Tow vehicle suggestions

[iamrazor]

I vote for no tow vehicle. It's fun to watch you pack all your gear in the miata...

[mug23]

My first tow vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 5.2 HEMI and it tow my 18' open trailer with my 3000lb STI with no trouble at all. Even when I was moving back from Salt Lake City and pass over those big mountains like 12,000 ft, it did it but it wasn't pretty.

Now I own a 95 Chevy Suburban diesel 1500 with the 6.5 turbo diesel. let me tell you that I love this truck. It can tow my current set up with no problem at all. When I take the 3rd roll seat out, and flatten the middle roll seat, I have a big storage that 2 person can sleep in. Just like anything else, the truck is not stock as modding diesel is actually pretty fun. It has 4" turbo back exhaust, I will be changing the turbo for a bigger turbo and re-tune ECU too.

The best thing I like about this Suburban beside it's a diesel, is that I bought it for $2,400 and I don't owe any money on it. I also have the cheapest insurance on it and the parts are not that expensive. There's a big community of people very knowledgeable about these early 90's GM diesel power trucks and it's cheap to run. It now has 298,000 miles on it and still strong as ever. I'm not afright to tow LD with this truck and it's very solid.

[SEISAN]

Having worked at a Gm truck dealership for over 3 years and in sales I learned quite a bit about trucks towing although i am not an expert. The most important thing to think about is 1. what you will tow with 2. what you are towing and 3. the weight of everything you carry and I mean everything. If you buy what you need today and skimp on what you should buy and then a year later you change cars and add more weight than what the vehicle can handle then you go through the process again. Always buy a little more, you never know when you will need it. Also do some research on the towing capacities of the vehicles you intend to purchase.

That said I picked up a used GMC 1500 - 5.3 with the tow package and have a steel trailer and my car that weighs 3150 lbs and it has no problems towing. If you stay with Miata's and get a 17' trailer with a 1/2 ton truck with the towing package you should be fine. I think the 2500 would be overkill for you.

The best thing about the tow package of a chevy or GMC is that when engaged it lengthens out the shift patten in the transmission. This is important when towing dead weight. Instead of shifting at 24 it will shift at 29, instead of 35 it will shift at 40, etc. it is better for the transmission.

I prefer Gm

As far as cargo vans. GMC and chevy are the best. Do not buy a Ford unless you want to change brakes every year.
again, make sure it has the towing package. Stay away from the 4.8. not enough power even in the 2500.

the best Gm engine to get is the 5.3 Vortec. almost indestructible and its a workhorse.

Bob

[n1gzd]

Is a GMC 1500 large enough for an enclosed trailer (I was thinking not).
I have decided one thing. I am not going to pursue getting an enclosed trailer that is large enough to carry my 19 foot desoto. If I need to transport that I will rent or borrow a longer open trailer.

My first choice is now a used enclosed trailer that has enough room for a miata a work/sleeping area. I don't know if I can consider a cargo van for this task (would use it for a camper) or whether I should just consider pickup trucks if I am taking about an enclosed trailer.

Rebecca

[breakaway500]

"I am not going to pursue getting an enclosed trailer that is large enough to carry my 19 foot desoto. If I need to transport that I will rent or borrow a longer open trailer."
Bravo. Less is more..

If going cargo van,stay with a 3/4 or 1 ton as they are going to have a stronger overall build than a 1/2,and at no measurable sacrifice to mpg or expense to own. In this case more is ..less.

[SEISAN]

Rebecca

I would go with a 2500. In that case more is better. Also, just because it is enclosed does not mean you cannot tow it with a 1500. You have to take weight into consideration. Get all your weight numbers together before making a purchase and don't leave yourself short.

BB

[Chrispy]

Bert tows his Corvette in an enclosed aluminum trailer with a 1500 Silverado. He is pretty much at the limit of its practical tow capacity.

[CP]

Remember that an enclosed trainer needs to punch a big hole in the air and will need more power to tow it. I wouldn't want less than a 24ft trailer if you plan to sleep in it. I bunk in with buddies in that sized trailer and floor space is short with two queen air mattresses on the ground and a work bench/fridge up front. Cars sleep outside at the track.

