Selling tow car as tow car, or as regular car?

[caveflyer]

I have a 2014 Honda CR-V [Mod Edit] We have a pickup truck and the CR-V and want to downsize to a single vehicle, so we've decided to sell both the pickup truck and the CR-V, and get a flat-towable small truck (which will necessitate a new tow hardware setup), due to be delivered between March and May 2025. So, I have a question for all the brilliant minds out there: 1) Do I leave the tow setup on the CR-V and try to sell it as a tow car, or 2) do I remove all the tow systems and sell it as a regular car? Any ideas about what I should ask for in scenarios #1 and #2 are welcome!

[creativepart]

We’ve sold two Toads. The first we got lucky right away with a Craigslist ad selling as a flat tow vehicle. The second vehicle we left the baseplate but removed the brake equipment and just traded it in on a new 2024 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid to set up for flat towing. The dealer just took it in as is.

A flat tow CRV is one of the most popular toads out there. I’d guess it will be an easy sell as a toad.

[Argosy]

Advertise the car, advertise the towing setup, advertise the car with the towing set up. Give prices for all 3 options.

[Camp CA]

Good advise above. In my case, after I sold my motorhome I removed the tow bar, portable brake and installed battery charger from my toad and sold them as a package with the base plate still attached.

[Spdracr39]

I just sold mine as a regular vehicle but left the baseplate and associated items attached. It did not affect the trade in value and wasn't worth removing.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Spdracr39

I just sold mine as a regular vehicle but left the baseplate and associated items attached. It did not affect the trade in value and wasn't worth removing.

We just traded our 2017 GMC Terrain toad, including the tow plate hardware still attached. It wasn’t a topic of discussion. They saw the value of the vehicle in a price range that a new buyer would appreciate because of its condition. The small bit of visible towing hardware wasn’t key.

[Old Scout]

Assuming it's an older vehicle, a dealer is going to give you rock- bottom trade, or less discount, and sent it to auction. So, it doesn't matter if the tow package is intact. The informed, private buyer may appreciate it and pay a bit more, if they need a towed. The uninformed buyer wont care at best and at worse, will shy away from the fact it was being towed.

[oldmattb]

We had a CR-V set up for towing, but I didn't include the info in the ad. I had tried to sell a set-up Toyota Echo a few years back, and nobody seemed interested in a towd. A guy answered the ad for the CR-V, wanting exactly the year and model of our CR-V. He ASKED if it came with any flat-tow equipment, and was giddy when I offered the brackets and etc.

He wanted to send me full payment a week in advance of when he could come get the car. I told him to send $200 and we could settle up after he actually saw the car in person.

You might do well trying to sell the your CR-V as a prepped car.

[jaydee325]

It really depends. There are more people out there looking for a car than a car set up for towing.

A very good friend of mine has owned a very successful used car dealership for about 40 years now. When he quotes a trade or wholesale purchase, the towing equipment is of no added value.

Recently he found himself with two vehicles on the lot set up for towing. One he lucked out and a customer was looking for a TOAD. The second sat long enough that the floorpan was getting ready to bite him. Just before he was to remove all of the towing equipment, a customer walked in and bought it. Not because it had towing equipment on it, but he got a good deal on the car.

[wildtoad]

CarMax will lowball ( more than usual ) you if you trade in a car that has base plate or other evidence of being towed. They will not resell them to the public, and will send them immediately to an auction house.

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by wildtoad

CarMax will lowball ( more than usual ) you if you trade in a car that has base plate or other evidence of being towed. They will not resell them to the public, and will send them immediately to an auction house.

Could be that CarMax doesn't want the liability of certifying the mileage of a car that's been towed unknown miles.

My Maverick shows 12,386 miles on the dash, but I know it been towed for over 5,000 unrecorded miles.

[VanDiemen23]

I can't tell you how many car ads I've seen that list the mileage and then try to tell you that most of it was while being towed. "the odometer only works when in gear" doesn't seem to register....

[Bigceasar]

Originally Posted by Old Scout

Assuming it's an older vehicle, a dealer is going to give you rock- bottom trade, or less discount, and sent it to auction. So, it doesn't matter if the tow package is intact. The informed, private buyer may appreciate it and pay a bit more, if they need a towed. The uninformed buyer wont care at best and at worse, will shy away from the fact it was being towed.

I disagree with the idea a uniformed buyer would shy away. The fact they are uniformed means they don’t consider the effects of towing. Who very well may shy away is an informed buyer who is not looking for a vehicle to tow. They would have no idea how many additional miles the suspension, tires and other various components have been subjected to over and above the mileage on the odometer. If a braking system was used the brakes also have those additional miles. Towing a vehicle thousands of miles surely adds to the wear and tear.

[jacwjames]

I just bought a used 2015 Jeep Cherokee that had been set to tow. I had been looking for one to set up but this met the need and looked like it was in good condition. So a couple PM's back and forth from the seller and we closed the deal. It had been set up in ~2021 and had all the necessary equipment including supplemental brake, tow bar, safety cables etc. My guess he paid ~$5K to have it set up. He said he towed it one time.

Upon inspection it looked about right, very little paint wore off the tow bar and no wear on anything.



Got it home a couple weeks ago and have since gone through it front to back doing a complete service. All good, so I think I got a good toad at a good price.



So an informed buyer asking the right questions can get lucky.