looking for a car that can lightly tow.

[T2urtle]

Most cars out there can/should be able to two like 1000# per manual but can they really tow without long term damage. I'm not exactly a person to give up on a car because of issues. So this would be a keeper, last 2 cars i sold was due to lack of need.

I'm looking for something a little higher then a beater per say. Maybe with a $8k max price range but i rather say $5-6k.

I dont plan on towing all the much. If i do tow its mainly my motorcycle on a rented U-haul trailer and track junk. I assume thats about 1000#, given the bike is 400# trailer should be 300#.

I really have no use for a SUV or pickup, due to size and MPG it comes with. When not towing it could be daily driven to school or loaned out to family member when needed. So an AT is needed, mid-range MPG i would like to say 20+ city, 25 mixed driving. Right now a 4 banger 2wd ranger is popping to my head but loading up 3-4 people might not work.

I'm leaning towards a AWD middle 90's subaru paired with a AT. Headgasket issues on the 2.5 is a problem but once fixed i heard it will never have an issue again. A 1st gen forester is really high on my list as well.

My parents do have a 96 camry that is beat to hell. I dont know how much/if they make a hitch for it. Maybe we can convert that into my little tow car.

 

[skyking]

If you take it easy on the clutch/transmission, any car will be unaffected by the towing you are proposing to do. I would not use that little bit of towing to change or make a buying decision. 1000 pound trailer = ~100 pounds of tongue weight. They can all handle that much.

 

[Bignate603]

If you take it easy on the clutch/transmission, any car will be unaffected by the towing you are proposing to do. I would not use that little bit of towing to change or make a buying decision. 1000 pound trailer = ~100 pounds of tongue weight. They can all handle that much.

Also, if you're only towing 1000 pounds without fully loading inside the vehicle you should be fine. 4 adults and all their luggage weigh more than 1,000 lb. I'd only worry if you're towing while you have the car fully loaded down.

 

[sdifox]

Corolla.

 

[desy]

Buick v6

 

[Meghan54]

I dont plan on towing all the much. If i do tow its mainly my motorcycle on a rented U-haul trailer and track junk. I assume thats about 1000#, given the bike is 400# trailer should be 300#.

That U-Haul motorcycle trailer weighs 550#, not 300#.

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=MT


If you want to find out what can tow what, ask the manufacturer or look in the owner's manual for the vehicle. It'll have a tow rating listed inside. But remember, tow ratings are done with the vehicle empty except for the driver, a driver at 150# (pretty much the industry standard driver's weight used.)

Add anything to the vehicle, another passenger, a cooler, whatever, and you have to reduce the tow capacity by that much. So, for instance, you have a car rated at 1000# tow capacity. But you plan on two adults, a cooler, and a couple of kids. The extra passenger weighs 160#, the kids weigh 65# each, the cooler full of drinks, ice, etc. weighs 35#. That comes to 325#, which subtracts from the vehicle's rated tow capacity, leaving you with a towing capacity of 675#. Why? Read below.....it's not the drivetrain.

If you take it easy on the clutch/transmission, any car will be unaffected by the towing you are proposing to do. I would not use that little bit of towing to change or make a buying decision. 1000 pound trailer = ~100 pounds of tongue weight. They can all handle that much.

It's rarely the tongue weight or the trailer weight that's the problem. The real problem is stopping that weight safely, esp. when someone pulls out in front of you. A half ton of free weight pushing you with all its inertia isn't to be treated lightly. Brakes is one of the most forgotten about but most important aspects of towing.....everyone seems to only think about the tongue weight and trailer weight and whether the vehicle can pull it. Trust me, even a Yugo can get a 3500# trailer moving. Stopping? Not so much, unless you have a couple of miles to work with.

I'd almost say your post is by someone who has never really pulled a trailer before.

