So my brother is having wiring issues with his 240SX AGAIN, and is now pushing to take it off the road immediately. The original plan was to do it this summer, as he's planning on building the car to SRX-spec. Given that the car is heavier than most Hondas (2600-2900lbs, + whatever gear, tires, etc.), I wasn't sure what to go with, and know next to nothing about trucks. I've seen people use Pathfinders and such, and heard of people using old Caprices/cop cars, but are they strong enough to hold up to the rigors of towing something that heavy? Not necessarily thinking about the engine, which will most likely be a V8 something or other, does anyone have any specific CHEAP ideas? General price range = <$3500 or so.

 

In the lower end of the range, any big V8 RWD sedan or station wagon will work if the trailer is not too much. My first tow vehicle was a '68 Buick Sportwagon (remember the Vista Cruiser windows in the roof?) with a 350 Chevy engine and a towing cam. It was great until finally the ancient frame on the rusty car cracked in half. I had often thought about the ex-police car option as they tend to have an extra beefy suspension and driveline but by then I was married and the wife nixed it on the "I don't want to be seen riding in that" factor.

Lots of folks have good luck with Astro vans as well as they seem to be amongst the stronger mini-vans. Astros have the advantage that you can swap a V8 into them pretty cheaply as well. Vans carry a lot more stuff in them than the sedans or wagons. One of the guys I work with has an early '90s Astro with a fresh V6 that is lowered about three inches for his tow vehicle for his VW Skyrocket.

 

Perhaps an older Suburban would suit your needs. The downside is obviously gas mileage, but the upside is there's tons of space inside and you could always sleep in the back at the track if you needed to.

I bought a '94 Suburban with under 80K on the odometer for $7,300. I was completely ready to tow with brake controller and inside adjustable airbags in the rear.

If you go with the older Suburbans you'll likely find one much cheaper. Look to find one that's been properly maintained... you'll likely be able to find one with either an engine or transmission transplant.

Good luck.

 

I was looking for a CHEAP tow vehicle until I got a new car (had to) the other week. If you want cheap look at Vans. They are not "sexy" and therefore do not have a high resale value. You can get a V8 van with plenty of towing capacity for cheaper than a SUV or pickup truck. Get online and check. You will see what I mean. I have talked to a few folks that have had Ford E series vans and they have really liked the price, the room inside to lock up your stuff and the way the van tows the car.

Barry H.

 

Thanks for the help all, I appreciate it Have any of you seen the movie "Old School?" There's this black van in it that just really strikes me as something fun. It's probably more how they drive it, but I think it'd be kinda fun anyway

 

I used an old Caprice cop car as my first tow rig. They can tow 5000lbs, as can most of the Clown Vics. The benefit of the Clown Vic is you can pick from newer cars (the last RWD Caprice was in 1996). The downside is it lacks power compared to the Chevy (especially the LT1 cars from 94-96).

I think a 94-96 Buick Roadmaster wagon would be pimp. Tow 5000lbs, it already has load-leveling suspension, the seats fold flat enough to sleep in the back, and it has a 260hp LT1 under the hood. The Caprice wagon of the same vintage has the same engine and drivetrain, but lacks the load-leveling. All of the wagons of that vintage came with the "cop" suspension standard.

The are actually a few good sites and mailing lists for 9C1 cars (Chevy RPO code for police package cars).

The Astro van is also rated at 5000lbs. You can probably find an old panel/work version dirt cheap - but then, you might eat it in repairs and maintenance.

Another great option is the previous generation V6 Ford F150s. More than capable of 5000lbs and the engines have a good reputation (probably considered more reliable than the V8s of same vintage).

If you're using an open trailer and travel light, any of the smaller trucks will work as well. Much moer livable for daily use, but limited in capacity relative to full size. And no back seat like the RWD sedans/wagons.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sscguy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Have any of you seen the movie "Old School?" There's this black van in it that just really strikes me as something fun. It's probably more how they drive it, but I think it'd be kinda fun anyway </TD></TR></TABLE>

"Your my boy Blue". Yeah they drove that van with reckless abandon. The kind that gets one flamed on here. I would say that van "ain't stock". LOL.

Barry H.

 

Van.

I have a 87 Econoline.

Seats 5 + Lots of hot rally gear and ezups and tires.

+ Tows my rig on a busted old heavy trailer.

 

If you don't need the vehcile to be a daily driver as well, then a full sized cvan is very hard to beat. I used an '87 GMC 1 ton window can for amny years and put a platform in the back for a futon on top and storgae underneath. Tinted windows and homemade curtains and we had our own ultra-cheap motorhome for camping.

The two issues with a van are the engines are often hard to work on with their placement up in the dash/grill area and the gas mielage on a full sized sucks. I got about 8 mpg lowing and 10 mpg unloaded. My switch to the big V10 Dodge pickup that would pull the world was an improvement of 25% when it got 10 mpg.

If you can afford to park the tow vehcile and essentially never use it expect towing, vans are the cheap acquisition way to go. If you need to use it in regualr life, keep looking elsewhere or look at the Astro.

 

I tow with a '93 V8 Grand Cherokee. They can be found in the $5k range.

