I'm looking to get a tow vehicle and have about 13-14K to spend. I have read most of the posts on here and it seems like everyone is towing with 30-40k powerstroke, supercharged, turbo, diesel monsters

I am going to be using this as a daily driver as well as a tow vehicle. So ultimately I am looking for something that looks decent, tows well, but doesn't get terrible gas mileage. So that basically leaves me with the choices of about nothing,

Any ideas on what to look at that might get some of this done?

 

98+ F150, or silverado or tundra if you can find one under your budget.

 

Is there something about needing a F150 with a certain gear ratio? or do they all tow the same? Do you think I would be ok with the 4.2L V6 or is it necessary to get at least the 4.6l v8?

 

I wouldnt even bother with anything less than the 5.4L w/ tow package - if you can find a Tundra under your budget it would be a better daily driver though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I wouldnt even bother with anything less than the 5.4L w/ tow package</TD></TR></TABLE>

Go with at least something 1/2 ton with a V8. You should be able to get a fairly decent Ford F150 or Chevy/Dodge 1500 with your budget. Get something, anything, with a V8.

$.02

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by johng &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Go with at least something 1/2 ton with a V8. You should be able to get a fairly decent Ford F150 or Chevy/Dodge 1500 with your budget. Get something, anything, with a V8.

$.02
</TD></TR></TABLE>

...very true...Don't get caught short with a V6.

 

I was thinking of getting a v6 for the purpose of gas mileage since I will be daily driving it. But it seems like that might not be an option.

 

i dont have any problems towing my civic with a tow dolly with the highlander up hill etc..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DMF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I was thinking of getting a v6 for the purpose of gas mileage since I will be daily driving it. But it seems like that might not be an option.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Most of the time you won't get much worse gas mileage with a v8 than you will with a v6. Just go with a v8 no matter what IMO.

 

I paid ~$14k for a '99 F150 (2wd, 5.4, tow pkg) in January and couldn't be happier. It's done well over 10k miles of towing (2000lb. Civic on ~1600lb. open trailer) and another 10k miles of daily driving, all without flinching. Towing mileage is 10-14 with 13 about average; unladen it gets 14mpg city, 17mpg highway. It's big enough to be stable when towing and small enough to still park in normal spots.

For an enclosed trailer I'd want more truck, but for this duty it has got to be damn near the perfect vehicle.

 

my tow vehicle

 

I tow w/ '00 Durango w/ the 4.7l and tow package. The only thing my mine doesn't have that I wish it did was 3.92 gear, instead it has 3.55 gear. It is 4wd, etc. It tows my 'heavy' accord w/ out much fuss. Only time I had a problem was pulling one hill between here and Nashville. The temp guage rose a little, then again, i was running 70+ up the hill, i slowed down, and temp went back to normal. It was high mileage ~99k when i bought it, but i only paid ~$11k for it. It has every option on it, you could get a strip down model for cheaper.

 

I just picked up a 97' Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 5-speed with 92,000. It is a great truck. I wish gas mileage was a little better with it but it seems to do great towing so far. I towed up some pretty hilly roads to a race a few weekends ago and has no problem at all. You can pick these up for pretty cheap and for what I have researched have a pretty small list of problems.

Before I found the Dodge I was considering a Tacoma V6 but I guess the idea of paying 3 times the money I paid for the Dodge and having to really tax the motor when towing I decided against it. Plus I have the comfort of knowing that the chassis the Dodge has can handle towing with no problem.\

Good luck

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DMF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it seems like everyone is towing with 30-40k powerstroke, supercharged, turbo, diesel monsters </TD></TR></TABLE>

It only seems that way because those of us with diesel monsters are so happy with them, and often sing their praises

My advice is to buy as much as you can afford. Definitely get a V8 half-ton truck as a minimum. Yes, other, smaller trucks and motors will get the job done. But you'll probably hate it. Tow vehicles are a place where buying more than you technically "need" is a good thing.

The gas mileage depends a lot on you. Substantial gains can be had by keeping the tire pressures at their maximums, and driving like a grandma (hard to do anything but with such a large truck).

If you're willing to not get fanciness like leather and heated seats, 99+ Powerstroke Fords are getting into the high teens. And if you're willing to get something a bit older, the Cummins-powered Dodges can be had for relatively cheap if on the old (mid 1990s) side...

Good luck.

--Karl (tow vehicle geek)

 

if you really have to and there are no hills, the Tacoma gets a from me

if i knew that i would be towing a race car when i got my truck i would have bought a Tundra though...but diesels are sooo nice

 

i don't know how far you want to go back, but before the 97 f150's came out, ford used straight 6's as opposed to V6's in them. i've got an 87. does great towing.. well, gear ratio could be better, but that's ok.. gas mileage is so-so. then again, it is an 87.

check out http://www.fordtrucks.com if you need some info. and any help as to problems..

(personally, i think the 97-03? trucks are rather "girlie" in appearance.. ) hehee.

btw, it's a 4.9 liter 6.. 300 cubic inches in a row..

