Towing vehicle recommendations

bouncydog1

Need to buy another vehicle to tow horse trailer - ifor williams classic double which weighs in at 1100 kg plus two horses at another 1000kg.

We had a discovery which was fantastic for towing but a money pit for everything else as was pretty unreliable. Always started first time, but roof leaked etc. etc.

Thinking about Mercedes M class or BMW X5 as want something a bit more uncommercial so that we can take it to Europe.

Recommendations welcome - oh and a budget of up to £10k.

Gloomendoom

I'm not convinced that either of those will be the best choice for towing a two ton plus horse trailer. You need something heavy.

Paradigm

VW Touareg, most are plated for 3.5 tonnes towing & should be cheaper than an M class or X5

mchale

Toyota land cruiser/colorado.

gilbert_and_sullivan

You'll struggle to beat a Landcruiser for towing competence and general reliability.
£10k will get you a 120 series or an older 100 series Amazon.

The 120 series will have either the 3.0litre D4D Diesel, or if fuel costs don't bother you the 4.0litre V6 petrol is very powerful, LPG convertion isn't simple though as the existing fuel tank has to be replaced with a smaller one unless you want the tank in the boot.

100 series Amazon is the dogs bits for towing, and a lovely cruiser, 4.2 Diesel will pull a house down, but the 4.5 litre V8 petrol shouldn't be overlooked as its a cracking engine but will need LPG to make it viable, luckily its a simple conversion as the spare wheel fits in front of the rear bumper, relocate that spare to boot or aftermarket rear carrier, job done.

LC's don't come cheap like other makes for very good reasons.

veryoldbear

If you are going to Europe a lot (particularly France), think diesel, it is significantly cheaper over there. And think of all that luvverly torque.

marlot

I would also recommend a land cruiser. I bought a 120 series 3 litre back in 2008 and still have it. The first time I've owned a car more than a couple of years. depreciated about 12K in that time.

If buying a 3 litre, make sure the injector seals were changed (ring a dealer with the registration no). that's the only big weak point.

My land cruiser is good solo, but even better towing.

loskie

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201506023981828?sort=ageasc&page=1&price-to=10000&search-target=usedcars&model=santa_fe&channel=cars&radius=1500&postcode=dg71tr&make=hyundai&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&logcode=p

something like this.

Do you know if your licence allows you to tow?

[Deleted User]

Do you have category C1 (or better yet, C) entitlement?

If not, watch the weights.

On a category B licence, the kerb weight of the towing vehicle, plus the MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) of the trailer, mustn't exceed 3,500Kg.

Also, the MAM of the trailer must exceed the kerb weight of the towing vehicle, unless you have +E entitlement.

Note that it is the MAM, (rather than the actual weight) of the trailer, which counts.

Lomast

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

On a category B licence, the kerb weight of the towing vehicle, plus the MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass) of the trailer, mustn't exceed 3,500Kg.
.

True but you need B+E not nessasarily C

Category B+E

You can drive a category B vehicle with a trailer when they have a combined weight over 3,500kg.

from https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

Shaka_Zulu

Choices are becoming more and more limited. I wouldn't have a Discovery these days as the are expensive when they go wrong.

Landcruiser is the vehicle of choice but are too expensive for my pocket.

From folk with X5s they report they aren't great to tow with. Have the XC90 and Touareg on your list and if you want to rough it some of the pick-ups will work but are expensive second hand (I still can't figure out why).

My weapon of choice is the Jeep Commander or the Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Mercedes engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM642

Good solid engine.

A good local mechanic and the ability to find parts from specialist motor factors is a must as paying mopar (jeep) prices for parts and dealer servicing rates are expensive.

The big Jeeps are under rated in my view and have poor professional reviews but owners are relatively happy.

I buy mine as salvage so can pick them up for buttons. Dealers are looking for £11-£13k for a 57 plate which is just absurd and decent one should be bought for around £8k.

There are some advantages in VED if you buy cars registered before March 2006.

Do not skimp on buying a car with some decent weight otherwise you will wonder if the car is towing the box or vice versa. Had to use the MIL Tiguan on a couple of occasions and even though it towed well and was within (manufacturers) weight limit I don't think it would have liked it as a regular occurrence and in my view was too light. You need a car that is over 2,000kg in weight and these are disappearing fast.