Should I get a 4x4 or estate for towing...?

L

lottie.dot

New Member
Jun 24, 2008
961
0
0
In the woods...
Hi,

Please if anyone tows can you let me know what drive and why you brought it.

I have a budget of £6000 (though I wanted to get something for a little less if poss) I am buying a ifor williams hb505r and thus have to get something to tow it.

I need something cheap to run (don't we all??) though I am particuarly poor and cannot afford a disc. I have looked at Sorento's though my Dad has said do not buy anything with more than 60,000 miles on the clock and thus cannot afford one as I have not come across one.

So.... What should I get an estate or 4x4 and if so which have you got you would recommend for my budget.

All replies welcome as I have to buy within a few weeks and I just get so confused would looking.xxxx
 
to work out what you can tow with, don't you need to consider what total weight you will be towing ?

My folks have just had to replace their towing vehicle and we only tend to tow one - the biggest one being my 15.1 mare. Or possibly two ponies. But finding something that was up to the job - rather than looks the part but not enough oomph - was not easy/
 
Yeah, its so confusing isn't it and I am hardly a 'car' person either!

Well my mare is 500kg, the ifor I think is 908kg and then possibly taking a friends horse at about 500kg. (though not all the time is any, so maybe I should forget that and think more for one horse!!!)
x
 
I would have thought a 4x4 would be better for towing? Don't know what you'll get for you money but friend was telling me about second hand pick ups not going for much at the moment?
 
lottie.dot said:
Yeah, its so confusing isn't it and I am hardly a 'car' person either!

Well my mare is 500kg, the ifor I think is 908kg and then possibly taking a friends horse at about 500kg. (though not all the time is any, so maybe I should forget that and think more for one horse!!!)
x
Click to expand...

I dont think there is an estate car that will cope with towing 2 safely. I wouldn't even tow 2 with a freelander, you need a proper heavy 4x4. They aren't cheap to run, but thats horses for you :rolleyes:

I'm not sure about the whole 'dont buy if its got over 60k on the clock' though, should live a lot longer than that!! Sorentos are cheep to buy and have good reviews, they do come up under £6k, just have to keep your eyes peeled.
 
to tow two safely, I'd say a car with a towing capacity of approx 3000kgs. I tow two with a jeep grand cherokee which can tow 3500kgs.
 
God,

I just spoke to a chap at a dealership and he said freelanders were not reliable and thus someone like me withtout the dosh should steer clear.

He said, the RAV4 and Susuki Grand Vitari are the ones to go with, but I have heard not good things on here about them?

Or... If I were only going to say right I'll just tow my horse should I then go with an estate car?

xxx
 
You have to take you MAM of the trailer which for a 505R is 2430kgs or thereabouts... and then start working out which vehicles have the towing ability...

I have a Nissan Terrano 2, its a short wheel base but its a brilliant little jeep for towing, its heavy, its towing ability is 2.8tonnes.

Do your research first, its deceptive the size of the jeep doesnt relate to its towing ability, i could be wrong but i think Toyota hilux surfs have a really low towing capacity... I see loads of Mistubishi pajeros towing 505R (they are often low mileage and excellent condition because they are imports)

check out the web, there are some good sites, will tell you the vehicles towing ability and MPG then you know what to start looking for...

Good luck, i think you have a really reasonable budget and you will be able to pick up a decent, reliable vehicle. ;)
 
lottie.dot said:
God,

I just spoke to a chap at a dealership and he said freelanders were not reliable and thus someone like me withtout the dosh should steer clear.

He said, the RAV4 and Susuki Grand Vitari are the ones to go with, but I have heard not good things on here about them?

Or... If I were only going to say right I'll just tow my horse should I then go with an estate car?

xxx
Click to expand...

RAV4 and Suzukis do not have a high enough tow capacity for 2 horses. If you want something mid range, you could try a pajero or the Jeep Cherokee Sport (I have one of these) tow capacity is 2.2 tons so with light trailer you are ok for 2 smallish horses. www.parkers.co.uk is a very useful website, got all the technical data for things like braked tow capacity and weight of the towing vehicle.

Agree with Karenmc I have a feeling that the pick ups can't tow a big weight, despite looking really meaty. You need a big, heavy, gass guzzling 4x4 for safe towing ;) There is no way around it, other than buying a little lorry and a banger but for £6k you would struggle.
 
for a double trailer better off getting a 4X4, espec if you plan on towing 2 horses, as an estate car although would be fine for one horse, would struggle with two horses, and would definately be illegal. You would need a car with a weight equal to or higher than the MAM of your horse trailer for you to be legal
 
Hi, thanks guys.

I have been really keen on the Kia Sorento as I have heard good things about it on here :) But... The one I can afford (there are hardly any about) is a 2003 model, 80,000 miles. Is this model still OK, as I have heard the older models are more on the petrol then the newer ones, which I cannot afford (ie. the newer ones). It is a diesle and it is manual, so that is better than an automatic petrol.
 
lottie.dot said:
Hi, thanks guys.

I have been really keen on the Kia Sorento as I have heard good things about it on here :) But... The one I can afford (there are hardly any about) is a 2003 model, 80,000 miles. Is this model still OK, as I have heard the older models are more on the petrol then the newer ones, which I cannot afford (ie. the newer ones). It is a diesle and it is manual, so that is better than an automatic petrol.
Click to expand...

I think the new ones have a higher towing capacity 3.5 tons I think, and the older ones 2.8 tons, which will still be enough for yr ifor and 2 x pones. None of the 4x4s are great on fuel but diesel is slightly better than petrol (only slightly due to diesel being so frickin expensive!)
 
For around £6k you can definitely get a decent 4x4. We paid about that for our 54 Reg Nissan Nivara (with air con, comfy seats, towbar and the 'Snugtop' cab fitted to it) and that would tow almost anything (hubby uses it every day on the farm - literally in the fields - and it is also a nice drive on the motorway). Otherwise, consider a Subaru - either the Forester or Outback. We are just about to take delivery of an Outback, which tows close to 2 tonne (plenty for me and my small pony), and you still have a luxurious estate car for when you are not towing. Remember to take into account fitting a towbar, if it doesn't already have one - they are expensive.

Ali xx
 
you could pick up a really nice izuzu trooper for that :) or save half your money and still get a hlaf decent one! :D

fab for towing and can tow 3T - but double check that against engine sizes etc rather than taking my word no it ;)

i love towing with mine - also - it's a SWB commercial so cheap road tax rather than expensive 4x4 tax :D

and normal driving i get 30mpg (ok... i never go over 2,000 revs so approx 55mph - any faster/higher revs and it's not half as efficient ;))
 
I'm not licensed to tow, so can't offer any sensible advice on that front, but I just bought a Land Rover Discovery and I love it! We got it from a friend who has horses, and he has given us loads of good advice on towing with it, and it's capacity - it will tow about 3T, so we're going to be buying a trailer to suit it once my OH has sorted out his trailer test next year.
It's a lovely car, and (so far as we've only had it a week) it hasn't been much more to run than my old Picasso, bearing in mind that I'm considered a "young driver" at 24, and my partner (in his thirties) has only held a full driving license for just over a year, so we expected the insurance to be extortionate!

When we were shopping around for 4x4s, we saw a lot of Land Rovers for between £1,500 and £2,000, but we really fancied a Disco, as I'm told Freelanders are not quite so good for towing.
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back