Okay maybe this sounds like a stupid question, but I've never had a car I could trailer and will have the oppurtunity to get a tow vehicle to replace the daily. So I need to know what tow capacity to look at, and while I could add up weight here, when factors like tools, tires, etc get added in hundreds of pounds can add on fast. So basically I plan to auto-x/track the Del Sol (it's a 93 Si), lighter but still street legal and not totally gutted, along with whatever trailer everyone would recommend (I'm thinking simple dual axle). For the tow vehicle I need something that can haul decent people and haul lots of crap around (i.e. SUV), and was really interested in the Xterra after driving my buddies (it has a 5000lb tow rating). So any advice is appreciated, thanks.

 

del Sol Si weighs about 2300lbs stock

 

I had to tow a couple of my Del Sols on a few occasions. I usually used a trailer and a 1984 Chevrolet S10 with 2.8 V6 and 5 speed 4X4. It strained a little going up hills with two people in the truck, but I never had a problem getting where I was going. I had no way of measuring the weight, tho. Figure on 500-1000 for the trailer, and whatever a stock 1993 Del Sol Si weighs.

I used to use a 1994 (I think) Chevrolet 1500 for a tow vehicle. This was 2wd and automatic (700R4) with a 350. It would easily pull the trailer with a Civic. I once pulled a Farmall Cub tractor and all the implements on a 20 foot trailer behind this truck. It was probably in the 4000-5000 lb loaded weight range. You knew you were pulling it, but it gave no problems with acceleration and the like with 4 people in the truck. The only time I ran into any issues was getting traction coming out of the field where I loaded it, but 4 wheel drive would have helped a lot.

I have also used a 1972 Chevrolet C20 2wd auto (TH400) with a 350 that I used to pull my Del Sol Si. The trailer and car were the same as with the 84 S10, but with this vehicle, I had NO problems with power at all. The only reason I knew there was a trailer there was because of a shimmy in one of the tires that transferred over. This truck was built for towing a heavy load from the factory, and the Del Sol was really too light for the truck.

As you can probably tell, I prefer Chevrolet's for my towing needs. A few pointers though. You need to determine if you will be building or buying your trailer. All our trailers were built. If you build it, make sure you calculate how your load will sit so you can figure out the tongue weight.

As far as trailer set up goes, I've pulled with everything from a single axle to a tri axle trailer. For a car, 2 axles would probably get the job done. Take into consideration how you will load the car. Ramps are heavy. Some of our trailers have the ramps built on and pivoted (I love these), others have a slanted bed, others just have separate ramps. I know that doesn't have much to do with the weight, but it's definitely something to think about. Also consider getting an equalizer hitch if your trailer starts getting really heavy.

As far as a tow vehicle goes, I've always been happy with Chevrolet. Something I've found to be true is that the rated towing capacity can be exceeded. Do so at your own risk, but I've lived to tell about the experience on multiple occasions. It isn't a good idea to do so in regular fashion. If you need to fit "decent" people (more than 2, I take it) I'd recommend a crew cab or SUV. Something you want to consider is fuel economy. Trucks drink gas. Jap trucks might be slightly better, but this is no economy car.

Don't overbuy on your tow vehicle. If you are just pulling an economy car on a small trailer, you don't need a one ton truck. You could probably get by just fine with a 1/2 ton truck. I would not recommend a 1/4 ton truck for regular towing (something like my S10). I would definitely recommend the use of a Class IV receiver hitch as opposed to a ball bolted to your bumper.

Take my suggestions for what they are worth, but if I was shopping for a truck to pull an economy car with a loaded trailer and I had to haul people, I'd start looking for either a crew cab or Suburban. It would either be a C10 (1500 series aka 1/2 ton) or a C20 (2500 Series aka 3/4 ton). It would have a manual transmission and 4 wheel drive. It would have a Class IV receiver hitch, and may or may not have rear springs specifically for towing.