Help Us Choose A Vehicle
 

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

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.

Check the tow ratings
 

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.

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

Thinks to consider
 

I would only recommend those vehicles with a factory tow package, I have seen many vehicles that try to tow without them that end up on the side of the road with overheated engines boiled over transmission and various other malfunctions attributable to doing something it wasn't set up to do
Even if they say it is set up I would do some serious checking

A tow package consists of

Proper rear end gear ratio, perhaps posi limited slip
Heavy duty radiator
Oil cooler
Over-sized Trans cooler
Larger battery
Higher capacity alternator
proper wiring for receptacle

Also keep in mind as a vehicle ages those components loose their efficiency, and yes bigger engines are always better

Probably too late?
 

It looks like it is probably too late for recommendations Rammw, its seems they purchased a vehicle about 8 months ago. :eek:

Naw never too late for recommendations. Always somebody new (like me) who will see the recommendations as we go over old posts. We will be replacing our TV in the Spring so I read this thread with interest :)

Raamw,

Yes, we did buy a 2000 Yukon, that is mechanically excellent, but does have a little rust. Gotta love all the room and towing our camper was absolutely no prob. Except for the fact that we did not have sway bars and it did sway back and forth at anything over 65mph. But we've recently acquired some and have not yet tested them out.

My dh says that after we used our Hi Lo in the winter, that he thinks about traveling in a camper just about everyday. He's been "bitten by the camper bug!"

Thanks again.

Glad to hear the Truck can handle the job, do get sway control since tail wagging can be a dangerous situation if it gets out of control. There was a supply RV company that had the complete kit on sale for around $25. Friction Sway Control - $24.95

Yeah I guess in that aspect the recommendations are still good for new people. I would second the recommendation on getting sway bars for controlling that trailer and keeping it in line.

Towing speed
 

The slower you go the less gas you use and the less chance of a blowout(hopefully.) Try towing at 55/65 Max.

Seriously? Sway bars are only $25? We saw someone at a campground and he said $200 - $300 I think. Anyways, we had some relatives give us some but haven't used them yet. Our camper is parked in our yard and we're just about ready to move into it for the entire summer while our house is being remodeled. That's why we bought the camper in the first place...and the idea of using it to travel was an aside....But we really enjoyed it.

OH, and I typed 60 mph, but actually it should have been around 60 - 62 that the camper would start to sway. It also depended on the terrain and the wind. You're right about going too fast though. I tend to have a lead foot, unlike my slow and patient dh.

Thanks again.

Mary Kay

There are weight distributing round and trunnion bars used to redistribute the the hitch weight onto the tow vehicle but they are not sway control. With proper tension applied you literally can remove the rear tires of the tV and still maintain level between the two, The general rule is to measure the rise in the front of the vehicle before hitching and after hitching and adjust the chains to bring the front end back to a neutral position. Again you need to get the proper weight bars but for most tandems the 750 or 8oo pond rated ones handle the range from 400 to the weight rating of the bars

Sway control are of either friction slide which mount alongside the tongue connecting to the little balls mounted to the vehicle hitch and tongue of the trailer. Friction or amount of sway control is determined by the amount of torque applied to the friction bar. You can over tighten them to the point you would difficulty turning so it is a tried experience to get the right torque
There is a new design that are incorporated with the weigh bars brackets mounted to the trailer these are quite expensive though.

Here is what I use, and can say it works very well.

Equal-i-zer Hitch - The “American Original” with 4-Point Sway Control and Weight Distribution

LOL, Raamw, You may as well be speaking another language....Thanks though!

PappaP----and thank you!

I will be forwarding both of these replies to my dh. He'll be the one who'll understand.

I'm very grateful,

Mary Kay

I have the Equal-I-Zer hitch too. It's not cheap, but it is VERY effective.

- Jack