Considering a change of tow car

[sgtangel]

Hey everyone....

What is your ideal towcar ?

I presently tow a relatively light (1080kg) `van with a 2.2 diesel Mondeo, however once the car is loaded with bikes / kids / dogs etc, it is not quite as strong a towcar as perhaps I would want, and the wife and I have discussed the possibility of upgrading to a larger van in the future, maybe...

Therefore, I am considering changing our other family car for a better towcar, perhaps an older 4x4 or something similar (budget of about £4k), but have absolutely no clue what is good, what isn`t... so thought I would see what the experts think....

I was thinking Discovery / Pajero that kind of thing... or am I going in the the wrong direction ?

 

[DrZhivago]

I can tell you what not to buy - a 1999-2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee (known as the WJ series). This is because towing with them has been banned unless a particular recall has been done (a recall that you must pay for in the UK) and is generally not likely to have been done. There were some incidents in the USA of towbars puncturing the fuel tank in rear-enders.

I have a 2007 model (the WH/K series) and it is great for towing but one under £4k might have some problems. In fact they are a bit prone to expensive problems (like drive shafts) . They are called a "Grand Cherokee" because it costs a grand for a new drive shaft (excluding fitting) and it has a lot of them LoL! The 4x4 system however is one of the best.

 

[woodsieboy]

Autotrader showing 11 LWB Shoguns for sale between 4k and 5k most over 100 k miles but if you could find one with full service history and 1 previous owner that is what I would recommend probably have tow bar already fitted as well

 

[sgtangel]

the bigger 4x4`s seem to be the preferred option so far....

I like a Cherokee as well - would never had known that about them.

Time to start trawling the ads. Anyone got any tips for buying towcars secondhand ?

 

[Hutch]

I am a big fan of the Hyundais and Kia's, but before that, I towed with a 2.2 vectra diesel. MAYBE AN UPDATED Mondeo, I tried to find an Titanium X but could not find one.
Good luck.

 

[Thingy]

I would be wary of discos of that age especially with the legion cyl head problems they had. I would suggest the Shogun/Pajero is a much more reliable car for that age due to its simplicity. I love the Shogun but Im having to think more sensibly these days and Im probably going to change in August to either the Volvo XC70 (now no longer made) or the Audi A6 Avant. The Shogun is a real thirsty beast and I can no longer justify running it all year.

 

[woodsieboy]

If you consider the shogun look for the service history and check whether the top chain tensioner has been changed at say 75k miles cheap part but the plastic guide wears and you are left with metal on metal and can lead to expensive damage
also check for clunking from drive shafts, and play in rear suspension bushes, neither are seriously expensive, but will need attention, also check everything works, including air con and cruise control. Worth remembering that the Shogun has selectable 4 wheel drive so you can use it in just rear wheel drive to improve economy, discos etc are permanent 4 wheel drive, tyres for Shogun cost about £75 for brand like Cooper and normal servicing 200-400 depending on size of service,the costs you incur will depend on mileage. Milners are good for parts and advice, insurance depending on your age experience and NCB less than 300 a year,we have had ours for 14 years and do 8k miles a year most towing, sits on drive rest of week any thing else you need to know please just ask.

 

[sgtangel]

If you consider the shogun look for the service history and check whether the top chain tensioner has been changed at say 75k miles cheap part but the plastic guide wears and you are left with metal on metal and can lead to expensive damage
also check for clunking from drive shafts, and play in rear suspension bushes, neither are seriously expensive, but will need attention, also check everything works, including air con and cruise control. Worth remembering that the Shogun has selectable 4 wheel drive so you can use it in just rear wheel drive to improve economy, discos etc are permanent 4 wheel drive, tyres for Shogun cost about £75 for brand like Cooper and normal servicing 200-400 depending on size of service,the costs you incur will depend on mileage. Milners are good for parts and advice, insurance depending on your age experience and NCB less than 300 a year,we have had ours for 14 years and do 8k miles a year most towing, sits on drive rest of week any thing else you need to know please just ask.

Thanks for all the advice. All points duly noted. I think if we can hold out for a good one, a Shogun might be what we are looking for. I will start the search in earnest this week....

