tow car suggestions - please!!!

[gt6drummer]

Hi there,

We currently tow a bailey ranger 460/4 series 5 with a mtplm of 1184kg using a vauxhall vectra 2.0 dti. I'm looking to change the car in the near future for something more reliable and better capable of pulling our van. I am interested to know what other people use to pull this or similar weighted vans. All suggestions are greatly appreciated, i am looking for a reliable diesel, that is relatively economical as i travel approx 300 miles a week.

Kind regards,

Matt

 

[ctj]

Hi i used to have a vectra well quite a few then i got talked into getting a mondeo tdci what a beast i got the 130 tdci yes they still have the odd prob but what car doesnt my only prob is holding it back i have a 23ft avondale max weight 1200kg and fully loaded it will pull away quite rapidly in 5th gear same size engine as the vectra but what a difference

 

[machighlander]

hi matt, i am a novice at this game but i did a lot of research mainly through this site as to my cars towing ability. i too have a vectra, its an 07 petrol model 1.8sri. i tow my newly bought abbey which is 1360kg and i find it is ok even for my limited experience.

as yours is the diesel model and a couple of hundred ccs more than mine, and your caravan is way lighter, then i dont understand why you need to change the car ?.

no doubt you will get some in depth replies from the old salts in here who know their stuff.

i am just curious as to you wanting to change and me feeling happy enough with something less suited.

cheers.

 

[gt6drummer]

hi matt, i am a novice at this game but i did a lot of research mainly through this site as to my cars towing ability. i too have a vectra, its an 07 petrol model 1.8sri. i tow my newly bought abbey which is 1360kg and i find it is ok even for my limited experience.

as yours is the diesel model and a couple of hundred ccs more than mine, and your caravan is way lighter, then i dont understand why you need to change the car ?.

no doubt you will get some in depth replies from the old salts in here who know their stuff.

i am just curious as to you wanting to change and me feeling happy enough with something less suited.

cheers.

Highander,

Thanks for reply, in response my vectra is a 54 plate. The DTI engine is the 'older' style, and only produces 99bhp. When we first started towing this seemed fine, but with age she seems to be struggling. It doesn't help that she has been riddled with problems and i have lost faith in the car. You should be ok with yours as a lot of earlier problems were ironed out before the facelift model

 

[machighlander]

Highander,

Thanks for reply, in response my vectra is a 54 plate. The DTI engine is the 'older' style, and only produces 99bhp. When we first started towing this seemed fine, but with age she seems to be struggling. It doesn't help that she has been riddled with problems and i have lost faith in the car. You should be ok with yours as a lot of earlier problems were ironed out before the facelift model

cheers buddy, i wasn't aware of the diferrent engines.

from my experience in here i have learned that a diesel has better towing properties than a petrol car. thats why i was bemused that you wanted to trade up to another. i get your point now though, the bhp is way lower than the current models, whether theyre petrol or diesel. mine has around 150hp on tap, but even that compared to the newer diesels with less hp makes it second best, apparently its the torque a diesel produces which is stronger lower down the revs than a petrol, this is what counts when pulling.

when i first read the replies to my own request i thought, oh **** i need to change my car. but luckily it does the job pretty well, just that an equivelant diesel would save dropping a gear here and there.

cheers buddy.

 

[Dave111]

Hi Matt,I have to agree with Carl. I have a Mondeo tdci 130 on a 05 plate that has covered 78000 miles so far without a hitch. The car is a good tug (it didn't once win towcar of the year for nothing) and fuel economy towing is 25mpg at the very worst(over the moors on the M62 to Blackpool with a headwind)and 40mpg is the best I have had on a run from South Yorkshire to Scarborough. You can pick them up quite cheap now since the new Mondeo was launched. Look out for rear subframe bush wear prior to and including 2003. If you test drive one with wear you'll think there's someone in the boot with a hammer when driving over bumps.

 

[MowCopKen]

Hi Matt

have you considered a BMW 3 Series? As there's a lot around (sold more than Mondeos), the second hand prices are not bad and they are generally quite reliable. We had a 320d Touring (BMW for estate) 2003 from new which we kept for 6 years and 100k miles, something never done before. On journeys, solo would give up to 60mpg, towing 30-32mpg.

Whatever you choose, wish you (and anyone reading this) a Happy New Year!

 

[xtrailman]

Golf did well in the towing tests, should do the job.

But you may upgrade your van to a heavier model?

If i recall correctly, the mondeo that won the caravan of the year award was the 2.5T petrol, wasn't it?