 

[PingSpike]

Subarus have pretty decent tow ratings, its actually one of the things that made me lean towards them. They have 2700lb with the new outback and I think the same for the forester. That's plenty for me to tow a utility trailer carrying my snow blower, mowers, trash or to pick up some appliances or building materials now and then. I also didn't want a truck that would mostly be used a commuting vehicle that handled and parked like a truck and sucked gas like a truck. So I figured I'd just buy a trailer.

Honestly I don't know how the makers rate them for towing. Meghan54's point about braking seems like a good one but I see identical vehicles with larger engines rated to tow more than the smaller engines. If it was all about brakes for tow ratings than I'd expect the heavier v6 to tow less.

 

[herm0016]

a full size car like a grand marquis or a caprice, Lincoln town car.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...rid=56068889&dma=CHICAGO_C1&rdm=1315498462005

03 crown vic with 67000 for 8 grand.

it will last you 2 more life times.


much of being safe, towing is about breaks. just because my 1/2 ton says it can tow 10,000 lbs does not mean it can do that safely. i would not tow over 4000 without trailer breaks and not over 7 with.

 

[ShawnD1]

If you take it easy on the clutch/transmission, any car will be unaffected by the towing you are proposing to do. I would not use that little bit of towing to change or make a buying decision. 1000 pound trailer = ~100 pounds of tongue weight. They can all handle that much.

pro tip: don't get an automatic transmission if you are towing. The instruction manual for most cars with automatics will tell you to lock the lower gear if the transmission starts jumping gears. You know what that means - 300 miles on the highway with the engine buzzing at 4k rpm just so it doesn't drop gears. Hard on the engine, bad for gas mileage, and it's annoying. If you have a manual, it avoids that problem.

 

[Arkaign]

I towed a lot of random crap with an old 80's honda civic with a 1.5L Nothing heavy, but it worked. I would have never bothered, but the previous owner had a tow-ball attachment on it, so I used it a few trips with u-haul small trailers, towed a boat as well All of the loads were less than 1000lbs though.

 

[mvbighead]

pro tip: don't get an automatic transmission if you are towing. The instruction manual for most cars with automatics will tell you to lock the lower gear if the transmission starts jumping gears. You know what that means - 300 miles on the highway with the engine buzzing at 4k rpm just so it doesn't drop gears. Hard on the engine, bad for gas mileage, and it's annoying. If you have a manual, it avoids that problem.

This honestly depends on your load and size of the vehicle towing, but is a valid point.

If the OP buys a Crown Vic with a v8, his load should be small enough to avoid too much unnecessary shifting.

If the OP buys a Nissan Sentra as his tow vehicle, the lack of power in the vehicle will likely lead to a lot of shifting.

 

[satyajitmenon]

Corolla.

He's not towing rocks.


:sneaky:

 

[heymrdj]

This honestly depends on your load and size of the vehicle towing, but is a valid point.

If the OP buys a Crown Vic with a v8, his load should be small enough to avoid too much unnecessary shifting.

If the OP buys a Nissan Sentra as his tow vehicle, the lack of power in the vehicle will likely lead to a lot of shifting.

He would be better off with an auto with the gear locked. A manual is all fine and dandy until you have to get the load moving. Your only choice there (when the vehicle is near its limit) is to slip to clutch, because going all on will just stall the motor. Same reason why manuals are useless for stump pulling. An auto will allow torque to build through the torque converting until the car overcomes the force of stasis.

This is why big rigs are turning to autos. Allows you to take a smaller engine that gets better gas mileage and work it into the load rather than have to have a big engine that can handle clutching on the load at every stop light. After all those big engines barely need even a 1/4 of their power once they are up to cruising. That's waisted fuel $$$.

 

[mvbighead]

He would be better off with an auto with the gear locked. A manual is all fine and dandy until you have to get the load moving. Your only choice there (when the vehicle is near its limit) is to slip to clutch, because going all on will just stall the motor. Same reason why manuals are useless for stump pulling. An auto will allow torque to build through the torque converting until the car overcomes the force of stasis.

This is why big rigs are turning to autos. Allows you to take a smaller engine that gets better gas mileage and work it into the load rather than have to have a big engine that can handle clutching on the load at every stop light. After all those big engines barely need even a 1/4 of their power once they are up to cruising. That's waisted fuel $$$.