 

hi.

i am a very lucky dude, as in my dad owns two huge *** chevy 2500 hd trucks powered by the 8100 V8/Allison combo. excellent tow vehicles; but out of your price range.....

if i didn't have him as a truck provider, this is what i'd probably do:

buy a used hearse. an older one, if possible. i think i'd go looking for one of the older caddy's (472 or 500 v8) or oldsmobiles (403 or 455 v8). i live out in the sticks, and see these come up for sale every now and then. generally, they are garage kept from new, and in near perfect shape. very low miles, too. and really reasonable. like, $3500 to $5000 buys a really nice one around here.

the springs are pretty beefed up from the factory; i'd just want to make sure that i had a good AT tranny cooler on it and a class III hitch. a vehicle like this shoudl easily tow an open trailer with a honda on it, even up and down hills and at higher speeds on the highway. should have plenty of storage space in it, and i think it could be converted to sleep in at the track quite easily....

anyway, that's always what i thought i'd look for in a cheap, strong tow vehicle if i didn't have access to free trucks!

good luck with whatever you buy!

todd

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">buy a used hearse</TD></TR></TABLE>

Shultz and I had this conversation years ago. Surprisingly, beer was involved. Anywho, we concluded that buying a hearse or an ambulance as a tow vehicle was a bad idea because *no matter what* you are going to be leaving the track in either an ambulance or a hearse...

 

Ah, just go for it. https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1047036

It's having a complete detailed done as we speak. It will have a fresh oil and tranny fluid/filter change with a new fuel filter also. Hopefully it will be finished early enough so I can snap some pics today.

 

The cheapest option that works is a 94-96 Chevy Caprice 9C1 (police package). It has a 350ci V8 and a full frame. It'll tow an open trailer no problem. And it makes a nice daily driver. You'll have tons of cash left over to clean it up and hop it up. I started out towing with an 89, which had the older L09 smallblock. The 94-96 has the LT1, which has more power and better mileage.

You can find nice ones here: http://www.keymotorsusa.com/

The next option is a previous generation Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. You can get either gas or diesel in your price range. Probably only slightly more expensive than the Caprice option. Gas mileage would depend on options and weight of truck.

The best option, IMO, is a new generation Chevy 1500 or Ford F150. Better gas mileage and nicer interiors. They make great drivers. The 5.3L in the Chevy is a good engine. But, the 4.8L V8 makes almost as much power - so you could get away with that and get a bit better mileage. If you found it lacking, the 5.3, 6.0 or any other GenIII smallblock (LS6, yummy) both bolt right in (literally, they'll even run without tuning).

I currently have a GMC Sierra 4x4 5.3L. The transmission went bad a 60k miles. I don't know if this is typical. It was covered by extended warranty. There have been a few other smaller things (fuel level sending unit, slip yoke, 4x4 switch) which by themselves are no biggy, but with the trans means you probably should consider the extended warranty. From what I hear, Ford and Dodge are no better, so pick your poison.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I currently have a GMC Sierra 4x4 5.3L. The transmission went bad a 60k miles. I don't know if this is typical. It was covered by extended warranty. There have been a few other smaller things (fuel level sending unit, slip yoke, 4x4 switch) which by themselves are no biggy, but with the trans means you probably should consider the extended warranty. From what I hear, Ford and Dodge are no better, so pick your poison.</TD></TR></TABLE>

My brother-in-law had an 01 burb, not sure if that was the 5.3 or 5.7 and the tranny went at 37500. zero towing. He now has an 03 with the 5.3L and it's got 37k on it. Last month it was in the shop 6 times. Injector problems, MAP, O2 sensor, cats and not sure about the last trip to the dealer. There is also an issue with piston slap in some of the 5.3 and 6.0. Chevy has to replace the engine.

 

If you find the right diesel you can pick it up fairly cheap. I picked up my 1995 F250 7.3L Powerstroke for $7K, it is ext cab, XLT, longbed and it already had the 5th wheel hitch, bumper hitch, and electric brakes. The body is in great condition and the interior is cleaner that my wife's 96 Civic. My father in law couldn't believe how clean it was he tried to buy it off me when I first let him see it. I get about 12mpg city and around 17mpg HWY and I think towing I got around 14-15mpg. And it is so choice to out pull anything going uphill. Only thing that sucks is that the price of diesel is higher than gas right now

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this is what i'd probably do: buy a used hearse.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Show up at a race track with a hearse? Think about that for a minute.

Yes, it comes equipped with all of the tow package bits, and lots of storage but....

 

I towed with a 2nd generation V8 Explorer (actually a Merc Mountaineer) and it does the job pretty well and is a nice daily driver (comfortable) - especially if you prefer an SUV over a pick-up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DMF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have read most of the posts on here and it seems like everyone is towing with 30-40k powerstroke, supercharged, turbo, diesel monsters</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah if you buy new. You can find 94-98 SLT Laramie (fully loaded) 5.9L CTD, 5-speed or Auto, 4x4, Tow Package etc... for $6K-12K all day. With your budget you should be able to find a 99-02, 6spd, Dana 80 4.10 w/ locker, rear disc brakes etc... with out a problem.

I would assume if you want to get a Ford or GM that they could be had too. But why would you wanna do that?