OK we're starting to look at cars again. We haven't narrowed it down to one yet, but if anyone has views on the following, your advice is welcome!
Our Caravan is a Compass Merit Reflection 430/4 from 1994 (
https://www.gocaravanning.com/caravan-specs/1571/Compass-Reflection-Merit-430-4-1994.html). Maximum allowable weight for the caravan is 1100kg.
We were towing it with a 2007 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 petrol engine. The caravan was well within the legal limits, but the car was very old (approx 190k miles) and it was fine for a good few journeys on the flat, including some long journeys, but the clutch gave out on a hill in the Peak District. We are looking to replace it. Our budget is 8000 GBP. We could probably stretch that a couple hundred more if we had to - but we had orginally hoped to spend more like 6k, and we lost something like GBP 700 in the saga of this thread...so we'd rather not go much above 8k if we can avoid it.
With the second hand market being what it is, this seems to rather limit our choices. We are currently stranded in the caravan in Southampton - we're borrowing a car (that can't tow) until we get this sorted. The criteria we have been looking at 70,000 miles or less (ideally less if it's a petrol, perhaps a little more if it's a diesel but not much!), 2010 or more recent, at least 1.8cc engine or bigger largely so that it can *comfortably* tow 1100kg, decent size boot, within the budget, and the make and model have decent reviews on Which / Practical Caravan / WhatCar / other similar sites, especially for reliability, safety and fuel efficiency. We were looking for ULEZ compliant too, but are now thinking we might have to compromise on that. We want something in good working condition - obviously - but aren't bothered by a few scratches or dents. Ideally we'd like a warranty, and to buy from a dealer, but we're open to compromising on that too.
So far we've identified the following options:
* Vauxhall Zafira 2014, 69,650 miles, diesel manual, 2.0 CDTi Elite MPV 5dr Diesel Manual Euro 5 (165 ps), not ULEZ compliant, £8271 (but potentially willing to negotiate on price), braked tow weigh on VC5 shown as 1500kg, on VIN plate the GTW minus the MAM on vin plate is 1525kg. We have test driven this one and it didn't feel as powerful as I was expecting, but we seem to be well within its technical capacity. Claimed 53.3 mpg combined urban and extra-urban. Tax £180/yr.
* Ford Kuga 2012, 62,550 miles, diesel manual, 2.0 Tdci 163 Titanium 5Dr, not ULEZ compliant, £7995, GTW minus the MAM on vin plate is 2100kg, not seen this car in person yet. Claimed 47.10 mpg combined urban and extra-urban. Expensive tax - £240/yr.
* Honda CR-V, 64,500 miles, petrol automatic, 2.0 i-VTEC SE Auto 4WD Euro 5 5dr, ULEZ compliant, £7699, haven't seen the VIN plate (or car) yet. Doesn't have great reviews on Practical Caravan as a tow car, but that was for the 2WD, not sure how different the 4WD would be. Claimed 33.60 mpg combined urban and extra-urban. Very expensive tax - £365/yr.
* Mitsubishi Outlander, 93,000 miles, diesel manual, 2.2 DI-D GX4 4WD Euro 5 5dr, not ULEZ compliant, £6995, GTW minus the MAM on vin plate is 2100kg. Claimed 44.8 mpg combined urban and extra-urban. Not sure tax.
We also looked at a couple Mazda CX-5 cars but we haven't managed to fin done from a reputable dealer in decent condition yet.
If anyone has any immediate thoughts we go to view these cars tomorrow and the next day, really grateful to hear them.