suzuki vitara boost 1.4 petrol automatic

[otherclive]

Correct me if I’m wrong but Mel was talking about her car dealer and Clive about the caravan dealer. A big difference imo. As said by Prof there is no legal requirement on the caravan dealer to ensure either you or your car is capable of towing. The true answer for the OP lies in Lutz post #9. BTW no one at the frozen food shop has ever asked if I have a freezer 😄

I think my post #5 preceded Lutz's post #9, but I humbly apologise for what I meant to be a Tongue in Cheek post at #11, but clearly it has caused an unnecessary diversion,

 

[Dustydog]

I think my post #5 preceded Lutz's post #9, but I humbly apologise for what I meant to be a Tongue in Cheek post at #11, but clearly it has caused an unnecessary diversion,

👍👍

 

[Notmyvan]

Hi I was wondring what size caravan can I tow on a suzuki boost 1.4 auto or would I need a bogger car

You have to be careful when asking a Car Dealership about what weight you can tow with a particular car.
Often Automatic Cars are unable to tow the same weight because the oil Torque Converter overheats.
I was buying a Nissan Patrol Automatic. The Manual Nissan Patrol I had previously could tow 3500 kilos.
I had bought a Power Boat and with trailer weighted 3000 kilos.
The Nissan Dealer who had the Auto for sale said it could tow 3500 kilos.
I rang Nissan and they said that their Autos could only tow 2500 kilos.

 

[ProfJohnL]

You have to be careful when asking a Car Dealership about what weight you can tow with a particular car.
Often Automatic Cars are unable to tow the same weight because the oil Torque Converter overheats.
I was buying a Nissan Patrol Automatic. The Manual Nissan Patrol I had previously could tow 3500 kilos.
I had bought a Power Boat and with trailer weighted 3000 kilos.
The Nissan Dealer who had the Auto for sale said it could tow 3500 kilos.
I rang Nissan and they said that their Autos could only tow 2500 kilos.

In practice, if you ask a car sales person about a specific point such as the maximum towed weight that a particular model can tow, and they say 3500kg, and on that basis you agree to purchase it, that requirement is part of the contract. If when you take possession if the vehicle you discover its only 2500kg, the the dealer has not fulfilled the contract, and you can reject the vehicle as it was not as described. You should receive a full refund under the Consumer Rights Act.

As towed weights are particularly important to caravanners, it really pays to research the technical specifications of the specific vehicle BEFORE you agree to buy it. Buyer Beware!

 

[RogerL]

You have to be careful when asking a Car Dealership about what weight you can tow with a particular car.
Often Automatic Cars are unable to tow the same weight because the oil Torque Converter overheats.
I was buying a Nissan Patrol Automatic. The Manual Nissan Patrol I had previously could tow 3500 kilos.
I had bought a Power Boat and with trailer weighted 3000 kilos.
The Nissan Dealer who had the Auto for sale said it could tow 3500 kilos.
I rang Nissan and they said that their Autos could only tow 2500 kilos.

I learnt decades ago never to ask a technical question at a car dealer, sales or service - previous to that the answer was more often wrong than right. Nothing changes, the numpties at my VW dealership tried to get me to have the 40,000 mile DCT fluid change despite my car being the one VW exception that doesn't have a DCT autobox.

 

[Buckman]

In practice, if you ask a car sales person about a specific point such as the maximum towed weight that a particular model can tow, and they say 3500kg, and on that basis you agree to purchase it, that requirement is part of the contract. If when you take possession if the vehicle you discover its only 2500kg, the the dealer has not fulfilled the contract, and you can reject the vehicle as it was not as described. You should receive a full refund under the Consumer Rights Act.

As towed weights are particularly important to caravanners, it really pays to research the technical specifications of the specific vehicle BEFORE you agree to buy it. Buyer Beware!

That is correct, but probably would be very difficult to prove as unlikely the towing weight would be specified in any documentation unless by some chance you had it in an email.

 

[Lutz]

You have to be careful when asking a Car Dealership about what weight you can tow with a particular car.
Often Automatic Cars are unable to tow the same weight because the oil Torque Converter overheats.
I was buying a Nissan Patrol Automatic. The Manual Nissan Patrol I had previously could tow 3500 kilos.
I had bought a Power Boat and with trailer weighted 3000 kilos.
The Nissan Dealer who had the Auto for sale said it could tow 3500 kilos.
I rang Nissan and they said that their Autos could only tow 2500 kilos.

I‘d recommend relying only on what the statutory plate or other documentation states and not what any salesman or someone over the phone has told you because you‘d have nothing at hand to substantiate a statement if things go wrong.

 

[Raywood]

The simple answer to what liability a dealer has if he sells a caravan that is unsuitable for the buyers tow car depends on was he asked if the car was suitable. If he is asked, he is giving what should be good advice and if the tow car is unsuitable then there may be some liability. The dealer has no duty to ask about the tow car and cannot be responsible if not asked.
What happens if the customer turns up to collect a Buccaneer with the Suzuki is a bit more dubious, but anything so unsuitable might land the dealer with some responsibility for letting it off the forecourt. It is the duty of any driver to make sure his outfit is safe and legal, which means if in doubt they must do research first.

 

[trevormonty]

I tow 1050kg caravan with AWD auto model. Power isn't an issue, no problems staying with traffic on big windy hills and handling is OK. I've not found any issues with Auto for towing and this is somebody who has done 30,000km towing with manuals. Most of time leave Auto to its own devices with occasional use of paddle shifts. Sport mode is big plus on windy hill roads.
If buying to tow would go with AWD gives better handling in wet and nice to have on those wet grass pitches.

Next caravan is likely to be closer to Vitara 1200kg max tow limit, I'm not expecting any issues.