Looking for tow vehicle purchase guidance
New guy here, I'm looking for some help and guidance with the purchase of a new to me tow vehicle.
A little about what I'm currently towing with and what I am towing; I have a 2000 Excursion, 2WD. 7.3l diesel, the truck has a DP Tuner, exhaust and a few other goodies, it flat out moves! My trailer is a newer 20' 5000lb GVW hybrid. Obviously I'm overkill on the tow vehicle at this time. I literally do not even know the trailer is back there :) I also tow a utility trailer to gather firewood in the summer, and occasionally a car/trailer, max GVW around 7k lbs.
We moved into the mountains above Denver, CO a couple of years ago. My wife and I have decided the Excursion must go, we have tried and tried, and just cannot deal with a 2WD truck where we live in the winter. It now sits parked for 6 months out of the year. We would like to have another full size SUV, 4WD this time, to serve tow and utility duty and as the family vacation mobile.
My budget for a "new" tow vehicle is $10k max, this puts me out of buying another 7.3l Excursion. With how many miles we will put on this truck, about 6-7k per year, and what I am towing I can’t really justify the extra initial expense plus maintenance of another diesel anyway.
I have been looking at V10 Excursions and 2002 – 2006 Suburban’s. I’m partial to the 3/4 ton Suburban’s, but I’m not sure if I really need a 3/4 ton truck. I have driven a couple of 8.1l Suburban’s, I like this engine, but do I need it? We enjoy the size of the Excursion, buy again, just not sure if we need a vehicle of that size. We do have three kids so the third row seat is a must. The room behind the third row seat in a Tahoe or Expedition is not enough for us, so these vehicles are out of the question. 4WD 1/2 ton Suburban’s are for sale everywhere in my area, and they are cheap too. I’m just concerned about the towing ability/durability of the Chevy 5.3l and the 1/2 ton chassis, our towing is mostly in the mountains, above 9000’. I have also looked at GMC Denali’s with the 6.0l in them, this might be an option, not sure about the AWD system and not having a low range gear in the transfer case.
I’m looking for any help and suggestions on this. Thanks!
A little about what I'm currently towing with and what I am towing; I have a 2000 Excursion, 2WD. 7.3l diesel, the truck has a DP Tuner, exhaust and a few other goodies, it flat out moves! My trailer is a newer 20' 5000lb GVW hybrid. Obviously I'm overkill on the tow vehicle at this time. I literally do not even know the trailer is back there :) I also tow a utility trailer to gather firewood in the summer, and occasionally a car/trailer, max GVW around 7k lbs.
We moved into the mountains above Denver, CO a couple of years ago. My wife and I have decided the Excursion must go, we have tried and tried, and just cannot deal with a 2WD truck where we live in the winter. It now sits parked for 6 months out of the year. We would like to have another full size SUV, 4WD this time, to serve tow and utility duty and as the family vacation mobile.
My budget for a "new" tow vehicle is $10k max, this puts me out of buying another 7.3l Excursion. With how many miles we will put on this truck, about 6-7k per year, and what I am towing I can’t really justify the extra initial expense plus maintenance of another diesel anyway.
I have been looking at V10 Excursions and 2002 – 2006 Suburban’s. I’m partial to the 3/4 ton Suburban’s, but I’m not sure if I really need a 3/4 ton truck. I have driven a couple of 8.1l Suburban’s, I like this engine, but do I need it? We enjoy the size of the Excursion, buy again, just not sure if we need a vehicle of that size. We do have three kids so the third row seat is a must. The room behind the third row seat in a Tahoe or Expedition is not enough for us, so these vehicles are out of the question. 4WD 1/2 ton Suburban’s are for sale everywhere in my area, and they are cheap too. I’m just concerned about the towing ability/durability of the Chevy 5.3l and the 1/2 ton chassis, our towing is mostly in the mountains, above 9000’. I have also looked at GMC Denali’s with the 6.0l in them, this might be an option, not sure about the AWD system and not having a low range gear in the transfer case.
I’m looking for any help and suggestions on this. Thanks!
