Best Dinghy for 08 Itasca Sunova

[tipaulfla]

I am a Newbie in the rv world and was wondering what is the best towable for a 34 foot itasca sunova?? I want to tow with all 4 wheels down. Any suggestions( my wife also wants something sporty) Gotta please her.

[Beabop]

Cheve Cavalier, Saturn, any small car towable 4 down. We had a Cavalier, towed it 75,000 miles.

[sandpiper]

There is no "best", only best for you. Look at the Motor Home Magazine dinghy towing guide for starters.

[bobpie]

looky here

[Suncircles]

I can only comment on our experience. We have a 2006 Honda CRV two-wheel drive and it has been great as a 4-wheel down toad. We had to make no modifications to the vehicle and the odometer does NOT advance during towing. One must rigidly follow the towing instructions in the Owners Manual, i.e. run the engine while shifting through the gears of the CRV every 200-300 miles of towing (to keep the transmission lubricated). We have seen many other CRVs being towed behind coaches as we travel around the country and have two friends that happy with their CRV toads also. This is not a commercial but the Honda CRV was voted the best in its class this year. We have had zero maintenance problems with the vehicle so far.


Suncircles
2006 Winnebago Journey 36G
2006 Honda CRV toad

[RVJeeper]

What Sandpiper said. Whatever fits your lifestyle and can be towed 4-down. We have a 34' Sunova and can flat tow all 3 of our vehicles: Honda Fit, Jeep Grand Cherokee or Jeep Wrangler. I'll tell you that the Fit tows a lot easier because its weight is about 2,400 lbs. compared to over 4,000 for the Jeeps. We gain about 1 mpg when towing the Fit vs. the Jeeps.

[tncruiser]

three choices
#1 wrangler
#2 wrangler
#3 wrangler
its a convertable ,its classic style
and a real american icon
brianj

[Automobilist]

I wouldn't class any of the above as remotely "sporty". How about a Miata, a Mini or a 911? All can be towed on all fours.

[AlwaysDusty]

We too are new to owning a MH and towing. After a lot reading, combing dealer web pages for used toads, test drives, etc. we decided upon a CR-V. We wanted to keep our larger SUV and buy a car just for towing but common sense and our budget forced us to sell our larger SUV and find an acceptable car for everyday use and towing. Plus it had to be an automatic for my spouse and we have a max towing weight of 5000lbs. I seriously considered a Wrangler and an HHR but was out voted (wanted the Wrangler really bad). We considered a new Fit, used Grand Vitari, used Saturn, Ranger, etc. But in the end, we got practical and went with the CR-V. We now have a US Gear braking system and Roadmaster XL brackets and Falcon Allterrain tow bar. Good luck and if you are as compulsive as me, you will spend a tremendous amount of time reading all the information on the forums and manufacturers' web sites. When I wasn't satisfied with the information in print, I called the manufacturers. The articles in Motorhome and FMCA on toads are good starting points.

Jim

[UFO Pilot]

We tow an 06 CRV but if I was going to buy another Toad, I would buy a Jeep Wrangler.

[Keith K]

As others have said, it's purely your decision. Personally, I'd pass on the Wrangler. We started full timing with one, and if you like poor acceleration, horrible gas mileage, and 60's technology packaged under the guise "proven technology", then it's the one for you. Otherwise shop around for something in the 3500lb range. There are a lot of choices, from the Honda's (be careful on their tow restrictions, things have changed), Subaru, and any manual transmission vehicle. If you want an automatic, many of the Fords can now be flat towed, i.e., Escape for an SUV, and probably others. Another thing to consider is the ease of tow bracket installation. You can go to the Blue Ox web page, look at the different vehicles, and look at photos on how to install. Even if you have it done, it may be more expensive than you want. Have fun shopping.

[AlwaysDusty]

Forgot one thing - make sure you read the section on towing in the owner's manual for the year and model of the toad you plan to buy.

[Frantz]

We like our HHR. Extra carrying capacity if needed. All seats except drivers will fold down. Can handle 4 people. We carry our 2 Segways in it when it is being towed. Easy connecting with SMI & no awful tow "stuff" visible when it is just our car. Only downside we have found is you can't use traction devices so this is definitely not a snow car. However it does handle well in snow as long as traction devices are not required by law.
They can be fancied up with flames or made into a woody.

Marilyn

[Traps90]

We have to get through this season with our 5'er yet, but when we get a towed it will be a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, we want the 4 wheel drive to be able to do some exploring (still one of the best for offroad use). As mentioned lighter is best, but if it has to meet all of your needs.

Trap