Would all of you knowledgeable people help us choose a vehicle?

We have a 24-ft HiLo Towlite and we weighed it = 3800 + lbs.

Our Toyota mini van that we just love, is too small, so we're thinking of getting a gas guzzling behemoth!

So far, here's what we're thinking about. Have any comments? All look great/no rust. Most can seat eight, so we can haul the kids and their friends. All are v-8's I believe.

1999 Suburban well maintained 190K mi. $4000 ( KBB = $7200) That's a lotta miles, but the price is right.
2003 GMC Yukon XL 142K mi. $8800 1 owner (KBB = $10 - $11K) Loaded to the hilt. Rear door opens upward, which I like, others have 2 doors on back which open outward.
Ford E150 Chateau Van v-8, I think. 120K $7900 new tires, ball joints, totally gone over from a dealer - supposedly..

You've all been so helpful before. I hope to someday know enough to be able to help others!

Mary Kay

The first burb has alot of miles on it. Fine if you and the hubby are ok with making spot repairs on the road. I would pass in favor of something with less miles.

The second burb and yukon look to be good candidates however they need V8s to have the power to pull your hi-lo.

I would also pass on the van unless it has the bigger V8 and a replaced transmission. The E40D transmission in the ford vans were horrible things, not lasting much over 100,000 miles on average. The small V8 was a bit underpowered but the larger V8 had good power.

Hey Fireballsocal,

Thanks ever so much for your input. I have some definite feelings on some of these, but am waiting to hear other replies first. I'm going t go to the literature and check on that E150 van as to whether it's the larger V8.

Will get back to you. Anybody else wants to put in their two cents, pls feel free.

Any other ideas for vehicles? As long as it's going to be a gas guzzler, it might as well be large enough to haul stuff and seat a minimum of seven. Eight is preferred. I looked at a Trailblazer today, and it wasn't that great on gas and wasn't very large inside either. If we had grown kids, it might be a diff't story.

Thanks again,

Mary Kay

Mary Kay

We checked out the first Suburban today - 1999 with 190 K, and it was rather dirty inside and reeked of cigarette smoke. Sigh. I should have asked before we went and checked. It rode nicely though, and I loved all the room inside and how the seats fold down.

We're looking at a Suburban, a Yukon, and a Ford Expedition tomorrow...All 2003's, just by coincidence.

Wish us luck.

Mary Kay

I think an Expy would be a good choice, as would a Yukon. Actually, I really prefer a pickup for pulling a trailer so that there is a place to stow (often dirty) gear. I also prefer 4WD capability, since we like to boondock camp and some of the areas have pretty primitive access.

- Jack

__________________
Hi-Lo 1707T
2005 F150 4x4 KR SCrew

I tow a 26' with a savana 1500 which my heavy foot spun a bearing in recently, but the 5.7 pulls it without any problems. I just need to watch trying to keep up with rush hour traffic on long steep grades, extremely high rpm's = loss of $, bad part is that I knew better. The transmission doesn't have any problems, it has a cooler, 3:73 rear end gearing with locking differential for traction, I have never been stuck in it even snow and mud on the construction site it goes suprisingly well. I had an E150 high top conversion with a 5.0 and I don't think that it would do the trick, it was rather weak.
I like the van for versatility, I have five kids that I can take along, put my motorcycle in it, haul building materials in it, etc. Most of all I like being able to load everything up the night before and not have to worry about locking everything up, just push the button.

__________________
2001 GMC Savana
Classic 2693 RD
Luke 1:49

Be sure to check the towing capacity of the vehicles you are shopping for. Does it have a tow package? How much cargo and passengers, in pounds, will you be carrying in it? Example: If you have a tow vehicle with a 5000 pound tow rating, that means you can tow a 5000 pound trailer if you only have the driver and a full tank of gas. Anything that gets added to the tow vehicle, passengers, cargo, etc. gets deducted from the 5000 tow capacity. Vehicles with a tow package usually have a higher tow capacity than one without. So, to pull a 5000 pound trailer may require a 6000 pound towing capacity. As has been discussed here many times, use 75-80% of the tow capacity as a rule of thumb for maximum trailer weight. Having a proper WD hitch is also a factor in towing capacity.

I'm sure you have already read discussions on the subject here but I feel it is important to weigh this in on your decisions when vehicle shopping.

__________________
Great Wife, Joyce
2010 2310H Hi-Lo
2012 F150 4X4 SuperCrew EcoBoost w/Leer Cap
Reese WD Strait-Line Hitch
Amateur Radio K3EXU

Thanks everyone,

We spent the entire day shopping for vehicles. Had them all written up/mapped out. We called the first dealer as we were leaving the house and then when we got there, they told us that unbeknownst to the guy we talked to, it sold. Man, it was over an hour away.

In the end it all worked out though. We are buying a Yukon XL. Just love all the interior room! It's a 2000, and has 145K mi, and is in great condition.

It was $7000, which is just about right --now that I've been researching them.

We'll take it to our mechanic to double-check everything, and then our HiLo is at J & R Repair so we should be all set for our trip with the kids right after Christmas!

WOOT WOOT!

And thanks for all your advice folks!

Mary Kay