 

[sgtangel]

I would be wary of discos of that age especially with the legion cyl head problems they had. I would suggest the Shogun/Pajero is a much more reliable car for that age due to its simplicity. I love the Shogun but Im having to think more sensibly these days and Im probably going to change in August to either the Volvo XC70 (now no longer made) or the Audi A6 Avant. The Shogun is a real thirsty beast and I can no longer justify running it all year.

Thanks for this.
I had a colleague warn me off a disco as well - they are now off the list
What mpg were you getting from your Shogun ?

 

[saint-spoon]

I have recently swapped my old and decrepit Nisan Terrano for a newer tug so I know what is out and about around our way. I narrowed it down to between the Sante Fe, the Volvo XC90 and the Mitsubishi shogun. I was on a slightly higher budget than you are looking but I set my autotrader search from £3,000-£10,000. Anyway I narrowed it down further to an XC90 and a Sante Fe, two particular cars at the same garage (pure coincidence as the garage was a fair way away from where I live). Anyway I purchased a Sante Fe 2.2 4x4 CDRI on a 2010 plate, it beat the Volvo which was slightly cheaper on age, mileage and fuel consumption but had the SF not been available I may well have taken the Volvo. Do not rule out the Kia Serrento, Good tugs by all accounts but there wasn't anything available any distance that I was willing to travel to look at a car.

 

[Thingy]

What mpg were you getting from your Shogun ?

I am getting around 19 - 20 mpg around town, combined around 27 - 29 but driving it HGV style, I can get mid 30's on the motorway at sensible speeds. Towing Im averaging 23 - 24 with a decent sized 4 berth van. I find servicing on the Shogun very reasonable at main dealer prices and the car is pretty much unbreakable. Mine is a 2010 Elegance, now replaced by the SG3 which is basically identical. It has all the bells and whistles you could want.

On a down side, it tends to thud over bumps on uneven British tracks( cant bring myself to call them roads) and it wallows a little on its lowest tyre pressures. I find it very comfy on motorways and is one of the few cars I can do a long one in and not feel jaded at the other end. The Volvo XC70 was a similarly accomplished motorway cruiser. I have had the shoggy for three years, done 65k in it myself and it has only cost me one rear spring in that time apart from tyres, which do seem to wear pretty well. The driving position is phenominal, tows like a dream and feels sturdy and steady.

 

[sgtangel]

An unexpected turn of events.... whilst our second car was in for its MOT, chatting away with the mechanic, I was explaining our search for a new towcar, and he queried the reason, as "the Mondeo, with the 2.2 TDCi, should be an excellent towcar" ...I explained the fact it was a bit weaker than I had hoped and he suggested a remap of the Mondeo ECU, to unlock some additional power to assist with the towing. Given that the car pulls like a train when not towing, I thought this sounded like a sensible step to investigate.

Long story cut boring.... I have now paid to have the Mondeo ECU remapped, which has increased the horses by a considerable amount (about 50), and has increased the torque as well. I am going to try it our on our next trip in 4 weeks, and see how much of a difference it makes... when not towing, it is now accelerating faster than our Clio 182 sport !!

only time will tell if this helps, but the search is suspended meantime.....

 

[ProfJohnL]

All insurers now tell policy holder to declare any changes away from the standard vehicle, and an increase in power /performance is certainly that.

If you don't declare it and you make a claim it maybe declined and you could find your policy voided which has implications when trying to renew.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I had thought of re-mapping a previous car (not Ford) and the main dealer said that they have had 3 cars in in the previous month where other components failed due to over-stress due to re-mapping. Two were under warranty and the manufacturer refused to pay for repairs. They stated that other engine and drive chain components should have been changed as well in order to take the extra power. The choice is yours.

 

[mbwoy84]

If you do decide to go for something with a bit more power, a guy who works for me is selling a fantastic tow car. It's a 2008 Vectra 3.0 V6 CDTi, remapped to over 200bhp and a mountain of torque. He's only used it a handful of times for towing his caravan and when he bought it, he had a genuine Vauxhall tow bar fitted, so had never towed before. It's an excellent spec and a highly pampered car. It's also still covered by an extended Vauxhall warranty until November and returns up to 45mpg on a run.

Might be more of a happy medium between a smaller-engined diesel car and a big, uneconomical 4x4

 

[Hutch]

I had a 2008 Vectra diesel 3.0 v6 and yes it was a great tow car, and on a non towing run would return about 45 mpg.