 

I was lookin at Chevy Astro Vans for between $3,000-$6,000 before I picked up the Trailblazer,,, Now I'm lookin to move up to a Silverado when the TB is up.

I always loved the X cop cars. I had 2 Caprices and they performed flawlessly with gobs of power.

 

4.0L 95-96 Jeep Cherokee

5k tow rating, dead reliable motor (tranny needs a BIG cooler and you'll absolutely need a brake controller and probably a load dist. hitch too) upgrade the front pads to something not sucky and you're good to go.

They can be found in the 2-3k range in solid condition.

 

The cheapest... Power and utility company trucks.

Usually a Chevy or Ford with high mileage but with fleet maintenance records. I've heard of them selling for under $1000 at auctions.

Best tow vehicle ever - Old Ford F250 Ambulance. Will tow anything and has huge amounts of walk-in storage in the back.
Its like a rolling closet. You never even have to unload/reload all of your tools and spares and crap.
Assuming you have a place to park an old ambulance...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Best tow vehicle ever - Old Ford F250 Ambulance.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Didn't they use the 350 chassis?

Matt&lt;---owner of 88 E350, diesel, will tow your house, can be convinced to part with it...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamSlowdotOrg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">4.0L 95-96 Jeep Cherokee

5k tow rating, dead reliable motor (tranny needs a BIG cooler and you'll absolutely need a brake controller and probably a load dist. hitch too) upgrade the front pads to something not sucky and you're good to go.

They can be found in the 2-3k range in solid condition. </TD></TR></TABLE>

anything special about the 95-96 cherokee or are other years just as good?

 

Since nobody else has mentioned it:

An old Class C or Class B motorhome is about the same setup as an ambulance, but with a lot lower miles.

Cheap, though best suited for those not needing to double as daily driver.

If you get one old enough, you can get antique plates, so insurance and license plates are real cheap.

 

Explorer with the price range your looking at probably a 90-94, 2dr 4dr, they both would be effiecient just make sure it has the tow package that makes a difference. Its better then driving a van

 

I have used my 88 Astro for many towing duties one of them was to tow another Astro van 500 miles home. It has towed my CRX back to Florida from Arizona and to and from Roebling Road from the Orlando area about 5 times in the last 2 years. It get about 16-19 mpg towing or not with the stock V6 with unknown miles. I will be upgrading to the fuel injected V8 soon and can verify that if it is driven normally it achieves the same mpg as the V6 with a 50% increase in hp and tq.

Mine has been very dependable for me, but no matter what you invest in do install a tranny cooler, money well spent.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by trigun7469 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Explorer with the price range your looking at probably a 90-94... Its better then driving a van</TD></TR></TABLE>

To me vans and minivans seem like much smarter choices than suvs. I never understood why they are even called suvs. I dont see any sportiness, and the raised passenger compartment floor limits their utility. They are vehicles though, Ill give them that much... The tough guys can have their machismo, Ill take the van over the suv.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">They are vehicles though, Ill give them that much...</TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL

I at least like driving most SUVs more than I like driving the big full-size vans. Although that Explorer my dad picked up, and the LR Disco he has don't really follow suit with that.

 

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

LOL

I at least like driving most SUVs more than I like driving the big full-size vans. Although that Explorer my dad picked up, and the LR Disco he has don't really follow suit with that.</TD></TR></TABLE>

The build quality on the 3 exploders that we have owned over the past 12 years has been abysmal. Completely shitty. The towing capability is only tolerable towing a 2100 pound boat+trailer. The off road tires make a gawdawful racket at anything more than 20 mph, the wind noise is deafening. To drive it is more to ride the back of a charging rhino--it's more of "directing where it will go" than driving it where you want it to go. Every input is "please hold while we process your request", which is really fun when you asked it to brake while towing. These were all Eddie Bauer editions, so take that as you will, but they all had towing packages. We didn't have to do transmission service on any of them, but power steering pumps, a/c compressors, and a grab bag of electrical gremlins were routine.

It got the job done, but it wasn't ideal. The Expedition was much better in every way.

/still hates trucks/SUV's. But hey, you're right. They ARE vehicles, you've gotta give them that.

 

i own an 87 f150 with an INLINE SIX. V6's didn't come out till the newer 97 body style.. the 4.9 liter, BIG BLOCK 300 inline six is a beast of a motor. with 245-265lb ft. of torque stock, these things are like baby diesels. i love mine and it has 152 on the odometer.. it's still running darn strong.. no HP, though.. only about 145. but that's ok. it's built like truck, too. not any of these new "pansy" trucks..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by madhatter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The build quality on the 3 exploders that we have owned over the past 12 years has been abysmal. Completely shitty.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Mind if I ask why you continued to buy them if they sucked?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jreyenga &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">anything special about the 95-96 cherokee or are other years just as good?</TD></TR></TABLE>The latest years had the most power and the least amount of tranny and other problems.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamSlowdotOrg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The latest years had the most power and the least amount of tranny and other problems. </TD></TR></TABLE>

A '93 will work though. I don't have too many problems pulling a solid deck steel trailer and H1 car (2100lb).


Matt