[breakaway500]

"Remember that an enclosed trailer needs to punch a big hole in the air and will need more power to tow it." Not really much extra power needed behind a boxy tow rig.
Considering all the benefits of enclosed..it's well worth any potential fuel penalty. It rains too much in New England not to use an enclosed trailer. I prefer my tow rig to weigh as much,or more than my loaded trailer (when bumper pulling) and keep the overall length as short as possible,(...and still meet your needs).

[Bobc]

you could always go with a tow rig like my TT it can sometimes be a pain to park.

I towed 3800 lb car in a 22 ft enclosed with a 4 inch lifted short bed 1500 4x4 using the load distribution bars for years the combo scales 13.5 k it was ok although long rides were a pain. Then I went to the 36 ft goosneck and a extended cab dually this is by far the best all around driving and towing combo I have driven, the only issue it 6-7 mpg with a 454 it scales 25k loaded. My KW gets that with 3 cars and all our stuff scales 60k loaded, diesel is better than gasfor mileage.

[eastcoastbumps]

Paddy and I have been towing with our fathers Chevy 2500 van for the past few years. Its been a great truck. Parts are cheap, its easy enough to work on, and gas mileage isn't so bad. He paid 13k for it used when it was 4 years old and only had 27k miles. Just sold it a few weeks ago with 178k.

His only complaint was the gas mileage. Hopefully that's solved with his new diesel E350 van. I can't wait to tow with it.

If I was looking for a daily driver SUV and had to pay a mechanic to fix it, I'd buy a 4Runner or GX470. If you work on your cars yourself, look into a Touareg TDi. Then again, you just may not want to work on a VW!

Paddy just bought the German equivalent to the Buick RoadMaster, an Audi Allroad. I think he should start towing with that. Shouldn't have any trouble. 5500lb towing capacity, strong motor, trans cooler, self leveling suspension etc...

Dave, have you considered an S class or 7 series? I think the M5 has a 5500 towing capacity as well.

[jeffw]

I know someone that's got good Allroad connections. He tows his Miata with the Allroad on a steel trailer. Let me know if you'd like me to put Paddy in touch with him...

[chaos4NH]

Ok, back to the original question, as modified by Rebecca. I purchased a 24' aluminum skin, steel frame enclosed trailer to tow my 3200 lb Speed 3. The trailer weighs 2700lbs, so it pushes things to the near the 7,000 lb rating of the trailer. Originally I "had" a 1994 Dodge Cummins Diesel (220K miles). Unfortunately, some Canuck decided he need the trailer to transport stolen cars to the port in Montreal and he has a lumberjack friend who need a 4x4 for the woods. I repurchased another trailer (same size and brand), but was coming up short of $$$$ on the truck end, so I found a fairly clean 2000 Dodge 2500 (did I mention the truck is also my plow truck for the farm? I had the plow setup for the older Dodge so was pleased to find another one set up for my system). Ok, towing with the 360 ci Dodge sucks. Towing with my wife's Dodge 3500 V-10 dually is great - oh until I mention the 6-8 mpg!
I am not the expert on tow vehicles, but for my money it has to be a truck and it has to be a diesel.
Rebecca, I sleep in my trailer about at 50% of the events. Good sized air mattress, no complaint about car smells. For about $1500, installed, I would recommend an A/C and power inverter for the warmer and cooler nights, interior lighting, the 52" flat screen, microwave, etc

[DanDarcy]

Rebecca; if you get a fast enough tow vehicle you won't need a race car

[wizzman]

Just thought I would close the loop on my thread here. I ended up buying a 2007 Toyota 4Runner Limited. It has the 4.7L iForce V8 motor. Found a great deal down in PA. Huge thanks to Ted D. for not only driving down to get it with me, but hauling it back up! I have actually really enjoyed it so far. I work from home when I am not traveling for work so I don't have a commute to worry about gas mileage. The V8 is pretty peppy and with all the amenities (leather, heated seats, moonroof, TVs in the headrests for my unborn kids to watch...) its been an easy transition into my first SUV/truck.

Today I picked up a used trailer in Maine. It needs a new floor and some minor work but once fixed up it will be exactly what I was looking for. I drove the Miata to EVERY event last year in those aluminum Ultrashield seats. I won't be missing that numb ass feeling this year.