We are so new at this; need information.

[susanka]

We have a 1999 Fleetwood 30' MH, good condition, have been having a hard time finding a toad for it. We're thinking we'd maybe find a 5th wheel a better fit. We've only taken a few short trips in it.

We're an older couple, wouldn't be taking family or friends with us in the fiver. I like plenty of storage. We don't want something huge with a fireplace, but we would want a quality, comfortable fiver. DH would like the smallest truck possible consistent with safety; we've seen a half-ton wouldn't be wise.

How can we find out what the really most reliable and well-built fivers are? Are there any that don't have bunk beds, sleep 8, etc? The possibilities seem endless and are so confusing.

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer.

[susanka]

Yes, at this point we've decided to keep the Fleetwood, and we're going to look at Honda Fit and CR-V tomorrow, as well as take another look at the Focus. Good to hear nice reports about the Focus; so many raters (Edmunds,caranddriver) rank it so low.

Thank you, all.

Susan

[Nutinelse2do]

I wouldn't go by CS. My MIL has a Focus she loves, and in many years never had any problems with it. Grandma has one too and same thing... No problems. Gets great mileage too!

Sounds like you have a dependable coach, and you know the service to this point. I would be hesitant to get something new to you and take off on a long journey in it before quite a few shake down runs. Sometimes the grass is not greener.

I think you will be able to find the perfect little tow car for your trip. Scour the internet, local papers, Craigslist, etc and you will find it in time.

Keep us updated.

Cheryl

[robwhite61]

fj12ryder wrote:
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I would never rely on Consumer Reports ratings for much of anything. FWIW I know a couple people with the Focus and they are happy with them.

Ditto. CS only likes high dollar or Japanese vehicles.

[wildtoad]

For what it's worth... I recently purchased a slightly used Chevy Sonic with the automatic. It can be towed 4 down, according to Chevy weighs 2,712 lbs, and gets great gas mileage. I have yet to set it up for towing but that was part of my justification for picking the Sonic. The manual says to run the engine for a few minutes before towing and to remove one fuse.

[fj12ryder]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I would never rely on Consumer Reports ratings for much of anything. FWIW I know a couple people with the Focus and they are happy with them.

[Bumpyroad]

susanka wrote:
I need an automatic transmission on the toad because it will also be my everyday driver. I don't recall seeing Suzikis, Trackers, Saturns on the towable lists with an auto, but we'll look again.

some saturns are towable 4 down. check the owner's manual. my 2005 Vue is.
bumpy

[susanka]

Hi, Cheryl. We did download that, and that's pretty much how we came to the Focus and Sonic. We liked the Focus, but it has a terrible reliability rating with Consumer Reports. So then we started thinking about a fiver. (We lived in one for a year 32 years ago.) But that means buying a big truck, etc., etc. We had hoped to go on our dream trip in a little less than a month, but it's looking a little doubtful at this point. Thanks very much for your help, you and everybody.
Susan

[Nutinelse2do]

I would spend some time looking at the Motorhome Magazine Dinghy Tow Guides. It gives weight of vehicle, if they are towable 4 down, etc. it's a great little resource and goes by vehicle year. The guides are all downloadable.
Do you know what your hitch rating is? That would be the first thing to find out.
Best of luck to you two!
Cheryl

[ttempleton]

MH is nice when traveling but everything else a 5ver is best IMHO.

[susanka]

Hi, and thanks to everyone. We found few cars that would tow with a limit of 3500, and folks said it's better if the weight is somewhat under that. We do like the Focus some. We had thought we'd be looking at the CRV but DH says it's too heavy with that limit after he did whatever calculations seemed necessary. I guess we need to look at the list again. I need an automatic transmission on the toad because it will also be my everyday driver. I don't recall seeing Suzikis, Trackers, Saturns on the towable lists with an auto, but we'll look again.

We're also semi-retiring in 2015. Woo Hoo indeed! I'm thinking our current MH may be our best bet; after we get a few years of serious traveling with that we can think about a fifth wheel if it seems like a good idea.

[Nutinelse2do]

wildtoad wrote:
What are the issues with finding a toad? There are lots of small cars that can be towed four down and can be picked up fairly inexpensively. Having watched many people setting up in campgrounds I think your current 30 ft mh and a toad will be a better choice in regards to ease of setup, but that's just my opinion.

X2
Also better for accessing bathroom, food, drink during transit.
Have you looked into Suzuki Grand Vitara's, Chevy Trackers, Saturns, Honda CRV's? All are under or right at 3k and should tow easily with your current set up.

The better built a fifth wheel is, usually the heavier it is, so you will be out of half ton territory, possibly into a one ton. Just something to think about also.

[wildtoad]

What are the issues with finding a toad? There are lots of small cars that can be towed four down and can be picked up fairly inexpensively. Having watched many people setting up in campgrounds I think your current 30 ft mh and a toad will be a better choice in regards to ease of setup, but that's just my opinion.

[donn0128]

Like any other type of RV there is a myrid of floor plans from lots of different manufacturers. IMHO of your shopping for shorter units a TT kight be a better fit for you. Fifth wheels really shine in lengths over about 30 feet for the on road length vs interior size. But larger fivers do require suitably large trucka to comfortably tow them.
You really need to start visiting dealers and start looking. BTW tell your wife small trucks are for small trailers.

[anitajeff]

Yes, it can be very confusing. There are so many different models and choices. We have had several trailers, a 5th wheel and now a MH. We started by going to the RV trade shows and the the local dealers. For us the floorplan was important. There are many models out there without bunk beds. Have fun exploring.