While we are discussing tow vehicles, I thought I would list those I have owned over the years:

'67 Triumph TR4A Have towbar, will pick up neglected Triumph
'77 Chevy Camaro I built my tandem axle trailer for towing with this car.
'70 Chevy LUV Even slight hills slowed this down
'81 Dodge D50 4X4 Not too bad. I still have what is left of this.
'72 Plymouth Valiant Scamp Every fluid (except coolant) needed occasional topping off. Trip to Alabama to pick up a Healey was an adventure.
'75 Chevy Suburban Cost $300 and I drove it home. Towed great.
'76 Chevy 3/4 Ton Cost $150 but I had to flat tow it home behind the Suburban.
'75 GMC 3+3 3/4 Ton Towed the best, but the 164.5" wheelbase required planning ahead to turn around.
'78 Winnebago Minnie Winnie Tows well, but prefers the tow dolly.
'76 Winnebago Brave Towed OK, but the 318CID engine and 4.88 gears
limited its top end.
'95 Honda Civic Coupe Only towed with it twice. It didn't like hills
on the way to/from Summit Point.

Happily driving a CRX to work...

 

Looks like around 1975, you had a revelation. And that come 1995, you forgot about it

 

In all seriousness...has anybody considered a Ford Crown Victoria with the Police or Taxi cab package. I know CrackMonkey has one (an older one). I know they were built to withstand the abuse they go through everyday. Maybe it could make a great tow vehicle. Any suggestions? Comments?

aj

 

Nope. I would have to be older than racerman50 to have been towing for that long. Back in 1975 I was just towing a small pop-up camper.
I have had one or more "real" tow vehicles for 15 years or so, but I have sometimes tried to save on gas (or the Winnebago didn't have a valid inspection sticker).
I've only towed my race car with the Civic twice (and my wife was the one who suggested we get a hitch for her Civic).
On the subject of taxi cabs for tow vehicles, I very nearly bought a Checker Marathon to tow with, about 10 years ago. That would have made a GREAT tow vehicle.

 

I may not have been towing vehicles as long as Keith, my trailer does pose some interesting challenges.

1. It weighs more than either one of the race cars (maybe more than both )

2. My students say they can spray it with rust penetrant and make it disappear.

3. The tilt bed seems to have been built around a jack that hasn't been produced in 15 years. I just had it rebuilt for $154 .

4. Even with the drain holes, the tool box can hold up to 1 gallon of water.

As far as the tow vehicle, a 1998 4Runner, it does fine. I only have to get after it on steep hills.


[Modified by Solo2Cvc, 6:56 AM 12/10/2002]

 

Funny how you seem to be the Only other person that is interested in this much overlooked Cheap as Heck yet confortable, Tough as Nails built like a Tank tow vehicle. I have also spoken to crackmonkey awhile ago about this option.

I have owned 2 Chevy Caprice Police packages in the past, Absolutely GREAT FRIGGEN CARS, I was always Pissed that Chevy Never offered these cars new from the dealership,,, if they did, they might have been able to save this particular market segment. The car never came up short and never broke down. The Police cruiser is a Great option, especially since it is much more comfortable for highway driving.

I strongly suggest a late 80's to 90 or pre Shamu style "91-, as a cheap model. There were many available options with Any police package from Chevy, more so than from Ford. I suggest Chevy since It was cheaper to repair parts wise and didn't suffer from the smaller displacement motor or the same electrical problems that came with the Crown Vic. The Crown Vic was a HO 5.0L the Caprice was either a 5L or 5.7L...

The best Chevys to get were the later models 95-96 the repackaged Impala with the higher output 5.7 But, these also command a higher price since even taxi companies STILL want them.

The Chevy has always been more popular than the Ford with any Police officer that I knew or any Taxi driver that I spoke to.

From what I recall the Chevy was rated at 5,500 lbs of towing capacity, don't quote me since if has been awhile and it could be a few hundred more or less towing... I do remember clearly that several of the Police departments in my area used cruisers to tow their boats to local lakes for patrol.

Expect to pay between $1,500 to $4,00 for a decent to VG condition 80's to early 90's Caprice and between $3,500 to as much as $800 for a VG later model Caprice/Impala and generally with higher mileage since when these were discontinued the departments usually kept these in service longer since they were a more popular model than buying the newer lesser performing Crown Vic.

There are many things to look at when buying these cars, you may contact me for Specific Chevy items, the most of which is the Tranny and (Posi if so equipped) The Chevy ran the 700R4 which though proved to be a decent tranny with a lockout torque convertor and lockout 1st gear it also is not the Strongest stock tranny available. The POSI units were notorious for busting when Said Officer Fuzz would be launching half on the asphalt and half off in the grass, this wrecked many posi units.

The motors are not high horsepower but their torque was almost matched and combined with highway gearing they cruised at 80 with no problem and could rocket from 80 MPH to 130MPH with ease.


This is exactly the car I'd choose again for a tow vehicle IF I didn't live in the NE where the snow is a PITA and a Suburban or SUV would get me around better all year long.


Good luck,


A.

 

I forgot to mention one other future tow vehicle, that I bought 20 years ago (but never got around to getting a strong hitch for it):
http://www.norfolk.infi.net/~kedward...os/Austins.jpg (the Austin Princess limo in the background)
(The Austin Mini in the foreground was not mine.)

The Austin Princess below is not mine, but what mine *should* look like:
http://www.norfolk.infi.net/~kedward...cesNotMine.jpg

This picture has a shot of my trailer, with a glimpse of the $300 Suburban towing it. (I sold what was left of the Triumph on it.)

 

is this you?

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...e.jpg.orig.jpg

 

Not the only one...this is exactly what I would get if I needed a tow vehicle, nothing else. Crown Victorias rock, especially the Police Interceptor-packaged ones.

 

How are repair costs on these cars? Say I bought one and the tranny crapped out immediately, or the engine blew? Is it cheaper to fix, get a junkyard replacement, or scrap the car and try again?

 

Repair costs for the Chevy are dirt cheap,,, You could get a rebuilt tranny like a well rebuilt 700R4 built even heavier duty for less than a grand.

Of course there is a difference between repairing and parts but, in general anything I bought short of a tranny wasn't more than $200. that includes doors. fenders, hoods, wheels, full suspensions, brakes, you name it short of the motor and tranny. The local junkyards are full of parts for them so if you dont need or want brand new anything then you can get loads of junked or used stuff for like, dirt.

So if you're handy, these dinosaurs are a breeze and can be cheap, and kinda fun...

The AC I got a buddy of mine with an AC company to fill for just the cost of the coolant. The car's AC was cold as an icebox in Siberia and could get hot,,,, Africa hot!

Definately cool cars, and surprisingly decent handling and not too sluggish above 85MPH for like 100 miles at a time...

I always wanted to autocross one... An HPDE would be a waste though.


A.


[Modified by 1GreyTeg, 8:41 PM 12/10/2002]

 

Yes. That would be me at Summit Point Advanced HPDE. First time with it on a track (my other experience on-track has been in either my blue CRX, my black CRX, my wife's CRX or my daughter's CRX)

A low resolution version of that shot is at http://www.norfolk.infi.net/~kedward...os/slowtow.JPG (which I was not expecially successful making into a decent avatar).

My wife gets to drive the "tow vehicle" to work, not me...

BTW, my wife (the Labor and Delivery Nurse) was asking me for suggestions for a vanity plate for her red Coupe. I suggested @ UR CRVX