Yeah, but we're not really talking about stump pulling or a big rig. That really over-complicates things, IMO. He simply needs a lighter duty vehicle to tow a light load.

The reality is, it always depends on the load and the size of the vehicle doing the towing. My dad has an 02 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 4.7 liter engine, and that thing shifts like crazy when pulling his duck boat in a moderate head wind. One of his buddies runs an older Dodge Diesel which has very little issue towing the same boat. Both are full size pickups, but one is simply far more adequate for towing larger loads due to a more capable engine. The diesel is a stick, but the reality is the ease with which it tows is due to the more capable engine.

The simple truth is, a more powerful car will be able to tow a moderate load and still remain in high gear in a number of situations. In the OP's case, his load will be quite light. He could probably get by with a small V6 and be just fine. However, the manual would give him more control than an auto that may shift back and forth to compensate. Personally, I'd like it if my dad's truck was a manual as 90% of the time the thing shifts, it doesn't really need to. And every time it does, the RPMs jump up to 2500+.

 

[skyking]

That U-Haul motorcycle trailer weighs 550#, not 300#.

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/EquipmentDetail.aspx?model=MT


If you want to find out what can tow what, ask the manufacturer or look in the owner's manual for the vehicle. It'll have a tow rating listed inside. But remember, tow ratings are done with the vehicle empty except for the driver, a driver at 150# (pretty much the industry standard driver's weight used.)

Add anything to the vehicle, another passenger, a cooler, whatever, and you have to reduce the tow capacity by that much. So, for instance, you have a car rated at 1000# tow capacity. But you plan on two adults, a cooler, and a couple of kids. The extra passenger weighs 160#, the kids weigh 65# each, the cooler full of drinks, ice, etc. weighs 35#. That comes to 325#, which subtracts from the vehicle's rated tow capacity, leaving you with a towing capacity of 675#. Why? Read below.....it's not the drivetrain.





It's rarely the tongue weight or the trailer weight that's the problem. The real problem is stopping that weight safely, esp. when someone pulls out in front of you. A half ton of free weight pushing you with all its inertia isn't to be treated lightly. Brakes is one of the most forgotten about but most important aspects of towing.....everyone seems to only think about the tongue weight and trailer weight and whether the vehicle can pull it. Trust me, even a Yugo can get a 3500# trailer moving. Stopping? Not so much, unless you have a couple of miles to work with.

I'd almost say your post is by someone who has never really pulled a trailer before.

You'd almost be wrong I have a CDL class A license for doubles and tankers.
I did not mention things like brakes because to me, they are an obvious necessity. I think the lack of brake requirements on light trailers is criminal.

 

[Meghan54]

pro tip: don't get an automatic transmission if you are towing. The instruction manual for most cars with automatics will tell you to lock the lower gear if the transmission starts jumping gears. You know what that means - 300 miles on the highway with the engine buzzing at 4k rpm just so it doesn't drop gears. Hard on the engine, bad for gas mileage, and it's annoying. If you have a manual, it avoids that problem.

Pro tip: Vehicles with automatics almost always have a higher rated towing capacity than a similar manual trans. equipped vehicle. (Remember....we're not talking about tractor/trailers here, so don't bother trying to bring up that example. I know that hit your mind as soon as you read the statement above, and it's completely irrelevant.)

As for the jumping back and forth, while there's a kernel of truth in what you post, it's not quite like you represent.

Most persons who really tow don't tow with little 4 cyl. Corollas.....they use something that can actually tow, even with V-6 engines. Our Blazer has pulled around 3500# as its heaviest load (so far) and while it's true it will disengage the OD and drop to 3rd gear, it only does so when faced with a hill or major incline. (Putting your foot down to the floor to accelerate doesn't count.....you'd drop a manual down a gear or two to accomplish the same thing with a manual, unless you want the acceleration of a snail.) And our little V-6 never hits 4K rpm in 3rd gear, even doing 65mph.

