a transmission oil cooler, and heavier towing hitch. You forget .... the Japanese car industry is starting to catch up to the US in their towing vehicles. Look at the Tundra. The base model can out tow any base model US manufactured vehicle. Not to mention you get at least 5 more miles per gallon because the Japanese car industry tests their engines for MPG while the engine is in the car. Unlike US manufacturers that test on a Dynamometer.

My brother owns a Trailblazer, and cusses every time he has to tow something. They have the steering and handling of a Deuce and a Half.

 

[Linc33]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Thanks all for the suggestions. Some great reading here. I will check out many of the ideas listed here, the Trailblazer EXT looks very interesting. Thanks again. Anyone have any luck getting their wife to trade in her minivan for a Trailblazer for example??

I have an hour + commute everyday, so I will keep my little 30+ mpg Sentra for that, so she'd be driving the 'tow vehicle' full time.

-Linc

 

[mikey.himself]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Since you aren't towing alot of weight, something smaller like a ford explorer, denali, GMC jimmy should work alright if you aren't towing long distances. More than ideal is a 1/2 ton crew cab pickup. Vehicles like Honda Pilots, Ford freestyles, ford escapes, etc. are probably too light duty for your application unless you like to put it to the boards on every hill and play cat n mouse with the trailer being the cat (NOT fun at highway speeds, in wind/rain etc.) Just my thoughts. 4X4 is also a good thing to have.

 

[Hashi]

Re: Suggestions for tow vehicle that'll fit the family

Hi Linc,

I tow my 21' Tahoe (3,000+ lbs) with a 2007 Chevy Tahoe and it handles very well. I like Chevy because they have the tow/haul mode that doesn't put a strain your transmission as much. Although, I sacrifice some gas mileage on the winding hills to the lake, I'd rather sacrifice the mileage than have my truck laid up in the shop for a new transmission. Also, Chevy now has FlexFuel capabilities and when that corn fuel comes to my area, you can bet I'll be buying that instead of petrol.

Rich