New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

[ckone0814]

OK, so I finally took the leap. Getting an 06 Century 1850 dc with Yam 115. I figure under 3k lbs total. No kids, just wife and I mostly. Was gonna tow it with my Dad's tubo diesel p/u but it's become obvious to me that dealing with the "borrowing" will get to be more than I wanna deal with so... time to think about trading my Mazda sedan for a combo tower and twice-weekly daily driver (carpool w/ wife other three days).

So here's what I'm thinking... I don't need a pickup but an awd suv would be handy, V6 sounds like enough for what I'm gonna pull (?), good reliability (duh), and hopefully low-20 mpg mixed daily mpg, around $20k, used or new. Right away I'm at a used Honda Pilot, Nissan Pathfinder, or maybe steal a V6 Explorer or new Ford Escape.

Any advice or guidance? Thanks!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

you need to investigate the towing loads of each vehicle. does your trailer have brakes on all axles? a v6 Escape will not do it. i have a Mariner which is the same vehicle. you need to go up a step in vehicles, i my thought. Toyota 4 runner, explorer, tahoe.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

you need to investigate the towing loads of each vehicle. does your trailer have brakes on all axles? a v6 Escape will not do it. i have a Mariner which is the same vehicle. you need to go up a step in vehicles, i my thought. Toyota 4 runner, explorer, tahoe.

The trailer has brakes. Thanks for the info on the Escape. 6 or 8 in the 4Runner of Explorer? The price on used Explorers is ultra-low right now and there's a bunch of em out there.

 

[zach103]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

you gotta check fuel economy sit for the government.. i have a v6 4.2 and i just figured 12.8 mileage all around.. .

 

[lets_fish]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

I pull with a Trailblazer. They are nice vehicles, not to pricey if you get an older one. I paid 20k for my 06 as a demo. Mine has a factory hitch.The mileage isn't great but not as bad as some. Probably around 20mpg.
Also you could get a killer deal on a truck if you don't need 4wd since they are not to popular and 2wd usually has higher tow capacity than 4wd.
Why not keep your car and just by a cheap pickup as a tow vehicle.

 

[NoKlu]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

On a slippery boat ramp the 4x4 will come in handy.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

Yes, I've checked all the specs such as towing limits, mpg, etc. but what I'm looking for is real world info. For example, going by specs I'd think an Escape would be ok but TD said he has one and it's not. Thanks again.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

the 6 cylinder will tow fine, i have a 1987 4.3 V6 Astro van w/ towing package. it tows that weight, it is not the pulling. it is the weight and stabitily of the vehice, to keep the sway down, and the stopping ability. i have been pushed thru several intersections, when lights have turn quickly. i tow 4800 lbs, with a surburban, disc brakes both axles, light turns quick, you just keep going. there is no way to stop that load.brealy smith buccaneer

 

[marquette]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

i have 2 hunting buddies with newer chevy pickups witht that 4/8 cylinder system and they don't break that 20mpg criteria. 16-18 around town 17-19 hwy. 16-17 towing a 1500lb trailer. one of my retired employees has 1997 Mercury mountaineer with the v-8 and gets 15mpg no matter what the driving or load so i wouldn't think a V-8 explorer would do any better. but if you could find a nice clean 6 or 7 yr old 4x4 suburban wife grocery hauler that the roughest terrain it has seen is the gravel road to the golf course and the biggest load it has ever hauled is 10 bags of groceries who cares what the gas mileage is. it will cost under 10 grand and the money you will save over a new one will more than pay for the extra gas. and then when you see that bigger boat you won't have to worry about being able to tow it or explain to the wife why you need a bigger vehicle.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

We don't know where in the country you live, whether you need to travel hilly terrain, freeway travel, etc. If you only need to travel a few miles to a nearby ramp, nearly any mid size SUV will work. On the other hand, long distance, high speed travel, or hilly terrain demands something with some "beans" under the hood. A mid size SUV with a small V8 would be ok. But right now, you can buy a 2003 or 2004 Chevy Tahoe (loaded) really cheap and fuel economy will be on par with any of the intermediate size trucks plus you have a great tow vehicle. I was checking lots today (out of curiosity) and I may just swap my '02 S10 Crew Cab for newer Tahoe (for nearly even money) just to get the bigger tow capacity, comfort, and overall heft. I use the vehicle strictly for towing and hauling my radio controlled airplanes so in the grand scheme of things fuel economy is not a big issue.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

Thanks all. I'm in SE PA so I have hills and would be transporting across all types of terrain and several hours. I thought about a tow vehicle only but i already have a 3rd "toy" car so that would make 4 cars for two people - that's dump plus it won't get by the "Treasurer". I'm leaning towards a late model use American v8 just on cost but who knows? Buddy has a Trailblazer that he said has served him well - may look at the GMC Envoy version.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

Late model Jimmy's are a great deal around here right now. Pull 3K no problem.

 

[dnifedem85]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

Easy answer. Toyota 4Runner! I have a 18' bow rider that weighs in at 3260 lbs. The 6 cyl. 4Runner tows 5000 lbs! It gets decent mpg both towing and as a daily driver. 4Runners hold their value great and will last forever. Quality is great, not cheap plastic parts included! My father has his 2000 4Runner with 220,000 miles and has only replaced the starter since new, besides tires, oil, battery, etc. If you want luxury, the Limited trim is a great choice.

Be careful getting a vehicle that has a max. towing capacity at 3000 or 3500 lbs. You want to have a good margin between what you are towing and the max. tow capacity. Since you live up north, a 4x4 is a great idea. I like having the 4x4 as a safety net on a slick ramp when pulling it out of the water.

Good luck car shopping.

 

[maxturbo]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

The ford explorer there are tons out there. The 4.0l v6 will handle that with no problem and fixing them is cheaper and so are the parts. Imports are always more money to fix and parts. Just my 2cents

 

[ne7800]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

Jeep Grand Cherokee you could get a heck of a nice one for under $10,000

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

my vote is the 4 Runner, nephew has one, and tows my boats all the time.

 

[ckone0814]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

I'm leaning (slightly) towards an 07 v6 Explorer... Consumer Reports reliability is very good for that year (too new for much data tho?) and can be had around here for $16-17k with around 20k miles, +remainder of 5/60 warranty.

Love the 4Runner but to match that year and mileage I'd have to spend $21k, a good $5K more! Man, are those things expensive!

Still looking....

 

[Backyardhockey]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

I looked at them all this Summer. Driving a 4Runner now. '04 v8 4wd Limited. MPG stinks, but they all will be the same on that. Drive one b4 you buy something else. Great brakes. I got a great deal, but when I bought it crude was 140+.

 

[abj87]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

Did you think about keeping your car and getting a beater pu to pull the boat with?

On another note my parents had a 96 exploerer and had no major issues with it till it goat totaled last winter with 160K miles, just little stuff. The economy is in a rut right now do everything you can to buy American.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: New boat! now i gotta pull it tho....

I think for the money a good used Tahoe or Suburban is the best route.
They are selling really cheap right now and are great tow vehicles.
That way when you decide to get a bigger boat you won't have to worry.
Its great to have the V-8 under the hood at highway speeds and in the hills.
I tow the boat and my travel trailer that weighs 6000 lbs at 70 mph with no problems.
Its just nice to have that heavy american made solid steel around me...