We Need to Replace our Tow car

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Oct 25, 2020
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From BMW purchasing experience, admittedly before the X3, I would be checking that any particular used X3, comes with the same additional towing prep features, a factory fit would come with.
We've always had our towbars fitted elsewhere (detachable ones)as don't buy brand new BMWs. Think the chances of getting a good second hand one with a factory fitted towbar may be slim.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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The only thing if you get a X3 with a towbar already fitted you don"t know what it been towing .
I had my detachable Towbar & 13 pin done at my bungalow he was a mobile towbar fitter . he was very reasonable
 
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May 7, 2012
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Not sure I would worry about the fitted tow bar f the car has been looked after. If the car is looked after well then it tends to show a responsible owner.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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The car might be well look after but if it came with a fitted towbar how do you know what towed with.
i brought car what was pristine and it had a towbar and two plugs fitted i thought great when i put caravan on it was nearly touching the ground took to a garage it need new Shock obsorbers and Springs so i had that done as well lucky it came with warranty .
 
Nov 6, 2005
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And yet we all expect to get a normal trade-in price when we come to sell our towcars, despite the stresses we put them under.

In reality, a car towing 85% and well within it's towing limit is unlikely to have suffered any ill effects.

If buying an ex-towcar is such a bad thing, how do we all sell them?
 
Jan 31, 2018
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Our Navara says service every 12.5k miles but I do it every 6-I'd rather buy mine off someone than a neglected thing without tow bar that has had the recommended intervals! I think SH and impression are v imp; having recently had to look for a car below 3k for my daughter you wouldn't believe the lack of care people have for cars. Missing sh clocked and clearly detectable on the gov MOT website supposed recon gearboxes that don't have the odd gear, jacking points destroyed, could go on!
 
Jan 3, 2012
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What happens if been towing 100% i would not like to buy a ex towcar
I would buy a car and then put a towbar that my prefered choice at least I know it has not been towing ..
 
Jul 18, 2017
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A lot depends on mileage and just worked out our mileage since we bought the vehicle in Oct 2018 and was astounded that we ha donly done about 15000 miles. Normally it would have been over 20000 or more miles!
 
Nov 6, 2005
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What happens if been towing 100% i would not like to buy a ex towcar
I would buy a car and then put a towbar that my prefered choice at least I know it has not been towing ..
You won't know if it's been towing before - many dealers will remove a towbar because of the stigma
 
Nov 11, 2009
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You won't know if it's been towing before - many dealers will remove a towbar because of the stigma
Assuming the seller gives them the body cross member that may have been removed. My last two cars that were traded in had detachable towballs that could not be seen unless you bent right down. So when they looked over the car they would not have seen the towbar, prior to offering the trade in price. But at least when I delivered the car to them I deposited the cross member in the boot.
 
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We brought our Volkswagen Tiguan in September 2018 and i was astounded at the mileage we have only done 9,500 miles from new it should be a lot more .
 
Jun 20, 2005
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OMG!
My 2005 Sorento from new was sold by us at 137k with tow bar.Same springs and shocks. It’s still going according to DVLA. Same goes for the last Sorento px’d last year. I bought it with a tow bar and sold it it with one. Still going no problem.
The latest tug had never towed. In truth whether a big tug has towed or not it is reasonable to assume the vehicle design is more than adequate and will not be a problem for a future purchaser.
On the contrary it is better to but a car all fitted out and save a fortune👍👍
 
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Jan 3, 2012
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My prefered choice is to by a car without a towbar (i have been stung in the past) i also got rid of some cars with a towbar & plugs the buyer at a garage got in contact with me ask me what it been towing i told him he brought it, it is still going strong today
 
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May 7, 2012
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Unless you know who had the car and how they treated it in any purchase of a second hand car you relying on it having been treated well. A tow bar is just one more thing involved in the equation.
 
Nov 6, 2005
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Unless you know who had the car and how they treated it in any purchase of a second hand car you relying on it having been treated well. A tow bar is just one more thing involved in the equation.
Checking a used car's condition is essential - relying on age, mileage, service history is simply not reliable - problem is that few people have the knowledge, experience or interest these days.
 
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Nov 11, 2020
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We have both a 335d and a Nissan X-trail, the 335 is used for day to day driving and the x-trail is used for towing and also day to day driving, whilst the 335 is great to drive so is the x-trail, different leagues when it comes to performance and the 335 gives better MPG, looking to change the x-trail shortly as our lease comes to an end, so we have had extended test drives of an X3 20d, very similar style layout and drive as the 335d, minus the acceleration, we have also had an extended test drive of the X5 45e hybrid, and this is probably one of the best vehicles I have driven, better performance, comfort and ride than the 335, just quite expensive so over my lease budget, looking to do an extended test drive on the Volvo XC60 after the latest lockdown restrictions are eased. We need a capable 4x4 to get about in the winter so two cars are not an option.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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We have both a 335d and a Nissan X-trail, the 335 is used for day to day driving and the x-trail is used for towing and also day to day driving, whilst the 335 is great to drive so is the x-trail, different leagues when it comes to performance and the 335 gives better MPG, looking to change the x-trail shortly as our lease comes to an end, so we have had extended test drives of an X3 20d, very similar style layout and drive as the 335d, minus the acceleration, we have also had an extended test drive of the X5 45e hybrid, and this is probably one of the best vehicles I have driven, better performance, comfort and ride than the 335, just quite expensive so over my lease budget, looking to do an extended test drive on the Volvo XC60 after the latest lockdown restrictions are eased. We need a capable 4x4 to get about in the winter so two cars are not an option.
You don’t say what your caravan weight is but I assume that you have checked it out against the cars that you like. Regarding cars it’s almost impossible to advise as everyone has their likes and dislikes. Going to one car will also entail a different set of choices too. A previous questioner asked a similar question to yours but it was quite clear that his mind was made anyway for an X3. So I won’t even suggest anything. But a read of Towcar of the Year awards over the last couple of years would help.
 

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