A different beast to the diesel, not to say that the 130 wouldn't do the job, it would.

But with 300 miles a week the 130 golf would probably return more to the gallon.

 

[xtrailman]

Sorry golf 140

 

[david_374530639]

hi matt i have been towing the best part of 40years and have towed with all types of tow cars i am now on to my second passat highline 1.9 turbo diesel and cant fault them as towcars best of luck with your choce dave

 

[Dave_374330759]

Any open ended question like this will get every towcar imaginable - you need to look at what you can afford - not just the up-front cost but tax, insurance, servicing, spares etc. How much space you need for people, dogs, stuff etc. Are you thinking of getting a bigger van during the life of the car. Are you a badge snob or will anything that does the job do. Is there something that you really fancy?. I would have thought that a Vectra would have been up to the job. Even a Focus or Vauxhall's equivalent will pull 1200kg.

I've been using a 2.0Tdci C-Max towing a 1420kg bailey Provence for the past three years and cannot fault it. See my comments in the C-max thread. If you want something bigger then an S-max or Galaxy will pull 1750kg and carry 5-7 people. Or go for a 4x4 but they tend to have higher fuel consumptions and higher tax and servicing costs than estate cars or people carriers. I doubt that anything with a 2.0 diesel engine would be truly awful but then I haven't really tried most of them.

I am biased towards Fords coz I've got a brother who can get me highly advantageous discounts and I've had about 15 over the years (starting with a 100E in 1966) and driven over 500,000 miles in them The least reliable car that I've ever had was a Vauxhall Carlton which was really nice to drive but total crap for reliability - I won't list all the problems and breakdowns that I had. I also had a couple of Vauxhall Cavaliers and each of them let me down and had to be towed home - never had a breakdown with the Fords.

In the end you pays your money and takes your choice

 

[daven2695]

Any open ended question like this will get every towcar imaginable - you need to look at what you can afford - not just the up-front cost but tax, insurance, servicing, spares etc. How much space you need for people, dogs, stuff etc. Are you thinking of getting a bigger van during the life of the car. Are you a badge snob or will anything that does the job do. Is there something that you really fancy?. I would have thought that a Vectra would have been up to the job. Even a Focus or Vauxhall's equivalent will pull 1200kg.

I've been using a 2.0Tdci C-Max towing a 1420kg bailey Provence for the past three years and cannot fault it. See my comments in the C-max thread. If you want something bigger then an S-max or Galaxy will pull 1750kg and carry 5-7 people. Or go for a 4x4 but they tend to have higher fuel consumptions and higher tax and servicing costs than estate cars or people carriers. I doubt that anything with a 2.0 diesel engine would be truly awful but then I haven't really tried most of them.

I am biased towards Fords coz I've got a brother who can get me highly advantageous discounts and I've had about 15 over the years (starting with a 100E in 1966) and driven over 500,000 miles in them The least reliable car that I've ever had was a Vauxhall Carlton which was really nice to drive but total crap for reliability - I won't list all the problems and breakdowns that I had. I also had a couple of Vauxhall Cavaliers and each of them let me down and had to be towed home - never had a breakdown with the Fords.

In the end you pays your money and takes your choice

Hi Dave I've been towing since the early sixties mostly with a range of Volvo including 144, 244, 940, 850Tdi and at present S70 tdi between these I have had couple of Fords and a Dicovery both of which were complete nightmare for reliability.

My current Van is a Challenger 490 SE (2005)which the Volvo tows with great ease and returns 30-32mpg towing and around 49mpg solo on a run.

Hope this helps but I fear this will confuse as at the end of the day it depends on your likes and dislikes. Happy new year. Dave

 

[MowCopKen]

Well Dave, we made suggestions. Have you pondered and made a decision? Good luck whatever you choose, but let us know.....

 

[Lutz]

This is perhaps a bit off topic, but I'm surprised by the number of people who say that have had problems with the reliability of their cars. During 45 years of motoring I've owned over 20 cars of various makes, although mainly Vauxhall/Opels and not counting the company cars that I've had, and none have let me down seriously. Only on one occasion did one actually break down so badly that I was unable to continue my journey unaided (and that was a manufacturer that no longer exists). Was I just lucky?

 

[Ian_374396739]

For reliability I would recomend A 130BHP 1.9tdi Skoda Superb excellent towcar solo high 40's to gallon towing 1500 kilos 30+mpg, was a company car that did 190,000 miles in 5 years with normal servicing an alternator, brake pads, wiper blades and tyres and is currently working as a private hire after coming of fleet - in a word SUPERB.