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01-25-2017, 10:12 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Tri Cities Washington
Posts: 144
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Toad Suggestions
I’m looking for suggestions regarding a car to tow behind our Class A, gasser motor home. We use a car dolly so would like a front wheel drive vehicle. I’d prefer to keep vehicle curb weight at or below 3,000 pounds. Prefer less than 150k miles. We’ve arbitrarily set a budget of $4,000. Most vehicles we’ve looked, though in good condition, are due for major maintenance such as timing belt and water pump replacements which would cost another $1,100 or so. What would you consider to be the best tow vehicle within our self imposed constraints?
Thanks for our thoughts.
DonL
__________________
DonL
2003 Allegro Bay 36DB, Workhorse W22 Chassis
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01-25-2017, 10:59 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shadow Hills,CA 91040
Posts: 3,038
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DonL
I’m looking for suggestions regarding a car to tow behind our Class A, gasser motor home. We use a car dolly so would like a front wheel drive vehicle. I’d prefer to keep vehicle curb weight at or below 3,000 pounds. Prefer less than 150k miles. We’ve arbitrarily set a budget of $4,000. Most vehicles we’ve looked, though in good condition, are due for major maintenance such as timing belt and water pump replacements which would cost another $1,100 or so. What would you consider to be the best tow vehicle within our self imposed constraints?
Thanks for our thoughts.
DonL
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Chuck the dolly and get a used Honda CR-V, 3200lbs, (Bulletproof) Tow it 4 flat.
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NOTE; I am not responsible for typos, poor grammer or misspelled word !
04 Itasca, Meridian 34H, 330 Cat/2003 CR V Toad
1933 Ford 3 Window,as seen in Bye Bye Birdie
Pvt. E1 Retired, Shadow Hills,Ca.
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01-26-2017, 07:17 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Middle Tennessee
Posts: 197
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Slightly over your desired curb weight but we tow a 2005 Camry on a Master Tow dolly. Great cars. A well maintained one will cost you little in upkeep and last 200,000+ miles
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Just sold: 2006 31' Holiday Rambler Atlantis SE Ford E450 Gas
Towing a 2006 Toyota Camry/Master Tow dolly
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01-27-2017, 06:43 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Tri Cities Washington
Posts: 144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobReab
Slightly over your desired curb weight but we tow a 2005 Camry on a Master Tow dolly. Great cars. A well maintained one will cost you little in upkeep and last 200,000+ miles
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Thank you RobBeab. I put the same question to an automotive service department consultant (my son) and he suggested Toyota Corolla. I'll be checking local craigslist and auto trader for one. I appreciate advice that is based on experience.
DonL
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DonL
2003 Allegro Bay 36DB, Workhorse W22 Chassis
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01-29-2017, 08:37 AM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 27,519
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With a $4000 budget, I think condition is far more important than brand & model. Toyota makes great cars, but a beat up or worn out Corolla isn't any better than anything else.
Any FWD sedan will work nicely with your dolly, so I would be on the look-out for a nice clean Corolla or Camry, CRV of Civic, Altima or Sentra, Kia, Hyundai, Ford Fiesta or Focus, etc.
__________________
Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is West Palm Beach, FL
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01-29-2017, 09:38 AM
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#6
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Registered User
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 7,114
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Not all vehicles use a "Timing Belt" . HOWEVER - Timing belt replacement is an important criteria if looking for a vehicle with anything over about 75k miles on it.
The question should be does this vehicle use a Timing Belt? If the answer is Yes, then When was it last changed?
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01-29-2017, 09:41 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Where I park
Posts: 294
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Keep a lookout for a Sion (Toyota) XB. We have been very happy with the utility and versatility. Roof rack with fly rod cases and canoe, and rides on dolly great. Wife's car, at 5' her visibility is great.
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02-04-2017, 06:30 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: West Georgia
Posts: 998
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We tow a 2008 Ford Focus on a dolly which is slightly below 3K lbs. has worked great and towed it 2X across the continent from GA to Alaska and GA to Montana and California. It takes a lickin and keeps on tickin!
It has an awesome amount of cargo space with the fold down seats. In fact I haul my 22.5 inch spare tire in the trunk with the rear seats up-- plus all my fishin gear.
Ran it all over dirt roads from the Yukon to Utah-- keep trying to break it but I can't . Probably will someday.
Might be hard to get something like that for $4K
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Joe a/k/a "Americanrascal"
2016 Winnebago Adventurer 38Q +tow dolly
8th RV to sit in our driveway in 40 years
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02-04-2017, 06:40 PM
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#9
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Registered User
Freightliner Owners Club American Coach Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Dallas, Ga.
Posts: 618
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We tow a Scion xB as well some times. Although we tow 4 down as ours is strand and transmission. The amount of crap you can pack into one is amazing. They are very roomy on the inside.
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02-04-2017, 06:59 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: AB
Posts: 7,587
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck 1935
Chuck the dolly and get a used Honda CR-V, 3200lbs, (Bulletproof) Tow it 4 flat.
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I agree, go find a decent CRV in your price range and go four down. These CRV's are bulletproof and made for the job. I've seen these cars with 100K on them and still going strong.
Forget about the hassle of a dolly.
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2019 Unity LTV CB, pushed by a 2013 Honda CRV, BlueOx Baseplate, Aventa Bar & Patriot Brake
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