Ideas for a cheap towing vehicle

[Shad]

I'm mulling over the possabilities of making the rex a track car, so I'll need a daily driver. I'd like something that has the ability to tow up to a tonne (i.e. trailer with the car on it), cheap to buy/insure/run but with plenty of space.

Current ideas include a mid-late 90's Xantia estate (1.9 TD) or something like an Astra van or maybe a Volvo 760 (did they make diesels?).

I don't really know what I should be looking for in terms of power or whatever, in order to tow the car and trailer.

Any suggestions?

[XTR]

Vauxhall Omega

Ya can get them pretty cheap now... and they are a beast of a car!


Edit:

Bloke on ebay reckons it "chews up" Cossies too lolololol. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1995-VAUXHALL-...QQcmdZViewItem

[Fox]

How much have you got to spend? Provided you are willing to put the effort into understanding how the Xantia works, its an excellent towcar. It's unique suspension means it self levels - this paired with a decent turbodiesel is perfect for towing stuff.

Estates unfortunately go for quite a bit more than hatches, so unless you need the space of the Estate, get a hatch.

Omega is a car that really irritates me - I'd SOOOO buy one, but they are a bit of a lottery. When they are good they are very very good, but when they are bad, oooh dear. Reliability nightmare

[Shad]

Well I've seen an honest looking/sounding '96 Xantia estate on Autotrader for £675. I'd need the estate size for tools and spares (hence the thoughts of a van). Checked insurance for the Xantia and it works out at about £580 so not too bad. Would be good to buy and insure something for £1500

[Tumble]

Classic Range Rover? wih your obvious level of proficiency and toolkit, it'd be no problem whatsoever to keep it running. AND it's comfortable

[5lab]

you want to get somethign with rwd or 4wd. you can get a 740/760/940 diesel, but they're pretty rare becasue no-one wanted diesel in a 'posh' car back in the 80s.

you could get a bimmer 5 series touring pehraps?

[Flibb]

Classic Rang Rover would be a good idea, you can also pick up a discovery cheap now. Its even worth looking at the V8 models as they shouldnt be too costly to convert to LPG, but the 200tdi and 300tdi models are also good.

Quick question do you need to do a towing test, cant remember the years but if you passed after a certain date you cant tow over a cople hundred kg without doing a test.

[Shad]

Yes, if you passed after '97 you need to take a test.

Range Rovers seem to start at around £800 and to be honest, not really keen on the sheer size of the things. Will check out some BMWs though

I found a site that lists permissable weights and the 1.9TD Xantias are good for 1300kg. Most cars seem able to tow at least 1200kg.

[Konan555]

If you get the trailer loaded right you can tow with FWD. Trust me, I've pulled about 3ton with the front wheels without hassle.

What I really really like on a tow vehicle is ABS, especially if you have a trailer with 'less than progressive' brakes on.

As for weights, mondy sized up if you want a ton. You can go over it, but you'll end up twisting the car.

Granada's can manage 2 ton IIRC, are RWD, 200bhp 24V V6, ABS, £500 for a good one

[Tumble]

Yes, if you passed after '97 you need to take a test.

Range Rovers seem to start at around £800 and to be honest, not really keen on the sheer size of the things. Will check out some BMWs though

I found a site that lists permissable weights and the 1.9TD Xantias are good for 1300kg. Most cars seem able to tow at least 1200kg.

Yeah they look big BUT... they drive just like normal cars. Seriously suggest you have a go in one, see how it feels, or like Flibb said, a Disco would be fine - it's built on the same chassis as the Range Rover.

[Konan555]

Yeah they look big BUT... they drive just like normal cars. Seriously suggest you have a go in one, see how it feels, or like Flibb said, a Disco would be fine - it's built on the same chassis as the Range Rover.

A normal car with no shock absorbers and a fully laden roofrack?

[Tumble]

plenty of shock absorber action there... besides.. thats rich coming from a Sierra Estate driver

[Konan555]

Touche, my good man.

[Shad]

As good as all of these suggestions are... the Xantia is still the favourite just because it's so damn cheap! Those troublesome spheres... less than £20 each when they wear out, and they're easier to change than dampers (apparently). Not to mention the cost of other parts, peanuts!

I shall continue hunting because I might surprise myself

[schmunk]

Dear oh dear oh dear:


Person X - "I'm thinking of getting a car..."

5lab - "Get a Volvo"

Tumble - "Get a Land/Range Rover"

Konan555 - "Get a Ford"


It's like Groundhog day

[Konan555]

Not Ford in general. Don't recomend Mondys/escorts etc very often.

In this case I had genuine reasons to mention the granada.

1) It'll handle 2T
2) It's cheap
3) It's got ABS
4) It does a giant dump on the omega, which in my experiance has no end of issues.