And also remember, trailer tires on the typical trailer consumers pull (boats and cargo trailers) are rated for 65mph as their max speed. And while you can overinflate a tad (10psi is what is recommended by most trailer tire mfgr's to gain another 10mph of rated speed), 75mph certainly won't make a decent tow vehicle do 4K rpm in 3rd gear......well, if you're towing with a Corolla it might, but what idiot tries to tow with a Corolla?

Just driving down the highway doesn't cause the trans. to jump back and forth.....only idiots that don't know how to drive worth a damn have that problem.

 

[Meghan54]

You'd almost be wrong I have a CDL class A license for doubles and tankers.
I did not mention things like brakes because to me, they are an obvious necessity. I think the lack of brake requirements on light trailers is criminal.

I stand corrected.

But you have to remember, most of the posters here have never towed a damned thing and think that if you can hitch it up and get it moving, you're fine. Stopping and lack of brakes never enters their brains.

And I agree, I HATE trailers with no brake lights on them. I won't pull any of ours if any light is not working. Just wish others acted the same, but you see trailers being pulled down highways with no lights, bent axles, tow vehicle obviously overloaded, bald tires, underinflated tires, etc., etc.

A few months ago, we saw a Dodge Durango pulling a travel trailer....with the truck and trailer making the nicest "V" at the hitch. The truck was literally damned near sitting on its rear tires. And, of course, this doesn't describe how much side-to-side sway the idiot had in the trailer. This was in FL, and the truck had PA plates on it. I just wonder how far he got before wrecking....he made it to Savannah, GA, I do know that. We were doing 75-80mph, and that idiot was no more than a minute behind us.....pulling that travel trailer down the road at almost 80mph. Wreck looking for a place to happen.

 

[ShawnD1]

Just driving down the highway doesn't cause the trans. to jump back and forth.....only idiots that don't know how to drive worth a damn have that problem.

The cruise control on every car does that. On a hill with no load, my car will drop to second gear and rev close to 6k rpm. If you think the car is doing it wrong, bitch at Toyota. Obviously their engineers are terrible and you could design a much better car with a more function cruise control. Where did you get your degree in mechanical engineering?

but what idiot tries to tow with a Corolla?

The manual says a Corolla can tow 1500 pounds. Oh right, you have a PhD in mechanical engineering and the designers at Toyota don't. I forgot. How would you recommend we find the tow rating of our vehicles if it's some number other than the number stated in the specifications? Do we need to send you a PM for each vehicle or is there some blog I can read?

 

[SuperSix]

I use a 92 Cadillac Eldorado to tow a 5x8 trailer with my ATV on it. Works fine. Kinda ghetto though.

 

[ShawnD1]

I use a 92 Cadillac Eldorado to tow a 5x8 trailer with my ATV on it. Works fine. Kinda ghetto though.

Don't cadillacs usually have V12 engines with 900 horsepower? You can pull stumps out of the ground with those suckers. In the 60s, they had V8 engines that were about 8L big. It was the same engine used in motor homes at the time.

 

[SuperSix]

Don't cadillacs usually have V12 engines with 900 horsepower? You can pull stumps out of the ground with those suckers. In the 60s, they had V8 engines that were about 8L big. It was the same engine used in motor homes at the time.

Not quite.. V8 4.9l 200HP, 275lbf·ft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_V8_engine#L26_4.9

 

[amdhunter]

Corolla.

:awe::awe::awe::awe:

 

[jlee]

My '04 Forester XT (5sp) is rated for 2400lb. I like it.

 

[ShawnD1]

Not quite.. V8 4.9l 200HP, 275lbf·ft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_V8_engine#L26_4.9

D:

At one time, Cadillacs were crazy. 400+ cubic inch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_V8_engine#472

 

[Arkaign]

D:

At one time, Cadillacs were crazy. 400+ cubic inch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_V8_engine#472

Some of those are 500, lol 8.2L FTW!!

HP doesn't look very good, but the torque is pretty darned solid.